ERP consultants: Why does independence matter?

Lumenia is an independent ERP consulting organisation. But what does “independent” mean in this context and why does it matter?

On average organisations face the challenge of selecting a new ERP system every ten years or so. It’s an infrequent event and consequently a daunting task for a management team to face into. Often our clients have little experience of the current ERP market and how to go about the process of selecting and implementing a new ERP system.

That’s where independent ERP consultants like Lumenia come in. We spend all our time working with clients on ERP projects. It’s what we do, all day, every day. Our work is all about ERP, whether we’re analysing business benefits, documenting functional requirements, assessing tender responses, attending vendor demonstrations or managing an implementation. Our clients need to think about ERP every ten years, but we think about ERP every day!

Crucially, independent ERP consultants do all of this work without any commercial association, affiliation or arrangement, formally or informally, with ERP vendors.

During ERP strategy projects we work with clients to help them figure out how best to target investment in business systems. They may need to address aging ERP systems, or have systems that the business has outgrown. They may have grown through acquisition, or the business may have diversified. Regardless of the starting point our clients need help and advice to figure out what they should do. And because we’re independent we have no vested interest in any particular solution – we just want to make sure our clients take the path that’s right for them.

Similarly, when it comes to ERP selection projects we work with clients who need guidance to ensure they select the ERP product and vendor that best meets their business needs. Engaging independent consultants means they benefit from our market knowledge and, importantly, have the comfort and certainty of knowing that we are not trying to steer them towards a particular solution for commercial reasons. Independent consultants are batting for the client, and if the client is happy then we’re happy.

We perform various roles during implementations, whether taking the lead as our client’s project manager or acting as a project team member with responsibility for change management, testing or data management. Our duty is to the client, regardless of the ERP system being implemented. We bring our knowledge and expertise to the party, as well as a fair and balanced viewpoint that’s highly valued when issues arise.

Working with independent ERP consultants like Lumenia means avoiding potential conflicts of interest (which can arise for some consulting organisations). We see it as a key component in our offering to clients and as fundamental to our credibility as trusted advisors. 

This blog was written by John Donagher, Principal Consultant at Lumenia. For further information on Lumenia or any other aspect of ERP please send an email to John Donagher.