Suggested Checklist of Questions to Ask
from the desk of Stephanie Strohbeck,
ERP Process Owner of Defense Contract Management Command (DCMC)
Faircount International's Year In Computing Book
May 2000
By Dawn Marie Yankeelov
Government Questions to Consider in Relation to Contract ERP Implementations
1. What types of problems, issues and concerns have arose as a result
of the contractor migrating to an Enterprise Resource Planning System?
2. Were there any contractual issues that arose from the implementation?
3. Has the implementation caused you to change any of your processes,
procedures or internal policies?
For example: Did it affect your contractor process risk assessment? If
yes, how did you adjust your surveillance plans for the affected areas?
Did it impact contractor compliance to the Cost Accounting Standards (CAS),
Earned Value Management System (EVMS), Material Management & Accounting
System (MMAS), Estimating System, others?
Did it affect any other initiatives or processes such as Single Process
Initiative (SPI), Integrated Digital Environment (IDE), overhead rate
settlement, property management, configuration management, others?
Do you foresee any overarching regulatory requirements that are a hindrance/impact
in an ERP system environment? Which ones, how, and what would your recommendations
be?
4. Do you have access to the contractor's ERP system? If no, why don't
you have access? If you have access, do you use the contractor's ERP system
and how do you use it? If you have access and do not use it, why don't
you use it?
5. Does the initial ERP system lack any necessary features to meet Government
standards or regulations?
6. Do you have any memorandums of agreement/understanding with the contractor
regarding approved systems, disclosure statements, etc.? (If so, please
have copies available for review.)
7. Have you experienced any impacts to compliance with DLAD 5000, 4, Contract
Management, while you performed your job?
8. Was there any IOA feedback/results?
9. Has the contractor's migration to an ERP system impacted your support
to the customer? How?
10.When did your organization get involved and what role did you play?
-Was any training required for government personnel?
If so, what type of training and who received the training?
- Was the training sufficient to understand and use the system as soon
as it went "live"?
- Was there a gap between training projected and actual need?
- Who conducted and paid for the training?
- Were trainers versed in business processes as well as the software system
technology?
11. Were there any impediments by the government as the contractor migrated
to the new system? Did the contractor place any restrictions upon the
Government's ability to do their job?
12. What are some of the lessons learned, particularly those that would
be useful to other DCMC offices? What would you do differently? What recommendations
can you make?
13. Was it necessary to make organizational or process changes to support
implementation? Were there any cultural effects due to implementation?
Questions to Companies/Corporations Selecting and Implementing ERP Systems
Company Vision, Goals and Objectives
1. How does an ERP Implementation enable the achievement of the enterprise
vision and to what degree does it contribute to the specific goal and
objectives set forth in the company's strategic plan?
2. What portion of the results is expected from the process changes or
re-engineering as preparation for implementation versus what is expected
from the ERP system itself?
The Business Case for Implementing an ERP System
1. What expected benefits are you projecting to accrue from ERP System
implementation, i.e., reduction in inventory, work in process, reduced
development cycle time, activities cycle time and costs, number of transactions
reduced, timeliness of reporting, etc.?
2. What gains are expected from partnering and supply network integration,
expanded use of Electronic Commerce and EDI and Web based technologies?
3. How long and how effective was the study to determine ERP was the way
to go?
ERP System Selection Criteria
1. What was your selection process?
2. Who was involved?
3. What criteria represented mandatory capability or functionality?
4. What were the contractual terms and relationships between you and the
ERP System supplier, and your implementers (if utilized)?
5. What system modules did you implement? What system modules will you
add in the future?
6. What "lessons learned" were you able to take advantage of
in making your decision?
7. What are your additional "lessons learned" as a result of
your implementation activity?
8. Were your government partners involved in any aspect of the process?
9. What are your "lessons learned" as a result of this process?
ERP Implementation Strategy
1. What approach did you select to implement your system, i.e., use the
ERP System processes and templates "as is" (aka vanilla approach)
or did you conduct a significant re-engineering of your organic processes
prior to implementation or change processes and implement in parallel?
2. What is your project team composition (skills, numbers, capabilities,
government participation, supplier participation, and customer participation)?
3. What is your project management plan, project-planning process, what
is your project organization, project schedule, key metrics for status
and cost performance, review process (management and customer)?
4. Who has responsibility for system sustainment, training of users, who
are the users of the systems and how are they integrated into the implementation
process, what allocation of time and timing has been planned for the various
users?
5. Did you phase your implementation; if so describe and discuss rational
for so doing; if phased approach used did you set firm entry and exit
criteria for each phase?
6. How are you addressing your ERP-supplier "ERP" interface
and interoperability issues (supply chain issues)?
Conversion of Legacy Systems and Data
1. How many and what type of legacy systems will either be eliminated
or consolidated as a result of your implementation plan?
2. What is your "cut over" plan for data; is there a preferred
sequence; what cycle time has been identified for this activity; what
is the rationale for this approach?
Architectural and Technology Description
1. Describe the "to be" architectural, hardware, software and
other supporting infrastructure for the system.
2. What growth provisions have been contemplated in the choice of architecture
and supporting hardware?
3. What coordination has been done with the supply network and other partners,
customers so that the result is as seamless as possible in communication
of information and data?
Key Functional Processes Impacted
Describe key processes impacted in each traditional functional discipline,
i.e., quality, engineering, procurement, sales and marketing, finance,
human resources etc., Compliance Issues and Handling
Describe expected changes to your companies--System Description, Disclosure
Statement and other processes and how you have addressed these with your
government counterparts
Include issues such as CAS, MMAS, EVMS, Configuration Management, Property
Management, etc.
Lessons Learned to Date
What has been observed to date that would represent valuable insight for
government and other companies and institutions contemplating or involved
in ERP implementation that would be important to their success?
Other Key Sources of ERP Implementation Information and Experience
What other resource information have you found helpful to your planning
or current success on the project--information from the "MIT Lean
Aircraft Initiative", from the Integrated Digital Environment initiatives,
from Tier 1 Suppliers, commercial companies, etc.
Recommendations to Government
What are your recommendations that would help government executives and
field personnel most effectively learn and contribute to the mutual success
of both parties in this undertaking?
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