Implementing an ERP means changing the way you work and preparing your human resources for that revolution is vital. But once the system is up and running, it’s difficult for users to be sufficiently trained, or to keep them trained, and so the problems begin. It’s a fact: certain training problems are always present.
There are some operations that are infrequent; your staff rotates and suddenly you find the person you were relying on leaves and you have new persons to train. There are also tasks that aren’t critical, and your team never really learns them thoroughly or uses them. So, when the day they are needed comes, nobody knows how to carry on them in the correct way.
The fact that these operations aren’t frequent doesn’t make them less important: on the contrary, they are key for the correct functioning of the system.
Developing a training plan is as important as choosing the right system: it should be a priority. It’s not a waste of money because in the long run, frugality results in higher maintenance costs due mainly to users’ errors, and more hours of technical support.
Training doesn’t have to be theoretical only: practice makes perfect, and it’s also the key to launching an ERP. One tool that always works is incentive evaluations, which is also a way to motivate the team. For example, you can ask your staff to place 10 complete sales orders of each type, covering all the different cases, so that they don’t run into surprises the day they have to do it for real. And remember to monitor the results. Involve your Human Resources team in the project and later too, so that they include ERP training in the company’s ongoing training plans.
ERP training is not a timely intervention; it should be part of the company’s training plans and should have the formality it deserves.
At Dynamo, for instance, we design ad hoc training, either face-to-face, remote or a combination of both. We’ve also built packages in specific areas. Our staff is trained to train and has taught thousands of hours in different projects and to a wide range of clients. Training includes practical exercises. We use Task Guides in Dynamics 365 to record process’s steps, leaving the instructions accessible at all times so that your staff can replicate the process when you need it.
If you’d like to talk to us and see if we can help you with your training requirements, contact us here for an informal discussion about your specific needs.