Thus, to ensure your organization is on the right track, consider these 4 essential ERP documents to drive the implementation success.

4 Key ERP Documents for Successful Implementation

1. Request For Proposal (RFP)

Request For Proposal (RFP) documents have all the content a buyer seeks from the ERP. It enlists the reasons for moving and planning to have or shift to an ERP.

RFP question answers and its related functionality documents the main core modules a business is looking out for. Having a read through this document brings in the base level understanding of why, how and what of an ERP Implementation.

2. Business Requirement Document and Functional Fit/Gaps

Once the ERP is selected, the next phase draws towards preparing the Kick-Off Meeting Deck. Following the Kick-Off – comes the preparation for drafting a formal Business Requirement Document mentioning the final pointers mutually decided to be included in the delivery scope.

A Fit-Gap Document mentioning what can and what cannot be achieved will be the second document to be prepared to get a clear picture on the implementation to be conducted over the ERP.

3. Work-Break-Down Structure (Project Plan)

A Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is an important document to have before commencing the desired ERP Implementation for a client.

A WBS helps in aligning the requirements with the time constraints giving an overall overview of the time-based work deliverables to be implemented into the system.

This also highlights the resources allocated to the respective tasks and the status of each task as on the Start and the End Dates with a phased delivery against the project divided into – Initiate, Engage, Drive, Enable and Convert.

Thus, a WBS is nothing but the entire project execution plan at a glance.

4. Legal Documents for Implementation Partners and IT Support

Understanding the scope and duration of a project, it is beneficial to bring in Implementation Partners at an early stage, to share the business responsibilities – with an experienced partner who will bring in strategy and execution for the end-to-end project.

Alignment with the integration team, their fit-gaps to integrate systems is the key aspect to be focused before implementation to mitigate the possible implementation cycle delays and have a smooth start and end to the project.

Considering and abiding all these ERP Implementation documents, delivers a perfect and successful project completion. Thus, bringing-in transformative benefits to the organization at large!

The post Key ERP Documents for a Successful ERP Implementation appeared first on OdeBlog.

But with evolving market dynamics, economic shifts, and external challenges, how can you ensure your ERP system keeps up? Legacy on premise ERPs, especially those plagued by outdated versions, technical glitches, or storage limitations, often fall short. They can hinder growth instead of supporting it.

That’s why businesses are turning to modern cloud-based SaaS solutions like NetSuite ERP. These models go beyond fixed, patched, and disconnected on-prem ERP systems!

Here are the top 6 reasons why upgrading to a cloud-based ERP like NetSuite is the smarter choice for your business.

6 Reasons to Move to NetSuite from An On-Premise Legacy ERP

1. Greater Business Agility

A cloud-based ERP like Oracle NetSuite will provide accelerated time to value with continuous regulatory alignment. It can be assessed world-wide, anyplace, and anywhere, empowering mobile networking amongst the buyers and suppliers on forefront.

2. Quicker Version Updates

There remains no version locking! Every user can access the latest version update, switching to technology at a faster rate. This in-turn drives NetSuite users to be updated with industry wide latest upgrades and features.

3. Quicker Implementation and Deployment

With integrated data support, customizations become more accessible and operate in real-time. Thanks to its cloud-based architecture, NetSuite offers quicker implementation solutions that can be completed in days. This trumps the traditional on-premise models that often require months or even years to go live with a project.

4. Imbibed Latest Industry Solutions

NetSuite offers continuous version upgrades with just a click, ensuring your ERP is always up-to-date. Its user-friendly interface and resources like the SuiteAnswers and Help Section empower users with real-time solutions to industry challenges. This proactive approach gives businesses a competitive edge over outdated, on premise ERP systems.

5. Cost Effective

Cloud ERPs like NetSuite significantly reduce IT expenses by eliminating the need for extensive infrastructure, dedicated IT staff, and costly hardware setups. With a self-service model, businesses can streamline operations while cutting down on large upfront investments.

The savings can then be reinvested to improve customer experiences, enhance employee satisfaction, and drive overall business growth.

6. Best to Mitigate Security Breaches

On-premises ERPs often face security threats and need additional software to protect data and information. However, Oracle NetSuite has its own inbuilt 2 factor authentication mechanism to keep hackers at bay, mitigating security breaches and providing a secure environment to its stakeholders.

