In our modern world complex and flashy are 'sexy'. With ERP systems it is no different...

The drawback to this is that complex and flashy often gets in the way of delivering on time to our customers without the need for blood, sweat and tears. Rather than getting state of the art functionality you often get confusion instead.

Confusion doesn't help a business to perform and especially when it is around a business critical software application. This confusion ultimately leads to a lack of productivity and sub-optimal results for the business, let me explain.

If your ERP setup isn't simple it immediately becomes difficult to learn. This means that new starters to your organisation take longer to become effective in their roles and for seasoned employees it means more time away from their day job trying to figure out and learn the new system. In short, if it is complicated most people don't bother to learn it unless they are forced to. I have spent a lot of my professional life untangling other ERP setups; complexity isn't required for most businesses so why let your ERP system be different?

Another side effect of complex ERP setups is that they have a tendency to be difficult to use. Difficult to use translates to 'won't get used'. Unfortunately, ERP systems are integrated and intertwined systems. If you don't use one element of the system (in the way that it was intended to be used) there is a good chance that it will knock on to another area of the system. I have seen businesses derailed through apparently malfunctioning systems only to find out a housekeeping task in an unused part of the system hadn't been carried out.

With these two points it therefore becomes difficult to achieve results. An ERP system is (and should) be a productivity tool. It is there to serve your organisation and help you make better decisions faster and reduce the bureaucracy and administration around running your operations. Being difficult to learn and difficult to use is not a recipe for success.

One option you can take immediately is to determine the simplest / 'one best way' to run your ERP system. Defining this can give you control and guidance over how you can use your ERP system to achieve the results you need. Mapping our your system and keeping things simple is definitely a strategy that works well with ERP systems.

Fraction ERP is designed to be simple. After years of being dissatisfied with the systems we have had to use we built our own. We took out all of the unnecessary elements and left in a streamlined and modern process that helps businesses to focus on their money making activities and not 'stoking the machine'!

If you want a simpler ERP option for your business then sign up for your demo today.