Identify Data and Reporting Needs Early - Your Microsoft Dynamics AX Project's Success May Depend On It

In my last article I looked at some of the essential planning related to ERP implementation team formation. I have walked through the planning challenges that should go into a Microsoft Dynamics AX project and explored the roles of implementation team.

In this article I will explore the different reporting needs and perspectives for each level in the organization. The main principles for reporting are reliability of business information and the ability to produce the right information at the right time for the right person. Reports that analyze ERP data in a meaningful way represent the output of the ERP implementation; it is considered the cream of the implementation, the next level of value that solution owners should aim for. This ideal outcome results from building all reports based on a single information source - the ERP solution where the business is recording all transactions on a daily basis.

Organizational reporting levels are divide into three main layers: Operational Management, Middle Management, and Top Management. Each level has a different perspective of report usage, whether tactical/short term usage or strategic/long term usage, and a different opinion on a report's complexity.

Operational Management

Operational management requires the monitoring the performance of each sub-unit and managing individual employees. That requires that report scope is narrow, with detail to the lowest level of information (transactional level).

Middle Management

Middle managers are concerned with internal firm performance, including revenue and cost management, resource allocation, and the development of short term plans. They require the reports with a scope focused on aggregate, summarized transactional information.  These reports cover specific ...