Tim Steeves dot com

Implementation of ERP solution involves a hefty budget with long time and conscientious efforts for customization. With the recession taking a notch out of many budgets and a often several years of development under their belt,  open source ERP solutions have started to emerge as feasible alternative to the big names with big bank accounts. The key reasons for the diversion includes lower cost, flexibility, large group of users and independence from solution providers. Additionally, companies can easily download the open source ERP solutions and the utilize their budgets to customize them to fit the needs of the company instead of for an off-the-shelf license.

1. WebERP

It is a web based ERP system for small and mid sized Enterprise. The LAMP application has a stable code base and is packed with features suited for distributed businesses in wholesale and distribution. The features sales order, accounts receivable, user defined sales analysis, purchase orders, accounts payable, inventory management, general ledger, manufacturing, multi-language, multi-currency, complex tax system support. It also has multiple inventory locations with serial number and lot tracking facilities as well as full double entry accounting. In addition, it offers sales orders support for assemblies and kit-sets.

2. Openbravo

It’s one of the best open source ERP software for SMBs. Openbravo is a web-based program that was based on Compiere ERP program. It provides the entire status of a company that includes production information, inventory, customer information, order tracking and workflow information.

Openbravo accompanies wide ranging features that makes it easier to handle for end users. Some of its key features include dimensional reporting, alerts, email, keyboard navigation. It is easily configurable and tailors the existing functionality and business rules and is capable in adding many new functionality without any programming.

The ERP software offers better compatibility and sharing, allowing export of single file or a collection of files to Excel, CSV, or PDF directly from the application. Users can easily create third-party modules or plugins or even browser the directory and choose the shared functionality created by other users to install. It allows high scalability enabling deployment in single server or on a cluster of them, serving up to thousands of users. Any record in the system can be easily audited and traced to user who created it.

3. Compiere

Compiere is organized uniquely to avoid the duplication of information and the need for synchronization. With an innovative design Compiere allows easy customization of the application. Modules included in the ERP solution include Customer relationship management, Quote to Cash, Requisition-to-Pay, Partner Relations Management, Warehouse, Supply Chain Management, Performance Analysis, Double-entry Book-keeping, Work-flow-Management and Web Store.

4. xTuple

The xTuple PostBooks is an integrated ERP, CRM and accounting system, based on the xTuple ERP Suite.

Modules for ERP xTuple

• Accounting: general ledger, accounts receivable and payable, bank reconciliation, financial reporting
• Sales: quotes, order entry, sales reporting, shipping
• Product Definition: items, infinite-level bills of material (BOM)
• CRM: universal address book, incident management, opportunity management, to-do lists, project management
• OpenRPT: open source report writer
• Inventory: multiple locations, other advanced warehouse features
• Light Manufacturing: work orders, strong support for make to order
• Purchasing: purchase orders, receiving, vendor reporting

PostBooks is a cross platform application that runs equally well on Windows, Linux and Mac. It is fully internationalized with support for multiple tax structures, multi-currency, multilingual translation packs maintained by xTuple’s global community.

5.  OpenERP

This is a complete open source ERP software, designed to address the enterprise needs and processes. OpenERP integrates accounting, hr, sales, crm, purchase, stock, production, services management, project management, marketing campaign. It offers separate client and server components and XML-RPC interfaces. Open ERP is complete and modular system with 350 modules. The ERP software has a strong MVC architecture with an object database, a dynamic GUI, distributed server, flexible workflows, and customizable reports. The database is PostgreSQL and the server part is written in Python.

The key features of OpenERP include management accounting, financial accounting, inventory management, sales and purchase management, tasks automation, Human Resource Management, marketing campaigns, help desk, and point of sale.

Apart Linux, Windows and Mac interfaces, OpenERP has an web interface eTiny that is also available for the Turbogears web framework. OpenERP is widely  used by customers looking to automate their sales processes effectively.

6. Apache OFBiz

It is an Open Source Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system that provides a suite of enterprise applications that integrates and automates several business process of an enterprise. The  framework offers a common data model and sophisticated business processes. There is a common architecture for all applications build around data, logic and process components. Apache OFBiz  is built on open source technologies and standards like Java,  Java Enterprise Edition (JEE), XML and SOAP.

Apache OFBiz comes with a wide range of functionalities  that include

• Accounting (agreements, invoicing, vendor management, general ledger)
• Asset Maintenance
• Catalogue and Product Management
• Facility and Warehouse Management
• Manufacturing
• Order Processing
• Inventory Management, automated stock replenishment etc.
• Content Management System (CMS)
• People and Group Management
• Project Management
• Sales Force Automation
• Work Effort Management
• Electronic Point Of Sale (ePOS)
• eCommerce
• Human resources (HR)

OFBiz introduces the concept of screens where each page typically represents a screen.  It’s architecture allows rapid customization of the application to a business needs without any new coding.

7. JFire

It is a comprehensive and flexible ERP solution for businesses of all size. The system offers enterprise processes with powerful analysis, reporting, and customization options. It has been designed to be highly customizable. JFire is a highly scalable system that can support small companies as well as giant companies with extensive user base, multi-currency & multi-language requirements. JFire is developed with the latest technologies such as J2EE 1.4, JDO 2.0, Eclipse RCP 3.3.

Key modules in JFire include

• Accounting
• Flexible Price Configurations
• Store Management
• Reporting
• Integration with external payment and delivery interfaces
• CRM

8. ERP5

This is a strong community that offers powerful ERP solution for small businesses. ERP5 is fully packed with features that includecustomer relationship management ( CRM), production management (MRP), supply chain management (SCM), product design management (PDM), accounting, human resources and e-commerce. For the small businesses, ERP5 has an Express edition which integrates ERP, CRM and KM funtionalities.

