Many organizations reach a point where they are not satisfied with their information system or with the scope of the solution obtained from the information system. On the one hand – the information system does not provide a satisfactory solution; the organization feels stuck and the supplier fails to respond. On the other hand – replacing an information system is a complex, expensive and usually quite traumatic project, and no one can guarantee that the new system will provide a better result.

At the 2019 ERP.ORG conference held in Kfar Maccabiah, I delivered a lecture in collaboration with Amichai Keidar from Intentia called “Discover the Depth of the Package” or, if you prefer “”A Minute before Replacing and Information System – are we Sure that the Problem Lies Within it?
We talked about our joint project with a client who has an M3 system. He was debating whether to replace the system, and finally decided to stay with the existing system, upgrade to a new version and deepen the application.

How do I know that my information system is not providing a satisfactory solution?

There are many signs to look out for in an information system that does not provide a solution for an organization. The best way is to simply go around the company with your eyes open, and even stop and ask the employees. What are they saying? What are they missing? What would they like to have in an information system? What are they wasting time on? What causes mistakes?

• Manual work
• Excel/files outside the system – to manage issues that the system does not support
• The employees do not use the system, some ask questions instead of opening the system and checking
• There are mistakes
• There is no proper transfer of information and communication between the various departments in the organization

So how do you know if you need to replace a system?

This is a more complex question.
And this review should be performed together with an external consultant. Still, what should you check?

• Defects – gaps between what is desired and what exists – what are the things that you would like to manage within the information system and that are not currently managed there.
• The existing application – it is necessary to understand the extent of the response provided within the existing system, and this is so not to create a situation where we choose a system that handles the defects very well, but does not provide an answer to the tasks that work well currently.
• Do the defects lie in the capabilities of the information system? Or perhaps in the business processes of the organization? Or in historical circumstances? I come across cases where someone remembers that it is not possible to provide a solution to a certain issue in the system, for example – ordering a frame – and the organization avoids handling the issue within the information system because they remember that in the past they were unable to find a solution.

However, a few years have passed since then, the system has been upgraded and new versions have been released – and indeed
there is already a good response within the system, only that no one has bothered to check the issue again.

And sometimes there is a very unique process – one that was requested by a retired employee and is no longer used today.

Can I do the review myself? Or through my chief information officer?

Since this is a project that is very significant for the organization, it is better to use an external consultant for the review. Why?

• A “temporary guest” sees every defect – within the organization, you have already gotten used to things working in a certain way, and it is more difficult for to open your eyes and think about working in a different way.
• A consultant visits many organizations, he knows different methods to manage the same processes, and can help the organization think a little differently.
• A consultant who deals with projects has a different experience than a chief information officer, and the combination between a consultant who goes through many projects and a chief information officer who knows the organization well is usually a winning combination.

What is the difference between a system replacement project and an application deepening project?

There is a very big difference. In a system replacement project, a considerable investment is required just to reach the existing situation, then an investment is required to improve the existing situation and address the gaps. On the other hand, if we check and discover that the system can provide an answer on a technical level, and we simply just didn’t characterize the need correctly, or didn’t invest enough, or invested in the past and got stopped, or any other reason, then it is very advisable to check whether the answer can be obtained within the existing system. It is possible that upgrading a version and deepening the application will bring us to where we want to be in a faster and more cost-effective manner.