ERP Readiness and System Selection

ERP projects provide a unique opportunity to improve business process, modernize operations, and transform government. However, ERP projects are also difficult and many organizations struggle with the challenges of new technology, organizational change, and project governance. This course focuses on the essential skills for leading an ERP project and addresses mitigation strategies for common risks that all governments will face. During the course, students will participate in lectures and small group exercises to build their understanding of project planning, business process analysis, systems procurement, and implementation preparation. Through this course, students will be introduced to the enterprise system marketplace, project scope development and finalization, review of functional business processes, system requirements development, fundamentals of procurement and evaluation, contract/statement of work development and transitioning to system replacement projects.

NOTE: This class is only available for employees of state and local governments. ERP vendors, consultants, and other private sector representatives are not eligible.

Those who successfully complete this seminar should be able to:

• Understand the current market for administrative and enterprise information technology systems
• Identify the various functions that could be included in scope of a systems replacement project
• Understand the tasks involved with a business process review including cataloging functions, process mapping, and systems inventory
• Develop techniques for identifying process inefficiencies, duplicative work tasks and system redundancy
• Learn the practices involved with developing system requirements to support the improvement of identified process inefficiencies
• Understand the concepts of developing a comprehensive request for proposals for both software and implementation services
• Identify various methods to evaluate replacement system functionality, implementation services, and integration of systems into the government business process
• Learn the skills to negotiate fair contracts, develop complete statements of work, and minimize the risks to a government that are inherent to system replacement projects

This course is taught by GFOA staff from the Research and Consulting Center. Each instructors has experience working with different types of organizations and brings lessons learned, practical examples, and templates/tools from GFOA's experience assisting hundreds of other local governments with ERP readiness, system selection, and implantation. Past instructors have included:

• Mike Mucha, Director, Research and Consulting, GFOA
• Barry McMeekin, Consulting Practice Manager, GFOA