In the last year, of the IQMS customers who have been installed on our manufacturing ERP and MES solution, EnterpriseIQ, we have seen more than 50 percent of them employ outsourced or contract IT personnel. With that in mind, one of the trends that I see for 2014 is to carry this practice of contracting with experts into the enterprise software space in order to take full advantage of ERP benefits.
In order to harness the power of extended ERP and MES software like EnterpriseIQ, our customers are looking to enter all their business processes into our software. From prospecting to cash receipts and scheduling to production reporting, EnterpriseIQ provides the comprehensive functionality to cover all your business operations. But having a full-time employee who can stay on top of EnterpriseIQ functionality enhancements, new module releases and system updates, while also delivering best practice process application, is a difficult challenge. Not to mention doing all of that and keeping up with their daily job responsibilities!
If we extend the concept of having IT experts handle your network infrastructure and local computers to having IQMS experts handle your use of EnterpriseIQ, several benefits can be achieved.
- Best practice process application: Each member of the IQMS Professional Services Group (PSG) spends more than 150 days per year on site at many different manufacturing companies. This allows them to employ best practice application of EnterpriseIQ to your business processes.
- System knowledge: Not only does the IQMS PSG team gain experience by consulting in the field, they also have advanced internal training programs and resources that keep them abreast of the latest EnterpriseIQ functionality enhancements and new modules.
- Scalability: Having a full-time EnterpriseIQ expert on your staff may not be the most cost-effective option. Utilizing the same resource from IQMS on a frequent basis (monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly, etc.) can provide that extra resource when needed at a lower cost to you.
- Deep bench: Additional subject matter experts are available to the IQMS PSG team and can be brought in to help with specific functionality, report writing or complex process application.
Several of our customers have taken advantage of the benefits above through the IQMS Contract Business Analyst service. They have utilized these resources to accomplish some of the following:
- Fill in gaps without hiring additional personnel to train on more advanced use of EnterpriseIQ in their business. This has allowed the customer to move forward with process improvements without having to hire a full-time employee.
- Support the on boarding of new business or new customers that require additional functionality not previously in use. This would be functionally such as advanced quality systems, warehouse management, process monitoring or EDI, to name a few.
- Continuous improvement in the use of EnterpriseIQ such as driving down defects and improving customer satisfaction by automating manual data collection and streamlining processes.
- Keep projects on schedule by setting up recurring visits with the IQMS consultant. The customer ensures tasks are completed prior to the return trip, thus keeping improvement projects on time.
So how do you start? The PSG team offers a service called the Enterprise Application Analysis (EAA). This is typically a three-day visit that will rate your use of EnterpriseIQ. This analysis is intended for customers who have been using EnterpriseIQ in a live capacity for a year or more. The deliverable will be a road map on how to get more out of your EnterpriseIQ investment. Following the analysis, the next step would be to discuss with an IQMS PSG consultant an implementation plan to execute the key points identified in your EAA.
Ready to take advantage of IQMS’ Contract Business Analyst service? Email IQMS’ Professional Services Group at professionalservices@iqms.com today!
