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If you are have decided your business will use NetSuite as its ERP we have been through many implementations before and provide a full-service implementation.
Whilst NetSuite is one of the easier ERP’s to implement there is a lot of work that will need to be done to get you live on the system. Your business can be live on NetSuite in under 5 months however there are alot of factors to consider. See our post for more information how long a NetSuite implementation takes.
We provide a framework for implementation and manage it end-to-end, reducing risks to your business and taking pressure off key decision makers. With information supplied by the client we will configure your system, integrate bank accounts set up month end, revenue and purchasing processes.
Once configuration is done our process guides you through testing, data migration, cut-over and go live.
A NetSuite and indeed most ERP implementations can be broken into the following stages:
Don’t be in too much of a rush to get started. Establishing the project scope is set out clearly outlining roles and responsibilities form day 1 will be key to the project success. As the old saying goes, fail to prepare, prepare to fail. Project management is key to what we do as Prince Certified Project Managers.
Where possible it is advised not to diverge too much from standard NetSuite processes. Fixed assets, posting journals etc should be standard meaning setting up these modules in NetSuite should be relatively straight forward. Things get a bit more complicated is when custom processes are required which is often the case with billing and revenue recognition in NetSuite.
Custom processes need to be designed and agreed before implementation as they will represent a new way of working once you go-live. Another area that will need some design consider is you chart of accounts and segments. See our post for more information about designing a NetSuite chart of accounts.
Data migration is a major part of your NetSuite implementation. There are lots of data objects that will need to be migrated into NetSuite before go live and these will form the bedrock of your systems operations. Migrating data can be one of the riskiest tasks you will undertake as it can be difficult to know the quality of your current data. We recommend getting ahead of this task and also building some contingency into the project plan for this area.
4. Configuration & Build
As the product owner you will not need to concern yourself too much with NetSuite configuration and build as we will manage this element of the project for you. You will need to provide data and other information specific to your business to allow us to to do the configuration for you. It is helpful to dedicate a team member who is responsible for co-ordinating the repsonses from the business.
5. Process Walkthroughs + UAT
Once the build is complete it will be moved into the sandbox environment and you team will be given access to the test environment. Walkthroughs are a part of the SuiteSuccess implementation and act as demo of the key processes that your team will run post go live. This will be the first time your team will see its NetSuite instance and is a good time to ask questions. The consultants will conduct the walk-throughs and should arrange them for OTC, PTP, and RTR at a minimum.
User acceptance testing aims to test the various processes that your finance team will run in NetSuite. We will help define a standard testing, however it is important that someone from the business helps to define tests that are specific to your business processes. See our post about planning NetSuite UAT.
The project sponsor will be expected to sign off UAT once it is complete. They should consider if the testing is comprehensive enough to say that the system will work for the majority of business processes on go-live.
Cutover refers to period when you start to use live NetSuite for your actual billing and accounting processes. This is the crunch time for the project and expect people to be under pressure. Once UAT is signed off, we can start to move the build from sandbox to the live production environment. One this is done we can load static data such as customers and vendors to NetSuite.
There will be alot of deliverables required from the business during this period but we should have been through this during testing. Once the final month end is complete in the old system open items and balance will be transferred across.
Go live is the point in time when you start using NetSuite. The first thing you will want to do in it will be to raise invoices so this will be the initial focus.
7. Training
We schedule training immediately after go-live. It is useful that the team are actively using the system as in our experience this makes training more beneficial. However obviously people will need training to use the system so doing it immediately after go-live is the most opportune time.
We will agree a period of hypercare with you which we recommend covering at least 2 month end periods. During this time our team will remain with you business and we can help deal with any queries and issues that come up.
If your business is considering under a NetSuite implementation then get in touch for a discussion with one of our consultants to see how we can help.
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