Takeaways

Thus, to avoid disruptive software version locks and escape the high-cost IT infrastructures, it is best to choose cloud based SAAS like NetSuite and overcome the On-Prem ERP challenges altogether!

The post Why Move to NetSuite ERP from an On Premise ERP System appeared first on OdeBlog.

Before you make this critical decision, here are the top factors to consider to ensure the ERP you select is the best fit for your business.

6 Factors to Check for Choosing the Right ERP 

1. Business Model and ERP Requirements

Why do you need an ERP? What modules should the targeted ERP cover? Will this be an ERP or even a CRM will be sufficient for your business based on your model? What is the return on investment you are seeking from this ERP? And a lot more.

Clarity on what, when, how, and why questions will get you to the exact requirements your company is looking for here in the search of ERP.

2.Size of your organization

Size and volume of transactions in your organization define the structure of your ERP. While majority ERPs take care of the volume portion of transactions, it is always suggested to keep a volume check of transactions and not choose an expensive and bulky ERP when your organization is at a nascent stage.

3.Budget

Figure out the intended budget spend on ERP. Consider an inclusive budget covering licenses, implementation, potential customizations, and ERP support services. Calculate the expected return on the ERP implementation by reduced manual work hours and increased effectiveness in completing tasks on time.

4.Cost Compare Each Searched ERP

Create a search of ERP based on pointers 1 and 2 and filter them in respect to price.

Match your budgeted requirements with the offerings given in the ERP cost list.

Analyze each offering given by the suggested ERP in detail. Explore the reviews and comments posted by users for the ERP services offered.

5.Walk Through the Systems

Understand the complexity of the short-listed systems. Go in for user demos to understand the user friendliness of the user interface. Discovery calls to make sure your business requirements are in alignment with the ERP offerings.

6.Assess the Implementation Process

Understand what count of teams will be required here to streamline the transit. What will be ground level training required on our user front? Will there be the assistance provided post ERP Implementation? How do they plan for Data Migration activities post the implementation?

By carefully evaluating such factors and ensuring an ERP aligns with your business requirements, you can make an informed choice that will support your organization’s growth and efficiency. 

NetSuite ERP stands out as a robust option. It offers a comprehensive features that adapts to diverse business needs while providing reliable scalability, financial control, and process automation. Choosing NetSuite can help your business streamline operations, enhance decision-making, and stay agile in a competitive market.

The post Essential Checks Before Choosing the Right ERP for Your Business appeared first on OdeBlog.

However, the Oracle NetSuite framework aligns well with many of these approaches by outlining a clear course of action. In cases where a particular methodology is not established, Oracle NetSuite combines the best elements from various methods. 

Below, we explore how NetSuite effectively integrates IT project management methodologies into its overall ERP processes.

Project Management Methodologies Used in NetSuite

Agile and Scrum Based Method

This methodology talks more about a flexible, iterative build process. While it consists of a set of processes to be followed in each phase, we have NetSuite’s SuiteBuilder and SuiteFlow which are in itself a NetSuite tool for following the Agile Methodology of building a process and adhering to it.

It can be further divided into parts to attain a goal like we have our Sprints in Scrum methodology.

Kanban and Lean Method

These methods aim at reducing wasting time and resources to boost productivity. NetSuite’s Project Management is a best fit for this as it promotes billing as you use methods with incremental timesheet billing options. For in-depth Project Management with exclusive time monitoring to check productivity in place, we can use NetSuite OpenAir too. This helps in categorizing activities by their values in the process.

Six Sigma Method

The Six Sigma is a 5 step method – Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control.

This aims at problem resolution. NetSuite uses its SuiteAnalytics to define measures and analyze the situation to move further with its improvement and control using SuiteBuilder, SuiteScripts and SuiteFlows to customize forms and workflows to act within the defined protocols for a business to move smoothly and sail its boat within the legal statutes.

Waterfall Method

Waterfall is the simplest IT project management method of all for planning and executing projects. The next step is dependent on the prior step and this sequence continues. All the steps for execution are determined and defined at the beginning of the project and have to be completed one-by-one in a systematic manner to get the desired results at the end of the project.

