Defining current processes and future requirements
As a basis for good requirements management, a specification is indispensable. A high-quality requirements specification enables a clear statement of the goals your company wants to achieve in the context of customer focus, business processes and process data quality.
This detailed foundation ensures that the ERP system not only aligns with your operational needs but also supports your long-term business objectives, including scalability and adaptability in a rapidly changing market environment. A well-constructed specification minimizes misunderstandings with software providers, reduces the risk of costly project delays, and serves as a cornerstone for achieving a successful ERP implementation.
An inadequate requirements concept and thus usually also an average ERP specification sheet, take their revenge at the latest after the software partner has been commissioned. This is always evident when customers ask us to stabilise and rescue a faltering EPR project or one that has run out of budget.
A good specification is able to map your business model of tomorrow, including requirements that will be effective today and in the future. A good specification should not describe a long list of functions and functional requirements.
The requirements specification should provide the future software supplier with a quick and comprehensive overview of your requirements and the process model without getting lost in the details. Classic selection procedures with infinitely long Excel function lists (which often still appear in the market) are not suitable for capturing and verifying requirements in the context of digitalisation, digital transformation and data analysis.
This also applies to tools that enable software selection on the web. Such selections are usually made on the basis of a few criteria that exclude many relevant requirements. Caution should also be used with platforms that get paid for their recommendations or are endorsed by software providers. Your new ERP software must support current and future processes, as such they must be defined in ERP specifications, creating clarity for you and for potential providers.
