Finger Lakes Computer Consulting




Lessons Learned

Take these tips to heart on any project or any IT Department (summary)

In trying to summarize a list of useful tips for anyone implementing an ERP or any sizable IT project. There are very important technologies for IT as well as some non-tech ideas to consider which may surprise you. These are necessary items that can be used as a checklist and should for any IT Department or large project.

Many CIO's and IT Directors may assume these are present and working - but an independent study into your IT operations are the only method to ensure you are in the best place before beginning that major career making/breaking project.

The design mantra that I chant is performance and supportability - my essential elements. The person that is going to support any part of IT should be allowed to improve upon documentation, process, it's design.

First Infrastructure
  1. Virtualization - have it ready - quicker deployment - Better utilization, redundancy. - easier re-work, duplication, testing, etc.

  2. Choose appropriate platform for job/consider value - stop believing salesman, solution providers and stakeholders. Analyze for yourself ! (run down comparisons - iSeries, unix, wintel)

  3. Ensure all products are covered in DRP and Backups appropriately. Have a plan/project simply to archive data. These cannot be an afterthought.

  4. Proactive monitoring tools ($$) to have metrics of where you are - absolutely necessary in a large and important implementation. Read : ITIL.

  5. The Data Warehouse and BI tool should be dealt with in tandem of implementing an ERP. These are the most important delivery items for any Information Systems department.

    6. Organization/Team
  6. Strong IT Team - organization and teamwork must already be present. Strong leadership and structure. This will be a stressful time and a non-positive environment can destroy and limit work.

  7. Require a person or small team that has wide and deep IT knowledge for design and architecture. Deep knowledge in Infrastructure, DB's and application servers. Understanding how things work beyond functionality is a necessity - don't have ANY black boxes - deep and documented.

  8. Have someone involved in EVERY consultants work. All solutions need someone on the team that knows how it works (vs. what it does) to successfully support it. idea - have an exit interview of all consultants - ask them to identify area's of risk they see. Compile this list and mitigate.

  9. Stop limiting your solutions to the knowledge of your present IT staff. This is common with most people. Pardon the cliche' - think outside of the box!

  10. Provide an easy mechanism and standard process/tool for all team members to document requirements, analysis, designs, choices of solutions, (why did you choose it over Brand X?), implementation, how to measure, the process.



    11. Contact FLCC to assist with your IT architecture.

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