What is the best way to train users on a new ERP system?

After what has likely been many, many months, or even years, your new enterprise resource system (ERP) is finally ready for users. The question now becomes, how best to train them?

Most companies make this decision during the ERP implementation planning that takes place prior to the ERP’s installation and roll-out because it requires the buy-in of many different departments and managers, as well as senior leadership. And while some of these organizations decide that training should occur before the ERP is installed -- relying mainly on training documents and consultants -- based on many years of experience, we at MIE believe that hands-on learning with the new ERP system is the best way to learn it.

Who should be trained on the new ERP system first?

Superusers should almost always be the first employees granted access to the new ERP system. By “superuser,” we mean those who will be using it the most within their departments, and who will often become responsible for training others with similar responsibilities who will eventually need to use it as well. This is also known as “training the trainer,” as these users will need to get to know the system in enough depth that they will eventually become teachers.

There is also no need to train every superuser at once. Assuming each ERP module and process will be rolled out as they are ready instead of all at once -- part of the agile implementation approach that MIE recommends -- training only the key users for those modules is not just acceptable, but encouraged. Forgoing an agile implementation in order to roll out the entire system at once can not only lead to unnecessary chaos and downtime, and also means that many employees will need to be in training at the same time, leaving big gaps in the company’s workforce for an extended period.

Which employees should be trained last on a new ERP system?

Those who don’t need immediate access should be trained last, and they should not be trained until they do have access. This may seem to be stating the obvious, but as mentioned previously, it is surprisingly common for companies to train employees who don’t yet have access, making training more difficult than it should be, and often backfires when these users forget what they learned in the first place due to a lack of hands-on training.

There are very, very few circumstances when it makes sense to train employees on a new ERP who have not yet been granted access.

Once the workforce has been trained on the new ERP, can we consider training complete?

The short answer is, “no.” As much as we’d like to be able to say it’s that simple, it rarely is. ERPs are complex, as are people. The best advice we can give around ERP training is to expect to have to train and retrain, especially within the first 6 months as everyone becomes acclimated to using it in their daily lives. This doesn’t mean having to pause entire departments to do day-long seminars. But it can mean utilizing your superusers to train small groups as needed, which may include new hires, interdepartmental transfers, employees who have been promoted, as well as those who simply could use some additional hands-on learning with someone who is an expert. 

The good news is that ERP providers like MIE Solutions offer consulting services for companies who need additional formal training for users after the initial training period has been completed. If your organization needs assistance in creating an ERP training plan, or with ERP training in general, we’re only a call away.