OF AN ORACLE E-BUSINESS SUITE UPGRADE & HOW TO AVOID THEM

Oracle E-Business Suite is a mission-critical application that could turn your investment into revenue in a very short period of time. But, with any complex application, considerable time and attention should be devoted to maintaining, improving, and optimization to ensure your organization is realizing value.

Lets evaluate the 7 most common pitfalls in an Oracle E-Business Suite Upgrade and how to avoid them.

TOP 3 FACTORS DRIVING ERP CHANGES

65% Regulatory

requirements

75% Reorganization or restructuring

80% New/changed

business process

Pitfalls 7

1. POOR DOCUMENTATION

LACK OF UNDERSTANDING

INTO THE FULL SCOPE OF WORK

Many skilled internal teams start their project planning and implementation process with good documentation practices, but dont understand the full scope and the end goals to complete the documentation in the final stages.

LACK OF VISION TOWARDS

CORPORATE END GOALS

INCOMPLETE DOCUMENTATION

IS TYPICALLY THE RESULT OF:

PROPER DOCUMENTATION IS IMPERATIVE FOR TRACKING:

The current state of your ERP

Decisions made during an upgrade & justification for changes

Changes to scope of work

Successful post-launch usage

Opportunities for greater efficiency

START

FINISH

Create a standard for documentation at the start of your project, and hold team members accountable for completing documentation requirements, as well as keeping them at and above the standards required.

2. UNREALISTIC BUDGETS OR TIMELINES

Many project managers are successful in estimating hard dollar costs of their projects, but they may overlook identifying the soft costs, made up primarily of allocations of internal resources.

Your organization requires a major Oracle EBS improvement project. Even if that project has already been funded, doesnt mean that all required budgets have been adequately identified and secured.

TOO OFTEN BUDGETS DO NOT ACCOUNT FOR:

Full scope of work

Resources allocated

Outside assistance

Realistic deadlines & time to complete projects

GO OVER ALL EXPENDITURES

Underfunded budgets could force you to cut corners (like shortening or eliminating test phases) that could increase the risk of error and unintended outcomes.

3. LACK OF TRAINING

INADEQUATE TRAINING IN A PARTICULAR EBS FEATURE OR FUNCTION ARE OFTEN THE CAUSE OF IMPLEMENTATION ERRORS.

MULTI-MEDIA PRESENTATIONS

LIVE DEMOS

HANDS-ON PRACTICE

A VARIETY OF TRAINING METHODS ARE AVAILABLE:

RAMP UP YOUR TEAM AND AVOID ERRORS.

One week of training will not only help users with new features but will improve overall business efficiencies. Training may include multi-media presentations, live demos, and hands-on practice to get users familiar with the day-to-day and periodic tasks they will be required to execute moving forward.

USER PRODUCTIVITY KIT (UPK)

4. THE RIGHT RESOURCES ARENT ASSIGNED

Before the beginning the project, define what internal resources are required for execution. This includes people, infrastructure, hardware, and software.

BE REALISTIC WHEN ASSIGNING PROJECT RESPONSIBILITIES

z 66% OR 2 OF 3 OF U.S. WORKERS CLAIMED TO FEEL OVERWORKED

Recognize when external resources specializing in R12 implementations and upgrades would be more efficient even though the cost might be higher. For example, hiring resources for the upgrade to R12 may seem more expensive than having your DBA perform it internally, but consultants who manage upgrades day-after-day develop a variety of lessons-learned and ways to streamline the process.

5. TRYING TO IMPLEMENT OVERLY COMPLEX SOLUTIONS

It is tempting in many Oracle EBS implementations or upgrades to over-engineer solutions, especially when unique business needs and requirements are involved. One thing to keep in mind is that:

LESS CORE FUNCTIONALITY

OF EBS

CUSTOMIZATIONS

= MORE

COMPLICATED IMPLEMENTATION

For example, many companies end up with multiple instances that are either separately managed or tied together through complex, custom bridge systems and reporting tools.

Instead of spending time and resources implementing third-party reporting, consider consolidating multiple instances, moving to a global chart of accounts (CoA), and/or standardizing on a consistent calendar.

6. LACK OF ADEQUATE TESTING

Define your use cases

Involve those who will be using the software on a regular basis

Adequately test periodic activities

Be sure to build a test plan that includes both the day-to-day activities and the periodic activities financial reporting, period close; patch application so that ongoing product support and success isnt compromised.

Ensure that your testing includes reports, upstream and downstream interfaces, customizations, enhancements, and workflows. Be sure to budget for testing resources in your up-front planning and resource allocations as well.

PROBLEMS WILL ALWAYS OCCUR IF YOU DIDNT

TEST

+

7. NOT UNDERSTANDING THE BUSINESS DRIVERS FOR CHANGE

Too often, IT projects become a standard part of doing business (especially in large organizations) without being rooted in business drivers and objectives.

Operational changes often necessitate new processes for complying with regulatory requirements, additional procedures for governance of shared data, and mitigation of new risk factors. Include governance, risk, and compliance management as part of the project plan.

TAKE THE TIME UP FRONT:

CONTENT SOURCES: Top 3 Factors Driving ERP changes: (http://cloud.unit4.com/corp/docs/IDC%20-%20Cost%20of%20Change%202013.pdf ) Survey: 1 In 3 Employees Are Stressed Out, Underpaid And Overworkedhttp://jobs.aol.com/articles/2013/03/06/americans-stressed-underpaid-overworked-survey/ CONTACT US: info@biztech.com | 610.592.0600 | 1150 First Avenue, King of Prussia, PA 19406 Copyright 2013, Business Technology Services Inc, All rights reserved. Trademarks: Products mentioned herin are trademarks or registered marks of their respective owners. This document is provided for information purposes only and the contents hereof are subject to change without notice.

Understand why you are upgrading

Understand what do you hope to achieve

Engage business users

LASTLY REMEMBER TO CELEBRATE THE SUCCESS OF THE UPGRADE OR REIMPLEMENTATION!

Dont focus on defects, failures, or small cost over-runs without looking at the big picture and the ultimate accomplishment.

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