Collaborative working

Paula Yarwood looks at how the right ERP solution can be the key to truly collaborative working.
During the global pandemic, Zoom and Microsoft Teams became the new hero products almost overnight, linking socially distanced colleagues and departments, trying to bring some cohesion to a now disparate workforce.

Even before this, businesses were recognising just how valuable truly collaborative working can be, particularly when it comes to delivering against the many goals and timelines that are part-and-parcel of today’s complex operations.

This is where the right ERP system can make all the difference. Once regarded as a system of record, modern ERP solutions now represent a dynamic means of garnering feedback and insight, the two crucial components needed to underpin the very best planning decisions.

With this in mind, how can the right ERP system facilitate truly collaborative working, providing the tools and insight needed to optimise operations, hitting deadlines on time, every time?

A unified approach

More often than not, many existing systems simply aren’t up to the job that modern economies and marketplaces require.

They might very well deliver data but it’s often outdated, error-prone and inconsistent, taking time and effort to amalgamate to try and ascertain a comprehensive view of the business.

What’s needed to enable teams and departments to work both seamlessly and effectively, is speedy and decisive action, grounded in accurate and timely information.

A good ERP solution provides a centralised platform at the heart of the business, pulling together crucial real-time information from right across the organisation. This ensures comprehensive visibility over operations, putting the tools in place to manage seemingly disparate, interdependent processes and procedures with a single solution.

By unifying business functions and departments, amalgamating a whole host of spreadsheets, systems and reports, what results is an accurate, up-to-date view of the business at any one time. When it comes to collaborative working, this is the first part of the puzzle, ensuring everyone has access to the same quality information regardless of which business function or department is their area of expertise or responsibility.

Silos of information are no longer a problem as they simply don’t exist. The time delays associated with pulling together different reports and data are no longer a problem either. For businesses and projects which rely on multiple people and teams pulling together to achieve a common goal, this timely, accurate, centrally-stored information is a must. It brings a uniformity and consistency to business data, informing faster, more effective decision-making, the key to meeting deadlines and delivering successful projects on time and in full.

Information into insight

It’s not only reliable, accurate and timely information that the right ERP system delivers, but valuable, actionable insight.

Built-in analytics make the most of data gathered from right across the business, transforming it into insight. This insight is presented in easy-to-understand dashboards, delivered direct to those who need it.

It makes it far easier to monitor current performance as well as increasing the precision and accuracy of forecasting and planning. Insight is presented in context, able to be applied directly to the task or decision in question, and it’s no longer a case of trying to find a needle in a haystack when it comes to locating the right information.

Collaborative teamwork makes the dreamwork