1. Take an introspective look at your business, its current processes and its future goals. 

You can approach this by asking yourself questions like:  

• What current business processes and systems are in place? 

• What are the strengths and weaknesses of each of these systems? 

• What changes do we have to make in order to overcome the weaknesses? 

• What internal and external resources will help us reach our ERP implementation goals? 

• And, what’s our timeline and budget for this project? 

2. Get the right people and partners involved and onboard early in the process. 

Successful NetSuite implementations require executive sponsors; a project manager to plan, execute and monitor the implementation; business process owners; end users and an experienced implementation partner. The latter will bear much of the responsibility of getting your ERP implementation completed while a solid internal team will help ensure a great outcome.  

3. Lay the groundwork for success by setting realistic, attainable expectations for your software implementation.

Once you’ve selected your ERP, set up your internal teams and sign a contract with an implementation partner, be sure to set some software implementation expectations and ensure that everyone understands what’s ahead over the next 6-12 months. Some things may have to change as a result of your NetSuite implementation, knowing that the best approach is to fully adopt your new system, versus just expecting it to operate like your old one did.