Achieving the perfect ERP project, especially when it comes to handling documents, may feel like a distant goal. But BORG Automotive made it happen. Mathilde Daugaard and Monica Christiansen share how they pulled it off.
About BORG Automotive
BORG Automotive Group is Europe’s leading independent remanufacturer of automotive parts and the owner of SBS Automotive, a trading company carrying wear parts.
BORG Automotive has more than 1900 employees at their production sites in Poland, Spain, and the UK, distribution platforms in Germany, France, and Denmark, and a packing operation in Poland.
1. Allocate the right resources
“Output Management is a critical business area requiring dedicated resources. The key is involving those who use the reports, as they understand the business and operational needs.
In our ERP project, we assigned two people who could provide essential information to Tabellae’s consultants. All necessary requirements were included from the start, with Tabellae helping us identify the right resources based on complexity, the number of reports, and internal expertise”.
2. Anchor the ERP project with the leadership
“The people working on the project need to focus, so make sure their tasks are covered by others. Ensure the project and its resources are anchored in management and keep them in the loop. If a key person leaves, gather the management team to figure out the next steps”, says Monica Christiansen.
“Every little detail counts in an ERP project. Thoughtful considerations from start can lead to streamlined processes in an ERP project”
Mathilde Daugaard, Product & Packaging Coordinator
3. Agree on what you want upfront
Mathillde Daugaard continues: “Setting expectations and defining the project scope beforehand enhanced predictability.
Before diving in, sit down and talk about what you want to achieve. Discuss when you want things to go live, how secure you need everything to be, and what rules you need to follow. Set the expectations early on. At the beginning of our project we discussed, among other things:
- Deadline: What is the desired and realistic go-live date?
(avoid going live before a summer vacation, as there will always be fixes) - Security level
- Test – requirements and allocation of time
- Compliance: legal requirements internationally
- Resources: Internal people’s expertise
4. Craft high-quality specifications
“Tabellae’s Document Design Specifications (DDS) play a crucial role. Fill them with comprehensive data and requirements to prevent change requests. 3 good things to keep in mind:
- Every little detail counts, so note it! If you miss anything afterwards, it requires a change request.
- Invest the right amount of time on each specification – we used 4-6 hours.
- Involve the people who use the documents – they know what they need”
5. Be proactive
“Nobody knows your needs better than you. Therefore, you must be proactive in every collaboration. We used Tabellae’s Standard Package templates which brought us appx. 60% of the way from start. But as labels weren’t a part of the standard templates, we made our own template for label specifications – and that worked well”.
Results
- Live on time and within budget
- Predictable project where estimations matched reality
- The right business requirements from the start
- Removed business risks after going live
6. Test, Test, Test
“Good test data and examples in Dynamics simplify the project and reduce risks. Testing is key because your find potential errors early on. Therefore check everything from creating a document to sending it out.
Testing documents before go-live significantly minimized change requests post-launch. Testing isn’t just about printing a document – it’s about the entire process from creating the document to sending it. If you don’t test, you risk shutting down your entire business. E.g. you may experience an error when shipping to the UK but not to EU countries. Therefore, test wherever you ship your goods to”, Mathilde Daugaard ends.