NetSuite SuiteFlow is one such example of generating actions based on the triggers selected on the form on screen. It executes all the actions in a defined sequence based on the user action configured at the backend.

Of all the given strategies, the one which NetSuite follows by default is the Waterfall method. It has all its forms interlinked and interdependent which makes it mandatory to follow one step at a time with adhering to each based on line-wise priority.

Thus, NetSuite implements all the project management strategies to the best of its use in daily NetSuite activities performed by a user to create a sense of belonging for each action based on the Project Management strategies.

The post IT Project Management Methodologies in Routine NetSuite User Activities appeared first on OdeBlog.

Migrating employees to new systems, rules, and procedures is a critical process that requires careful planning and execution to ensure a smooth transition and minimize disruption to operations.

To address these challenges and ensure a successful migration, here’s a list of essential steps for a successful ERP Change Management Plan.

6 Essential Steps for a Successful ERP Change Management Plan

Here is a list of must haves in an ERP Change Management Checklist as follows:

1. Analyze

Access impact of change.

Approach all levels of management in this study to build a case for change.

Identify opportunities and risks of the new platform and its suitability to existing business processes.

2.Risk Assessment

Understand your current workforce age dynamics before bringing in the new ERP in effect. Older generations are always reluctant to change and will take a considerate amount of time to adapt and accept the new ERP. Conduct a readiness assessment to analyze the bandwidth for it.

3. Bring in Strong Leaders to Cater the Change Culture

A change needs to be handled in a proactive as well as sensitive manner. Organizations need to identify and bring in leaders to make this process filled with trust and impact; both!

4. Communication Plan

Tailor your messages as per the audience.

Put up disclosures, milestones, objectives, and transition processes in an order with the current workforce.

Develop a trust amongst employees for the end goal of adapting to the new system.

5. Workforce Enablement

Address employee fears and concerns.

Give employees a breathing space into their new roles in the system.

Arrange group training sessions explaining all the security norms while implementing the transition process.

6. End User Training

Perform onboarding training sessions for the new active system in place.

Engage employees in system audit activities to understand the system better and self-monitor their work.

Customize your ERP training. Introduce online and offline training schedules to suit every employee’s comfort.

An effective ERP Training Strategy can go a long way towards mitigating employee resistance.

Takeaways

Thus, an ERP Implementation can be simple, or complex based on the various factors like size of the organization, crowd of the organization and a willingness of managing the transition chaos in the system.

However, not taking charge of an ERP change management can blister a serious ERP failure!By prioritizing ERP change management, you can equip your workforce with the confidence to embrace the new system.

The post ERP Change Management Plan for Success appeared first on OdeBlog.

With restrictions of 20000 lines in each pickup file comes along the tedious data management to test the validity and verification of data!

One mistake and the list of errors blacks up our import cycle and makes us sit with a series of resolution to re-import the file back before we can proceed with the next portion of data migration.

Thus, CSV Imports are a big trouble to shoot before we could process further our data into NetSuite system.

To avoid these potential CSV Import Errors, here are several ways we could save the bait and make the entire CSV Imports a lot easier.

How to Prevent CSV Import Errors?

1. TRIM Spaces

The real challenge is resolving the SPACE errors while importing records. This especially comes as a challenge while dealing with email records and names.

To help here out comes the TRIM formula! (Formula – TRIM(cell))

Done! This gives us records without any extra spaces to upload via CSV.

2. PROPER Spellings

Another trouble in filling out direct data is of using uneven capital letters under any forms.

To help resolve this, we have the PROPER formula to rescue;

(Formula – PROPER(cell))

This will help us to streamline data in grammatically correct sequence with capital letters to be used only wherever required.

You can also go in with Format Painter and apply a same formatting across rows/columns.

3. Triple Check Grammatical Errors for Custom Fields

A slight change in pronunciation of Custom Fields will only create Havoc as NetSuite will not sync with the related records and will not trigger auto-fill correctly and the series of data being left out will move in dominos!

Be super specific with every colon and semi-colon which is a part of your spelling too.

Thus, apply for the TRUE formulas and re-check Custom Records thoroughly before any upload into the system.

