Getting ahead in the technological evolution requires an edge to elevate one’s business beyond the competition. Whether it’s the careful application of process enhancements or implementing automation technology so efforts can be focused on strategy rather than admin, technology needs to reflect the business’ growth for a company to thrive.
With Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems forming the backbone of modern organizations, streamlining processes and integrating data across various departments, they come with unique challenges.
Being able to develop effective ERP training requires not only an in-depth understanding of the system but also a thorough grasp of the business processes it supports. For trainers compiling the necessary data, configuration details, system roles and business processes to create effective training materials can be a serious task.
One company working to shed light on how such exercises are developed is Fudgelearn, a training provider for ERP end-users and technical teams to maximize Oracle enterprise system investments.
Creating effective ERP training exercise workbooks is no simple task. It involves several key steps, each with its own set of challenges:
Understanding Business Processes
This requires continuous collaboration with business subject matter experts, analysts, process owners and end users to map out the workflows and recognize key touch points within the system. “The challenge here lies in the fact that business processes are often new, complex and can vary significantly across different departments or regions,” Tony Cook, founder and CEO of Fudgelearn, said in a company blog.
Gathering and configuring data
With the need for data to be representative of real-world scenarios that trainees will encounter, yet sanitized to avoid exposing sensitive information, trainers are often challenged to find the right balance between realism and simplicity, as overly complex datasets can overwhelm trainees.
In addition, in cloud-based systems, trainers can’t simply “fire up another environment” at no cost. “They often find themselves sharing System Integration Testing (SIT) or User Acceptance Testing (UAT) environments, which further complicates data management,” Cook said while urging that the isolation of data for training purposes “needs to be closely managed across the environments”.
Defining system roles and permissions
As ERP systems are designed to support a large variety of user roles, this requires a thorough understanding of the organization’s role to fully reflect the structure and the specific tasks that each role is responsible for. “The challenge lies in ensuring that all relevant roles are covered without overloading the trainees with information that is not pertinent to their job functions,” Cook said.
Another crucial consideration for any ERP implementation is that the user/functional roles of the employees are mapped effectively to the system/technical roles of the system, the target operating model and business process flows in advance. Otherwise, there is a risk of escalating issues, not only for the training delivery but for the use of the system after go-live.
Aligning system processes with training objectives
To help achieve this, trainers must carefully select and sequence the exercises to ensure that they build on each other and reinforce key learning objectives. Cook also advised that trainers “must be prepared to adjust the exercises on the fly if the system configuration changes or if trainees are struggling to grasp certain concepts”.
With a complex and rapidly changing landscape, crafting novel ERP training and insights might be no mean feat, so the efforts demonstrated by organizations striving to educate inquisitive users have never been more valuable than now.
