This is the final part of a Three-Part Series on dispelling the myths behind moving to Fusion SaaS and strategies for success.
In part one, I looked at the common myths around why moving to Fusion SaaS is just too hard. Part two covered customizations and here I cover strategies on how to approach the other parts of your implementations
Data
Your data will inevitably need some cleaning up. Using E-Business Suite as an example again, I find that the supplierstructure, or trading architecture, changed probably 20 years ago, but I know many customers who still have it set up the way it was previously. So yes, you can tidy up that data. You can do some of that now, in situ, in your current system, or you can look at how to do that as you move the data across. This is where you need your IT team.
Are you storing the right data? Is there more data that you don't have? Are there things you'd like to report on today that you need more information for? Is this a good time to add that to what you need?
What to take and what happens to the rest?
Another problem with data is that people ask, “How much data do I take with me?” In the normal world, we take two years of live data across. There are some exceptions, but in general, it's two years. Then people say, “How do I keep access to my old system?” Please don't let your strategy be, “We'll just let it sit in the corner and collect dust until someone needs it.” Perhaps you'll move to read-only, but that's not a very sustainable strategy. Eventually, that version of the application won't be supported. You may have lost some of the experience in your team, and questions about archived data are usually needed quickly.
Access to that legacy data is needed quickly, and it was probably a big part of your business case: “We will save money by retiring the old system.” You need some kind of archiving strategy, and Inoapps has done this really well with tehir EBS Archive Product.
Integration
Nobody does an implementation of an ERP system on a greenfield site.
I shall take that back. In my 30 years of working with Oracle, I've had one greenfield site, but for the rest of them, integration into the wider IT estate is incredibly important. The good news is that the integration that comes with Fusion Applications is also excellent. I have mentioned that when you extend Fusion, you may need co-existence, and that is just another integration.
Change Management is Key
In part one I said Change Management was the biggest risk. People don't like change.
They have to see what's in it for them.
This should include business ownership, process redesign, stakeholder engagement, and representation beyond just Finance or HCM. If you're implementing HCM, include your finance people to make sure that the data you're collecting for finance is everything they need. If you're doing finance, think about the people, not least the fact that every single one of your users is an employee. So, even if you don't intend to do both areas at the same time, consider everyone as a stakeholder and involve everyone in those decisions.
One strategy I often use is this: if an organisation wants HCM and there is any chance of Finance down the line, I get them to put in the minimum Finance users, because at least they can get their revised chart of accounts in and start modelling what that data means.
Not Just an IT Project
Having accepted that all stakeholders are on this journey together, it is obvious this isn’t simply an IT project.
The aim is to support the business and it may need them to adopt new ways of doing things, or challenge why that won’t work.
I think I have said several times that you need all stakeholders bought in and working together, but it is worth saying again.
A Whole New Support Model
People also worry about support in Fusion. Cloud products have updates that are pushed to you. In Fusion's case, this happens every quarter. That update contains more innovation: the continuous innovation that seems so attractive when you're being sold these products. You need to be able to test for those updates.
You also need to assess whether they are of value to your organisation. This happens every three months, and there is a lot to be done. It won’t just be your IT people of today. Some support needs to come from the business. It shouldn't be underestimated, they need to check those chore processs continue to work. The things that need to be done each quarter are very different. Outside of the actual update you need to assess what new functionality being delivered may be useful for your organisation.
The Right Partner
Which brings us to the question: do we have the right partner? You may have had a project before that failed, overran, or wentover budget, and you just don't want to do that again. You've got project fatigue. You don't want to go through that again. And this one, as we said at the beginning, looks hard. Find the right partner: one that has done this many times and has perhaps made mistakes and learned from them. Find a partner that does this well and also knows how to help you with change management as well as the technical part.
Don’t let your partner walk away when you go live, a managed service is something that should be in place before you go live. Organisations that think they don’t need a Managed Service often come back after a few quarters when they realise just how much there is to do and the genuine outcome of missing out on innovation because they are too busy with testing. A good partner will be proactive with suggesting where new functionality makes sense, and help you with mandatory changes and how that will impact your organisation.
Most important pick a partner who is strong and happy to challenge you and ensure you have a solid governance model.
Can AI Help?
We also said at the beginning that one myth was that it was too much like hard work. Every ERP project is hard work. One of the reasons people want to go to Fusion is that its infrastructure and architecture will allow you to take up AI.
But could AI help with your implementation? Yes. AI can help with data cleansing and training.
We are helping a customer who is consolidating systems to understand what payrioll elements are used in each or the current systems and give a consildated few of what is needed.
Partners have implemented Fusion more than once, learnt on each iteration and continuously hone their methodology, so find the right partner: one that fits your ethos and that you think you can work with. But make sure they can challenge you.
A successful move to Fusion is not about transferring everything as it is; it is about moving deliberately. That means cleansing and governing your data, planning what to migrate and archive, designing resilient integrations, bringing stakeholders with you, preparing for quarterly updates, and using AI where it can deliver practical value.