4. Use Differentiable External Ids

While NetSuite creates its own Internal Ids, it becomes at most imp for us to have our related External Ids in hand which are very easily differentiated amongst the variety of records we have.

Example – Customer records can have Ids beginning from CUS while Vendor Records have VEN and so on….

5. Fill All Mandatory Columns

Irrespective of whether data was provided by client or not! Fill in dummy data with relevant reference to the principle record to avoid any blank field errors.

6. Check for Formatting Requests Set-up under General and User Preferences

Especially the Date and Numbering Formats! Any deviation from these might lead to non-pickup of details from the CSV File leading to errors.

Thus, using these tips and tricks will save you from the wrath of answering validation errors and reducing rounds of CSV Imports; making your 1st step towards Data Migration smoother.

The post 6 Ways to Save Ourselves from CSV Import Errors appeared first on OdeBlog.

Systems Audit is a mandatory tick-off item for IT Auditors to capture the IT sanity for business operations. It gives a comprehensive dive into organization’s IT infrastructure to check for regulatory and network compliance in addition to monitor the status of disaster management plans of the company.

Thus, keeping the entire IT Team on toes is essential. Here are various methods to prepare your organization’s IT Department and Infrastructure for a detailed Systems Audit.

1. Security Log Reports

Prepare and maintain a security log for all the users and their activities using a time bar. This helps in catching cyber-attacks if attackers are cloning and disguising to be one of the organizations employees.Delete dormant accounts. Check for change in employee roles and review to delete the dormant role access.

2. Putting up a System Closure

Try to customize your systems to close for employee activities unless specifically approved for weekends. Add a stop clock for employee activities in system post a standard working time hour. Putting data entry restrictions can help identify malicious flags. This protects the system from any kinds of data breach and instils data integrity.

3. Keep Documentation in Check

This applies to both online and offline documentation. Be it details of an Anti-Virus software’s definition of virus being updated or having checklist for regular IT firewall testing, everything must be documented and provided as asked by the System Auditors. Routine compliances with valid licenses should be in place is green flag for IT Audits.

4. Security Policies and Employee SOPs

Majority of data breaches come from human error and misuse.

There should be defined IT SOPs for every employee to follow. Any restricted website access should be granted against a ticket defining the purpose and duration of access. Passwords should be defined as per policy and should updated at regular intervals. Employee must be given mandatory IT Security Trainings to help protect the organization from tail-gating and cyber masking.

  5. Data Backup

Data is the backbone for every organization. Losing access to data or losing data altogether is the worst one can be hit by calamity.

Daily backup of data should be maintained with at most security. Test backup for applications. Test the data recovery process. Check the status for deleted files. What happens when someone tries to restore deleted data. Results of all these tests should be kept handy for any kind of auditor testing.

6. Disaster Recovery Plan

When a disaster strikes, how well can an organization accommodate for recovery. This being a part of data recovery, must be evaluated from all angles to minimize loss and guarantee data retraction in the decided time frame as per the plan. Maintain a Recovery Objective Deck at disposal to support the organization Disaster Recovery Plan.

7. Physical Assets and Network Performance

Downtime in IT environment can be risky as well as costly. Be it electricity outage or network outage, both have significant impact on productivity of the entire organization at one go. Have regular evaluation of CPU, RAM, Bandwidth and other technical compliances in place to overcome these challenges and have a smooth IT Audit.  

8. System Upgrades and Development

Top of all, it is important to check and review system upgrades and how they are adding value to our business. Documentations and compliances must be in place to ensure security and quality of the final product used.

Thus, proper paperwork and reporting is the key to a secure IT Infrastructure enabling security protocols in place for a Systems Audit to be successful!

The post Systems Audit Checklist For A Company At A Glance appeared first on OdeBlog.

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems have become the backbone of modern businesses, streamlining operations, enhancing efficiency, and facilitating informed decision-making. However, ensuring the reliability, functionality, and security of ERP systems is paramount for organizational success. ERP Testing serves as a critical process to validate system configurations, data integrity, and performance. In this comprehensive exploration, we delve into ten essential types of ERP testing conducted within Oracle NetSuite, shedding light on their significance and impact on organizational operations.

Functionality Testing:

Functionality testing focuses on evaluating the performance of individual modules or components within the ERP system. By testing functionalities such as Order to Cash in NetSuite against specified requirements, organizations can ensure that each component operates seamlessly, meeting user expectations and business objectives.

