ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning).

Without an ERP, every department works in its own tool and data is copied between systems. An ERP system ensures that a piece of information is captured only once: an order reserves material in stock, triggers a purchase order if needed, generates an invoice after delivery and posts it in the financial accounts. Every step builds on the same data.

In the Swiss SME market, alongside international vendors such as SAP and Microsoft Dynamics, Swiss solutions are especially widespread — Abacus, Bexio or industry ERPs for trades, construction and retail, for example. Swiss specifics such as VAT returns, the QR-bill, payroll with social insurance contributions and multilingual operation are usually built in — an important reason why foreign standard solutions often need to be adapted.

An ERP covers standard processes well, but rarely everything. Typical gaps arise in industry-specific workflows, field service, customer contact and the website. Instead of bending the ERP with expensive customisations, it often makes more sense to connect it through interfaces to specialised applications: an app for fitters, a customer portal, an online shop. The ERP remains the central data source, and the specialised applications serve the people.

ERP introductions are among the riskiest IT projects a company undertakes, because they touch every workflow. Good projects begin with a clear description of requirements — a requirements specification — plan data migration early and switch operations over step by step.