ERP training for your talent has hidden costs and complexities
Something that any HR practitioner in an IT-related environment must know is that training and educating end-users is key if any large enterprise IT project is to be successful. This is especially true when a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution is started. However, many companies still don't provide for technical challenges, business complexities and costs of equipping talent with the competencies they need to drive the business getting as much benefit from ERP systems as they can, which causes costs to skyrocket. But this can all change if you educate and train your staff in ERP.
What demands does ERP training place on the organisation?
1. The IT department
The IT department will be one of the business areas most significantly impacted by the training requirements of an ERP project. Your talent in this department will be expected to set up the software to be used for training - and this might mean extra costs in hardware, software licences and HR.
IT will also need to keep this training system backed-up and ensure it changes in step with configuration changes in the development environment.
If you're going the e-learning route, IT might need to make provision for hardware and network capacity for the storage and distribution of online learning materials.
2. Training
The training group will be swamped with work during the switch to a new ERP system as it'll need to source and test course content. In addition, the training department will need to:
- Set up permissions on the learning management system and load course curricula and content for user groups,
- Assess and evaluate the training and the end-users' progress in learning relevant skills and knowledge,
- Manage the nitty-gritty of the training process, including:
- End-user and trainer competence,
- Quality control over courses,
- Monitoring attendance,
- Updating materials, and
- Ensuring sustainability of end-user training in the organisation after the system goes live.
3. Authorisations team
This team will need to set up and maintain authorisation profiles for trainers and groups of end-users.
4. Data team
The data team will need to create and maintain realistic clean data on the training - often earlier than the project requires.
5. Testing team
This team will need to provide test scripts containing the business scenarios that form the basis of the training material and processes.
6. Business process- mapping team
Accurate, fully documented business process maps and the associated business rules will be essential for the training project - and providing these will be up to the business process-mapping team. This team will also need to provide quality assurance on materials and delivery for business process training.
7. Logistics and support
There are many hidden logistics and support costs involved in ERP training. Printing materials, booking and equipping rooms, procuring software licences, as well as travel and accommodation costs for trainees and trainers are just a few examples.
8. SMEs and functional consultants
They'll have an important role to play in providing lists of the functionality that needs to be included in the training material you'll need to give your talent. In addition, they'll also need to do quality assurance and sign off on the materials.
Don't get trapped by hidden costs
As these examples show, supporting a large-scale ERP training effort is almost as complex and wide in its organisational impact as is implementing the ERP solution. In addition to costs that many companies don't provide for, ERP training makes enormous demands on the time of already-busy people spread throughout the organisation.
The good news is that companies who start with a clear view of the challenges and costs of training can manage these effectively. The trick is to build training and education time and costs into the project plan right from the start which will allow you to use your resources optimally and to align your new technology and processes with the talent who will use these. By scoping realistic training costs and timeframes right from the start, you can put your company on the right track to a successful project.