Some tools to help with automated process testing: Xcelero – Automated Testing for NetSuite, Chassi – Process Improvement Platform

Need help improving NetSuite for your business?
Hire a Consultant Today!

Performance Testing:

Performance testing assesses the system’s ability to handle various workloads and user interactions efficiently. By simulating real-world scenarios with multiple users performing concurrent tasks, organizations gain insights into the system’s performance capabilities, identifying bottlenecks and areas for optimization

Integration Testing:

Integration testing validates the smooth flow of data between interconnected systems, ensuring data integrity and security during transfer processes. In Oracle NetSuite, integration testing verifies the seamless exchange of data between different modules and external applications, guaranteeing interoperability and reliability.

IT Tool Control Testing:

IT Tool Control Testing focuses on evaluating the effectiveness of security measures and controls implemented within the ERP system. Measures such as two-factor authentication (2FA), login audit trails, and security questions in NetSuite are rigorously tested to identify and mitigate potential security threats and vulnerabilities.

Regression Testing:

Regression testing is essential for ensuring the stability and reliability of the ERP system, particularly after software updates or modifications. By retesting existing functionalities and verifying the impact of changes on previously resolved issues, organizations can maintain system integrity and minimize the risk of regression errors.

Smoke Testing/Patch Testing:

Smoke testing, also known as patch testing, involves targeted testing of critical functionalities or priority areas within the ERP system. This focused approach ensures that essential features are thoroughly tested before broader implementation, minimizing the risk of system failures or disruptions. This test is mostly done after a major deployment of new changes in a production environment.

Installation Testing:

Installation testing encompasses a comprehensive evaluation of the deployment process, ensuring that all mandatory requirements are met and configurations are correctly implemented. By following a predefined checklist, organizations can verify the integrity of the installation process and mitigate potential deployment issues.

Adaptability Testing:

Adaptability testing evaluates the ERP system’s ability to adapt to evolving market trends, regulatory changes, and technological advancements. By testing features such as automatic capture of forex rates in NetSuite, organizations can ensure that the system remains aligned with current industry standards and practices.

Data Handling Testing:

Data handling testing assesses the ERP system’s capability to process and manage various forms of data inputs, including characters, images, and barcodes. By validating data integrity, accuracy, and consistency, organizations can ensure reliable data management and reporting capabilities.

User Acceptance Testing (UAT):

User Acceptance Testing (UAT) is conducted by end-users to evaluate the system’s usability, functionality, and overall user experience. By involving stakeholders in the testing process, organizations can gather valuable feedback, identify usability issues, and ensure that the ERP system meets user expectations and business requirements

In conclusion, ERP testing plays a crucial role in ensuring the reliability, functionality, and security of Oracle NetSuite and other ERP systems. By adopting a comprehensive testing approach encompassing functionality, performance, integration, security, and user acceptance testing, organizations can mitigate risks, optimize system performance, and drive operational excellence. As businesses continue to evolve and embrace digital transformation, robust ERP testing methodologies will remain essential for maintaining competitive advantage and delivering value to stakeholders.

The post ERP Testing: 10 Vital Types of Testing in Oracle NetSuite appeared first on OdeBlog.

The post NetSuite Consultant: Why You Need One for Your Business appeared first on OdeBlog.

If you work or have ever worked as a NetSuite Admin, I’m willing to bet you’ve experienced this hundreds of times, where every NetSuite bug reported to you has the CIO, CTO, CFO — sometimes even the CEO — and a bunch of unrelated people added in Cc.

For the end user submitting the request, here are three major reasons why that practice could be highly ineffective:

#1 – You’ve just lost the ability to properly escalate the issue if not addressed timely

You might think the issue you are raising might cause critical damages to the business if it isn’t fixed in a timely manner, but the reality is that more often than not, the majority of your colleagues believe the exact same thing about their particular problem.

Now, imagine you were in that C-level position, getting Cc’d on every single reported bug (many of which could be the same or similar). It’s unlikely you’d have the time or willingness to properly follow up on each of those email chains.

Considering your busy agenda and long list of priorities, you’d eventually attempt to filter out the signal from the noise in your inbox.

