Five Tips for Getting Your Microsoft Dynamics GP Implementation Right – The First Time

We have all heard horror stories of Microsoft Dynamics GP implementations gone wrong (wrong also includes blowing the go-live dates). Most implementation failures can be narrowed down to wrong choice of partner, poorly defined scope, lack of project management, partner not familiar with business processes and, in a few cases, unforeseen external factors.

I know of a large company that has invested more than $3.5 million on a GP implementation of financials, distribution, integration to a warehouse management system, and ten third-party products. Five years into the run and four partners later, the company has barely gotten beyond the implementation of the financial modules.

In general, your Microsoft Dynamics GP system can and should improve the business processes you are automating, but an implementation failure or a substantial project delay can cost your organization hundreds of thousands of dollars in (squandered) professional fees, not to mention staff morale issues and frustration of sponsors and project teams stemming from such blunders.

I have put together these five guiding principles on how to get your Dynamics GP implementation right the first time around:

1. Dynamics GP implementations must be drven by a compelling business case

A few years back, I was a part of an executive presentation to a board of directors where the IT director's most compelling reason to implement Microsoft Dynamics GP was "it needs to be an SQL database" - just imagine the look in the board members' face. When focusing on your Dynamics GP implementation drivers think of business needs such as: reduce inventory, improve shipping, faster financials, better compliance capabilities, etc.

Business process improvements should always come in above technology improvements - the latter is just a byproduct of the former. Your ...