Start with business goals
Name the problems to solve and what should improve, such as reliable inventory records, work status visibility or cost tracking. Agree who owns each goal and what evidence will be used to assess it, so the team can make decisions against a shared purpose.
Review current processes
Follow actual work from demand through planning, purchasing, receiving, manufacturing, storage, delivery and accounting. Record the documents, handoffs, decision owners and recurring exceptions. Distinguish business requirements from old working habits that could be improved.
Prepare master data
Assign owners for items, units, bills of material (BOM), production steps, customers, suppliers and the chart of accounts. Check duplicates, completeness and relationships. Trial a sample migration and reconcile the result with users before planning the full transfer.
Define the project team and responsibilities
Identify the sponsor, project manager and representatives from production, purchasing, stores, sales, finance and IT. Agree decision authority, participation time and how open issues are resolved, so the team can address problems across departments.
Plan the project start
Prepare an initial scope, data preparation list and team availability. Plan process reviews, testing, training and transition checkpoints. Assess resources and constraints with the consultant rather than imposing a generic timetable on the project.
