If you’ve ever been through an ERP implementation you will know it isn’t something to be taken lightly. It’s important to choose a software solution that is well-aligned with your organisation – a solution that is future proof and won’t run out of steam as your company continues to grow. Then you’ll need to choose an implementation partner you can work with – one that understands your business, who you can trust not to run over budget, and to deliver on time. This is notoriously difficult to gauge before working with an implementation partner – so how can you be confident you are making the right choice?
Although NetSuite is easier to implement than most other ERP systems on the market (project kick-off to go-live can take far less time than many other systems), NetSuite was looking for a way to simplify the implementation experience further, and introduced SuiteSuccess – a strategic response to the sleepless nights caused by protracted implementations, that speeds up and streamlines the entire process.
“SuiteSuccess has already proven to be incredibly popular with our customers and extremely valuable,” said Jim McGeever, Executive Vice President Oracle NetSuite. “We’ve entirely reimagined how to implement, support and optimise a cloud business solution. We’re pleased to now bring the first industry cloud solution to our customers in the UK and Ireland and introduce Financials First, our latest edition.”
SuiteSuccess takes over 20 years of industry-leading practices to create a vertical-specific version of NetSuite with built-in core functionality. The goal is to avoid the need for heavy customisation, resulting in a much faster implementation project. For example, if you’re a software company there is a SuiteSuccess Software edition, which automates critical finance and accounting processes to increase the efficiency of the financial close process, includes commonly used billing and revenue management flows, automated subscription and renewal processes, and dashboards which include common KPIs that are important to Software businesses.
The Four Key Pillars to SuiteSuccess
A complete suite to support the modern business including ERP, CRM, PSA, omnichannel commerce, HR, and Business Intelligence (BI) built on the NetSuite cloud platform, continually updated with leading-edge capabilities and technologies to support all eight industries.
Engage – Leading practices for each industry and role including workflows, KPIs, reports, dashboards and metrics, with the flexibility to personalise on the NetSuite platform from the initial sales contact to ongoing support. With these leading practices, value is added at each stage of engagement.
Consume – Intelligent staged approach via NetSuite’s industry ‘stairway’ allows companies to consume capabilities based on their business needs. Re-imagined consumption model drives faster time to value, better ROI and greater user adoption. Companies can now go from zero to cloud in as little as 100 days.
Optimise – Customers benefit from continuous engagement, updated leading practices, new feature releases, value-added SuiteCloud partners, and movement up the stairway. Customers are also always on the latest release. (Source: NetSuite).
Here at Elevate2, we value the importance of transparency with our clients, so taking an unbiased approach it’s only fair to outline some of the limitations of SuiteSuccess and explore alternative approaches that might mitigate them.
Limitations of SuiteSuccess
If your business is unique with some non-standard practices that give you a competitive advantage, there is a chance that the pre-built SuiteSuccess business process models won’t be suitable.
Currently, SuiteSuccess only covers a specific set of industries – if your company falls outside of those, then you might need to consider a different approach.
The remote delivery model of SuiteSuccess implementations won’t fit the culture of certain companies. If you prefer a more hands-on approach with consultants on-site and lots of interaction with your internal team, then SuiteSuccess might not be for you.
The NetSuite subscription licence may be more expensive due to the bundled functionality that comes with SuiteSuccess editions, some of which may not be required.
What are the Alternatives to SuiteSuccess?
SuiteSuccess is effective and can be useful for many companies, but it won’t work for every business. Fortunately, there are other ways to implement NetSuite whilst still reducing the time between project kick-off and go-live, such as:
Traditional waterfall project methodologies
Many ERP vendors and implementation partners still follow traditional waterfall project methodologies, even when implementing a modern, agile cloud-based system like NetSuite.
Although these old ways of working can offer the comfort of familiarity for some contractors, the inherent inflexibility of these methodologies makes them ill-suited to implementing NetSuite in an efficient way. One of the biggest failings of traditional waterfall ERP implementation methodology is the lack of a Proof of Concept phase, which can often prevent costly changes and delays occurring late in the project.
Tasklite methodology
At Elevate2 we have taken years of project management experience and developed our own project methodology, Tasklite. Cleverly designed to adapt to your business, culture and requirements, TaskLite’s agile, finely tuned processes ensure delivery to time and budget, whatever the size and nature of your project.
One of the ways in which TaskLite represents an evolution from rigid traditional waterfall methodologies is in how it incorporates a Proof of Concept phase. This closes the gap between client software knowledge and existing business process whilst allowing for easy alterations, thereby mitigating rework at a later stage, saving on costs and time.
“By getting the right balance for your project, we make sure that you benefit from the efficiency of remote work, combined with the attentiveness and higher level of interaction that on-site resources can offer.”
A careful blend of on-site delivery and remote configuration work
We have a team of highly qualified, certified NetSuite consultants who can work remotely when it is efficient to do so, and on-site when it is beneficial for our customers.
By getting the right balance for your project, we make sure that you benefit from the efficiency of remote work, combined with the attentiveness and higher level of interaction that on-site resources can offer.
When considering NetSuite as a business system for your company, it’s just as important to think about how you will go about implementing it. Is SuiteSuccess the right approach for you? We are more than happy to offer advice, and because we are SuiteSuccess certified we can advise you on its benefits and on its potential downsides.
If you are interested in learning more about TaskLite, or for any NetSuite-related questions please get in touch with us:
☎️ +44 (0) 203 733 2110
website: elevate2.com