And I can assure you that as an employee, you definitely don’t want your emails being relegated to your managers’ spam box.

I highly recommend you hold off on Cc’ing those C-level folks unless it becomes absolutely necessary to bring an issue up the ladder.

#2 – The leadership staff has probably engaged IT’s full capacity on other critical initiatives or pressing issues

I understand no end user would raise an issue to IT if wasn’t significant to their work; however, it’s also important to understand that as an employee in a company, your issue may not even be in the list of top-10 priorities your leadership staff has already given to IT.

In my past life as a NetSuite Admin, I’ll admit that I’ve had to blacklist some “troublemaker” users. It sometimes felt that their job just didn’t keep them busy enough, so they’d always find time to dig out the most improbable defect in NetSuite.

I’d think to myself: “Dude! How did you even get to that screen? You are not even supposed to be there!”

What ended up happening is I’d always deprioritize those requests to focus on the tasks I was given by my actual boss.

It wasn’t that I intentionally wanted to disregard these troublemakers’ requests; rather, it was the reality of having a great deal of work set on my plate by those higher up the chain.

See, as a company scales and evolves, being the internal expert of a core IT system (ERP) means you become the center of every interaction between departments.

You get pulled into every single project: Marketing, Sales, Procurement, Engineering, etc. Every manager is now asking if NetSuite can do this or if NetSuite can do that….

Naturally, the request that comes from the highest authority will always take the top spot on my list.

For example, I had once blacklisted a NetSuite Financial user prior to her reporting an issue concerning the mapping of a CSV import. This forced the employee to spend an entire week manually reviewing and correcting most of the transactions imported into NetSuite each month before closing.

Meanwhile, the IT staff’s highest priority was to help make monthly financial reports available sooner for the executive staff. As expected, I spent most of my time catering to the leadership team on this initiative. What I didn’t realize then was that this CSV import was meant to facilitate and accelerate the month-end closing process. Hence making monthly financial reports available sooner for the executive staff.

Right there was a week the IT staff could have gained in this leadership initiative had I not disregarded her request so hastily to focus on what I thought was a more pressing matter.

As an end user, never think the issues you are dealing with are not significant enough to raise to IT. And most importantly, just because you were trained to perform a time-consuming task manually, don’t assume that THAT is the only way it should be done.

Your ideas matter!

#3 – You will create a lot of noise, which finally ends up burying your initial request

Unlike many other Netsuite admins and consultants, I have also worked as an end user of an ERP system, which has helped shape my perspective on this matter in ways it wouldn’t have otherwise.

And just like many other end-users, I often Cc’d a whole bunch of managers — not to mention, my entire team — in an attempt to give more authority to my requests. By Cc’ing my team, I naively had assembled a pack of wolves to hunt down the poor IT guy.

Unfortunately by the time the IT admin got to seeing the request, that single email had grown out of control into a 50+ email chain, and not a single manager had commented or given any direction other than, “Please remove me from Cc. Thanks!”

At that point, what was I really supposed to expect from the IT person?

Now how do you get effective support from your IT team or NetSuite admin?

1.Find out the internal process to raise IT issues.

Does your company have a ticketing system? Is there an IT dedicated group email? If yes, this is where you start.

2. Set proper priority on your request and a realistic due date.

Setting the proper priority helps your admin better classify your request among many others he or she has to complete. But if you always set all your requests to High or Critical, you run the risk of being blacklisted. Setting a realistic due date helps your IT admin allocate the right amount of time to deliver a high quality work.

3. Always assume good intent.

Your request is not getting the traction you need? It is not always because your IT admin is slacking off. He might just be too busy.  Try to find out what is in his or her request pipeline, and see if you can help deprioritize a few things by discussing other requests from your team.

4. Escalate only if none of the above worked.

But only bring these issues up to the designated person in your organization for IT escalations, not to the entire leadership team. Most times, a one-on-one meeting, supported by proof you’ve already tried the 3 steps above, does a much better job than a convoluted email.

At OdeCloud we have built tools to help NetSuite Admins connect and stay close to end-users, and provide the proper support and solutions they need.

The post Kill Those Long Chains of Email: How to Properly Request IT Support appeared first on OdeBlog.