IFS as an ERP has been a staple in the toolkit in the corporate world for decades since its inception. It has proved instrumental in managing assets, customer interaction, and enhancing overall efficiency and service delivery for businesses across a multitude of industries.
In 2021, this support was taken a step further by IFS with the release of the product’s Cloud version – IFS Cloud. Being a cloud-based ERP, it was proclaimed to deliver the end-to-end capabilities needed to effectively manage customers, people and assets to deliver a quality experience.
Recognised as the start of an ERP revolution with its launch, the product signalled a significant turning point for the IFS market, garnering much attention from users old and new. Three years on from its release, it’s easy to see why that is.
Having said that, is interesting to see a non-parallel trend in the transition of users of IFS ERP’s older versions to IFS Cloud in that time. We’re still seeing many businesses considering when to make their move from Apps10, despite it going into extended support last year.
While the reasons for this will inevitably differ from business to business and sector to sector, some of them stem from the practicality issues inherent with conducting an upgrade. These being matters around data migration, cost and resources.
In this blog, I want to take a closer look at what skills your business should have in its repertoire to combat these issues and ensure a successful transition.
The Data Migration Challenge
From what we’ve heard among the clients we work with, the data migration aspect of the system upgrade is perhaps one of the biggest headache process-wise. More specifically, it’s regarding data migration-based activities not completed to standard or on time, partly due to a lack of resources available.
This inevitably leads to the perceived risk involved in an upgrade should it look to be a problem down the line, which unsurprisingly, has led to many delaying their move to IFS Cloud.
Resource Solution:
This is where the skills of a data migration specialist come in handy. As data migration can often brings with it security, logistical, compatibility and integration issues, you will need a professional that can handle the process proficiently to avoid errors or data loss.
Highly adaptable problem-solvers with a sharp attention to detail, they are therefore arguably your biggest asset for such a task at hand. Their strong analytical and technical skills will help to ensure data integrity and minimal downtime during the migration process.
Lack of Adequate Resources
The second issue we commonly hear about from our network regarding upgrading is a lack of sufficient resources being allocated to the project. This, from our experience, often seems to stem from higher management underestimating the complexity of an IFS upgrade.
We often see this in the form of management treating it solely as a departmental project which then leads to inadequate training being provided post-go live. Take it from us – it can be a costly problem to have as at its worst, can incur huge expenses to repair the damage done.
Whether a technical upgrade or a re-implementation, going from your IFS ERP product to IFS Cloud requires total dedication of resources and your IT support team is no exception. Without this you risk your team cohesion and business processes undermining the work that has gone into this kind of project.
As such, this should be a priority from the onset. Your project goals and success criteria should reflect the planning behind the project, and the resources provided to facilitate the success of the project’s execution.
Insufficient End-user Support Due to Neglected Feedback
Key to the execution of any plan of this scale, however, is the communication of the goals of the transition, and the attentiveness to user feedback along the way. Without it, your team will lack any solid post-upgrade support for troubleshooting – another problem businesses run into when nearing completion of the project.
For an IFS ERP upgrade to actually benefit your business, it needs to work on an individual and collective level, which makes your end-users’ involvement during the process crucial. Without incorporating the practical understanding they will have of how best to make the system work for them, you risk having an IFS ERP solution that fails to meet the actual needs of its users.
This is important, as a common roadblock businesses face mid-implementation is the pushback from team members in discarding old processes and embracing the new. Now, yes - this in part due to the inconvenience or fears of job security the scale of such a change can bring. However, if their feedback is ignored and support not provided, the system could end up being a waste of resources that isn’t worth the heavy investment put into it.
Resource Solutions:
An important measure to have in place for the above two issues is the arrangement of sufficient user support to provide adequate troubleshooting pre and post-go live. This is where the skills of three key roles will prove incredibly beneficial – particularly in change management: a Change/Project Manager, Solutions Architect and a Functional Consultant.
As the name implies, an IFS Change/Project Manager spearheads the preparation of the organisation’s readiness for the IFS ERP transition. They do this by devising change management strategies to foster a culture of adaptability and establishing communication plans to keep stakeholders onboard throughout the project. They will be your go-to guys in ensuring your team not only accepts and adapts to but gets maximal value out of their IFS Cloud solution.
This particular role was key in making an IFS Cloud implementation of a recent client a success. The ability and experience of the hired Project Manager in working with partners and end-users, enabled them to make informed decisions on behalf of the business. As a result, they were well-equipped to gain staff buy-in across the board, keep communication lines open between all parties and facilitate support throughout the project.
Assisting the Change/Project Manager will be your functional consultants, who will aid in the IFS Cloud software’s implementation and customisation for the business’s needs. Their role bridges technical expertise and business needs to help drive the transition process and enhance operational efficiency within the company.
The Solutions architect, however, will focus their skillset on the former, optimising customer interactions and streamlining processes in order to ensure seamless CRM integration to the IFS Cloud system.
Teething Hiring Problems – And the Best Way to Solve Them
Ironically though, one of the hardest hurdles to overcome with an IFS ERP upgrade is the resourcing required for these skillsets in the first place. With the market highly competitive and a limited pool of such talent, finding value at an affordable cost is becoming an increasingly elusive reality for many organisations.
When you consider the eventual move of IFS Apps10 into Restricted Support (come 2026) it becomes much less viable to wait till then for an IFS ERP upgrade as this will be what numerous organisations will be doing in that time. A later change could see one’s business competing fiercely for resources at the same time, with an even more limited pool of IFS talent with experience in IFS Cloud.
Our IFS Nordics team work with clients like yourself day to day to ensure this doesn’t have to be the case. As specialists in connecting experts, it’s our goal to ensure you have the expertise to navigate IFS ERP changes like this smoothly and successfully. If at this junction you are due for an upgrade and resource requirements currently present a challenge, then we are the experts to call on.
Contact us here if you are in need of the right talent for your next ERP implementation.
