Go Live checklist on ERP implementation

When an ERP application goes live, a lot can go wrong. Critical severity bugs, security holes and other technological issues can cause chaos, wreak havoc on operations, bring the company to a dead end, and even lead to multi-million dollar litigation. However the go-live can be a smooth, seamless experience with proper preparation and scheduling.

Pay attention to the things on this checklist before turning the switch:

The Major Bugs Were Squashed

There will be no issues in a perfect world at go-live. In fact, however, you won't be able to capture it all. And that is perfect. As long as you can fix the bugs of severity 1 and severity 2 that will absolutely destroy your files, you will be able to comfortably flip the switch and then start fixing the smaller bugs.

All examinations were done – and have passed

You will run a series of tests during the implementation phase: unit tests, process tests, system integration tests and user acceptance testing. All these exercises are designed to ensure that in the production environment, the configurations, customizations and integrations will not fail. But make sure that when you're designing experiments they cover enough use cases. For example, bring in users to help create user acceptance tests so you know you're checking what's going to matter to them once the switch is flipped.

You have Migrated and Cut-Over Data

Just like you will not go on stage without rehearsing your lines, without getting thorough dress rehearsals for the data migration and cut-over, no ERP implementation can go live. This is an opportunity to clear out any problems with corrupted, messy or duplicate data that you don't want to put into your brand-new production server.

Ready for the Data to Go

You'll have to draw a line at some stage as to what data will be migrated. When exercising data migration, you would also want to settle on a cut-off date and period for any transactions to be added to the original migration data set in the legacy framework. That way, before the switch, you can populate the new system with data, then later move to new transactions in the legacy system.

Have kept the backup

It goes without saying, but before any conversion happens, anything in the legacy system needs to be backed up if the worst-case scenario occurs. And make sure that the backups are checked well before migration.

Ready with Production environment

Only saying that the development environment is ready for the migration is not enough. You'll have to describe what it means to be "ready." Ideally, this means that the infrastructure is in place and ready for the new ERP system to be managed, and that you have installed it, loaded users and activated all the required security features.

Done with Training

One of the most common reasons why ERP deployments fail is that end users do not completely accept the system and look for workarounds. Training is important in order to stop this. End users need to understand how they can perform their jobs with the latest features and functions, what the workflows look like, what to do if they have any issues regarding the application, and what's changed from the legacy system.

You’ve got the rollout strategized

Think of go-live as a football championship game: Everyone in the team needs to know their position, what the playbook is, and what to do if things go out of control. That means the end users know what is to come, the development team is prepared for any vulnerabilities that have not been resolved, and there is a mechanism for addressing any problems that occur after roll-out.

Support is on standby

You'll want to have the support team ready to answer the inevitable questions after Go-live. Even with a smooth implementation and the most comprehensive preparation, end-users will be uncertain about what the next move would be. Make sure that there are enough individuals available to assist them with any challenges they may encounter.

The bottom line: You give the best chance for success to your go-live with a smart approach, thorough preparation and meticulous processes.

We, at Oodles ERP, provide end-to-end ERP software development services to solve complex business problems through automated software solutions. Our developers use agile methodologies and open-source platforms to provide a hassle-free development experience with reduced costs and faster time-to-market. For more information, contact us at [email protected]