Why You Need a Champion for a Successful Microsoft Dynamics GP Implementation, and Why That Person Isn’t Who You Think It Is

by Mark Polino, Director of Client Services, Fastpath
published October 8, 2008

I've been involved in countless Microsoft Dynamics GP implementations over the years and have come to realize that there is one little-recognized key to both a successful implementation and long term usage. That key is a champion.

By champion I don't necessarily mean a key executive sponsor, though without that you'll probably fail. I'm not referring to a strong administrator or a project manager, though they are important, too. For me, a true champion is a user who embraces the system and becomes the go-to person internally for Dynamics GP.

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About Mark Polino

Mark Polino is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a Microsoft MVP for Business Solutions. He is the author or coauthor of 5 books related to Microsoft Dynamics GP.  Mark also maintains the Dynamics GP focused website DynamicAccounting.net. He speaks and writes regularly about ERP related topics. Mark has been a controller and CFO for a division of a publicly traded company and he has  worked as a consultant implementing ERP solutions. Mark holds additional certifications including Certified Information Technology Professional (CITP), Certified in Financial Forensics (CFF) , Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA). Dynamics Credentialed Professional for Dynamics GP 2015 (Core Install and Core Financials), Xero Certified. He holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of Central Florida and an MBA from Rollins College. Mark lives with his family in Florida.

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Why you need a champion

On October 16th, 2008 dedosno1 said:

Dear, Mr. Polino

With my respect to your point of view mentioned on October 8 2008 published:

1- I did understand that you are simply through out the ball to the GP users and forgetting one important fact that there is no healthy child unintelligent but there is many teachers whom incapable to teach them.
2- You should consider that many if not most of the GP are existing and running business that put them in a very tied time table for implementation and not ready to have long time for using any new system.
3- AS you mentioned one of the beast benefit from GP is saving time and money so, GP implementation teams must show there miracles and not the other way around. Putting in consideration 2 facts; a) the entire organizations dose not have previous experiences with GP. b) The entire managements pushing their users to maxims their productivities.
4- NO MASTER depends on the cleverness of the student to prove him self, but STUDENT depends on their MASTER cleverness to show and express his cleverness.

Emad A. Raouf Ahmed
Director of finance Department
Albilad Hotel Jeddah,
KSA,
finance@albiladhotel.com

hello

On October 18th, 2008 bfurie said:

goodbye

Couldn't agree more

On November 3rd, 2008 czginger said:

Mark,

ABSOLUTELY. I always tell people that I want to work with the "do-ers". It's only in the do-ers group that I will find a champion. It's only the champion that I'm most interested in investing countless hours to empower. I couldn't agree with you more.

Ginger

Dynamics GP Champion

On January 26th, 2009 johnszabo said:

This is so dead on correct not just for Dynamics GP but many other software application implementations.

John Szabo