It offers a web based platform that can be used and configured for users and administrators through a browser. It provides an intuitive and polished user interface that makes an easy to understand ERP system.

9. Opentaps

It is a complete open source platform. Opentaps features a modern architecture that includes a complete full ERP and CRM solution.  The ERP solution also includes mobile connectivity and built-in business intelligence tools. Key modules in opentaps are Online Store, CRM, Warehouse Application, Financials, Purchasing and Administrative Applications

Although not the best of the lot opentaps serves as one of the best open source ERP software as an alternative to expensive and inflexible commercial ERP solutions. It would perfectly fit the replacement for in-house solutions that are difficult to maintain or extend, or as a starting point to build your unique business model and processes.

10. ADempiere

It is essentially a business suite that combines ERP, CRM and SCM support for business processes. ADempiere is an open-source ERP software that provides a framework for extending and customizing to meet business needs. Adempiere is developed in J2EE technology, especially using the JBoss application server. It’s database support is restricted to Oracle and PostgreSQL.

I like revenue.  You like Revenue.  Who doesn’t like revenue?

How do you improve revenue?  Increase sales…duh.  CRMs can increase sales so get one for the sales department, right?  Wrong.

The problem here is that sales people are generally not a process oriented group of people.  You see them out for dinner, on the phone talking with someone that might as well be a buddy they are going out for beers with later – they golf, email, and often don’t look like they are working very hard.  HOWEVER they are working hard.  Their job is to build relationships with the clients.  Doing this requires flexibility in their work schedule, which not only requires their appointments and lunch breaks to be flexible, but it requires that the tools they use to be quick side-notes in their day.  Phone and email follow you everywhere and so should the CRM; however the ability to push and pull information from the CRM needs to be as flexible as their schedule.  This tends to make sales people a much harder team to get to adopt a CRM.

The second group of people that are thought of when it comes to implementing a CRM is the marketing department.  Good marketing equals increased revenue.  Marketing is more of a process oriented job and tends to have routines and schedules that are much more orderly than sales.  While they still need to be flexible in their ability to put out a value proposition, they’re timelines and policies are more easily defined.  The marketing department tends to adapt to a CRM more easily than the sales department because often times a single workflow can accommodate many marketing campaigns and creating campaigns can become streamlined through the use of a CRM.  However, the marketing department already has routines and policies in place that allows them to do their job effectively and bringing in new tools will always have a bit of a learning curve.

Where a CRM is adopted the easiest and most effectively is with the service personnel.  They often have strict structures as to how to handle operations and management continually looks at how to improve policies to improve efficiencies so adoption rates tend to be highest with service personnel over the other departments.  Once a service team has converted to the new system there is an immediate improvement to customer service and operational efficiency.  The beauty of having the service team on-board quickly is that all the information that they enter into the system becomes available to the other departments – sales people can quickly and easily lookup customer inquiries and marketing can start to run reports on topics and trends.

By getting the service personell involved early on with the CRM implementation, the adoption rate for the sales and marketing departments is much higher.

In Part 3, I talked about how it is important to ensure that Customer Relationship Managment (CRM) software deployment is not driven from the top down; however the flip side to that is not having enough Senior Management contribution.  It may seem obvious to say “It’s important that Senior Management be involved,” but all too often there is not enough feedback in the deployment process from Senior Management and may not have a clear understanding of the benefits and abilities.  It’s not only important that everyone puts in input into what is essential for their departments, but that they understand how the CRM will fit with logistics and automation. The CRM provider < plug: iTeam > can help assist in this decision making process, but Senior Management is what deals with logistical issues in your business from day-to-day.  Their input is valuable to help plan deployment stages: what is manditory for launch, and what can be delayed for later implementation.

CRMs can facilitate increased revenue, improved operational efficiences, and help provide outstanding customer service, but without input from senior management and their “signing up” to help meet numbers on ROI, deployment will not be as successful.  At the end of the day, senior managers will be responsible for the successful deployment of your company’s CRM initiative.  After all, once the CRM provider has implemented the system to meet your business’ requirements, it’s senior managements responsibility to make sure that your metrics are met and to provide feedback on where things can be improved for future enahancements and additions to your CRM system.

Not only is it important to ensure that your CRM is not deployed from the top-down, it’s equally important to ensure that Senior Managment are involved from start to finish!

For those of you who don’t know, iTeam consists of a highly qualified design and development team made up of graphic designers, programmers, and systems and business analysts. This team combines the skill and creativity required to promote your business online with website design and Search Engine Optimisation, increase online sales through website analytics, and improve productivity and efficiency through custom database software, and office network maintenance.

Check out the new site!

www.iTeamTech.ca

I appreciate any feedback you have.  Feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think!

CRM programs have a tendency to be driven from the top down. Senior management wants reporting on sales, pipelines, or forecasts and CRMs are seen as the quick solution to getting this information.  The issue here is that in order to generate this information, the sales team needs to be entering quality information at regular intervals.  Over time, many companies discover that that their sales team begins to move back to their previous methods of developing and closing business and stop entering quality data into the CRM.

During the initial phase of your CRM deployment, it’s extremely important to not only consider the requirements of senior managment, but to ensure that the CRM meets the needs of the sales and service personnel.  It has been said that users need to obtain 3 units of benefits from a system in order for them to see value in 1 unit of work that they a required to put into the system.  If this is not addressed, CRM deployments can quickly become unsuccessful.