ERP and CRM Project and Program Management

Effective, Independent Project and Program Management is often the difference between success and failure on many important implementation projects

What is Project and Program Management?

Independent (or External) Project Management is often mission critical for the success. TSI believes that the Project Management function needs a level of independence. This function aligns the goals and objectives of the project (i.e., an on time, full scope and high quality implementation) and ensure transparent, unbiased reporting of the design and delivery teams. An independent project management function ensures this and can prevent some of the conflicts of interest that can occur when the project manager is associated with the software company or the implementation partner.

Lastly, an effective project manager can also help with the typical challenges with inconsistent stakeholder input and participation. This helps ensure that there is balance in the input that is received that drives a successful implementation.

Project Management, simply put, is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet the project requirements (according to Project Management Institute). Program Management is the management of related projects that, together, form a program.

Why Do YOU Need it?

Independent project and program management is critical to the success of an ERP, CRM, or other large systems implementation. It is very common that organizations do not have the:

  • Project Management experience and expertise
  • Capacity to do the work
  • Experience with these types of systems
  • Objectivity – to report, transparently – on the project’s progress and the blockers
  • Results-orientation and incentive to complete a project on-time and under budget.

Without this role, your organization runs the risk of late, or even failed projects that can be quite costly to your organization.

Why Work With Our Team?

Independent project and program management can be critical to the success of an ERP, CRM, or other large systems implementation. TSI’s independent ERP implementation project and program management services leverage our years of Project Management expertise and PMI and PMBOK training. TSI frequently serves our clients in a Program Manager role to implement complex CRM, ERP and Enterprise systems.

Our experience shows the importance of this role being independent from the various vendors involved, as well as the staff working on the project from the client. The reason that being independent is critical is that vendors often have certain biases and conflicts of interest (to sell more software and services). And, at times client staff, often who still have their day job and organizational politics, needs help by a PM who is objective and unbiased.

What We Do

TSI’s Project Management approach is unique since we plan, manage, coordinate and address the issues that encompass:

Another reason that our approach is unique is we strive to ensure that our clients, the implementation partners, and other 3rd parties have well-defined roles and we follow a proven, balanced approach. Often, this includes an implementation partner’s approach is forward-looking and progressive so that the organization will realize the business case that is intended to be the result of the project.

Tools We Use

TSI’s Project Management focus addresses these foundational aspects of Project Planning and Management:

In accordance with PMI, our approach focuses on these ten areas:

TSI has many repetitions with CRM and ERP implementations including: