Please forgive my feeble attempt at establishing a link between Wyatt Earp of “OK Corral Shoot-out” fame, and “WHY’d ERP,” in my blog title. Just thought it might fix in your mind the importance of an (ERP) Enterprise Resource Planning solution for small business. Especially, those businesses that want to grow!
With that in mind, small businesses must go on offense to arrest disorderly, shoot-from-the-hip management, in order to scale up. It takes courage, tenacity and again, it will take a good ERP.
Too many small business owners think an ERP is only for large businesses; and they avoid these type solutions, assuming they’re unattainable. However, due to the internet and technology, a good ERP is now very affordable for small businesses. Actually, some Enterprise Resource Planning software providers have coaches who have been in a few shoot-outs with those who oppose order. But, they can help you clean up the messes.
Defining ERP | Enterprise Resource Planning for Business
An ERP Enterprise Resource Planning software is aka business process management software. Simply stated, ERP is a group of integrated software features that provide the way to manage a company systematically. ERP automates front office functions, those mundane daily processes; in fact, automate ALL company processes, usually completed manually.
Whether it’s Job Shop Management, Field Service Management, or simply business process management, an ERP is a major step toward business process systemization.
WHY’d ERP Enforce Quality Assurance
Part of a good ERP is a system for Quality Control, known as Quality Assurance. To emphasize, without a system that stresses quality, a business cannot guarantee quality products or services. Therefore, in my humble opinion, businesses that advertise excellent quality without a system that ensures quality are big fat liars!
WHY’d ERP Put Bad Management Away for Life
With a new sheriff in town, we’ll call ERP, you can cut off bad business management at the pass ̶ permanently! In fact, every worthwhile ERP should have the tools and features to remove every business frustration that keeps a business owner up worrying at night. Moreover, a heavily armed ERP can guard and monitor, 24-hours-a-day, those areas of the business where unforeseen system-busting events tend to happen.
For example, when least expected, an un-civil war can break out between employees; whereby, finger-pointing and pulling punches can occur. However, with an ERP installed, and by using its Preventative Action feature, you can arrest unruly behavior before it begins.
Again, for every frustration or non-conforming event, there is a “System to Fix ‘em” with a good EPR sheriff in-house.
WHY’d ERP Patrol with Corrective Action
Sometimes, as a small business owner, you might like to lock up those employees that continually make errors, seemingly with NO remorse. And throw away the key! However, since that’s not neighborly, with Sherriff ERP’s watchful patrolling and Corrective Action feature, you can end such errors for good.
The OK Corral was for horses and jackasses; also, where some very bad hombres met the end of the trail. In like manner, with Sherriff ERP and a deputized Owner on the job, corralling ALL non-conforming events systematically should be LAW. Yep, no wimpy bosses here! Just law and, of course, ORDER!
An owner’s choice is, either be victimized by costly errors, OR round up those root causes of disorder and non-conformance, and throw the dead-end gang out of town.
There’s a BUT coming!
Edward Deming an Employee’s Minister of Defense
However, before getting too excited about rounding up the “bad guys,” you might heed the words of Edward Deming. He was the father of continual improvement in business organization. To paraphrase Mr. Deming’s thoughts on reprimanding an employee for not meeting management’s job expectations, management should look FIRST at themselves!
To clarify, management’s responsibility is to give employees the right TOOLS and TIME to perform at management’s expectations. Therefore, management must PROVE, by testing and measuring, the time it takes to perform the job using the proper tools.
Once employees have the right tools, and a proven specified time for expected job performance, THEN employees are to be accountable.
In conclusion, with Sheriff ERP in the house, it empowers Owners to hold everyone accountable to a System of Order. Using this method of enforcement (accountability) will clean up the messes and the disorderly conduct that rob a business owner’s peace.
Did I mention? Great ERP systems work!
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