An ERP almost always holds personal information about your employees, clients or suppliers. Quebec's Act respecting the protection of personal information in the private sector requires a privacy impact assessment for "any project to acquire, develop or overhaul an information system" involving personal information, and requires consulting the person in charge of the protection of personal information from the outset of the project (s. 3.3).
Short answer
You describe your operations, your processes and your current systems: your request is reviewed by the Courtier TI team, then entrusted to the IT services company that will prepare your quote. The scope, the steps and the schedule are set with you.
What the quote should cover
- Analysis of your current processes and the needs of each department
- Selection or confirmation of the software, and its licences or subscriptions
- Planned configuration and adaptations, separated from custom development
- Data migration: which data, over what period, who cleans it
- Integrations with your other software
- User training and documentation
- Post-go-live support and what is included during that period
The steps of an ERP implementation
- Process analysis and writing of requirements
- Selection of the software and hosting model
- Configuration, adaptations and integrations
- Data cleanup and migration, with trial runs
- User testing and training
- Go-live, then support and adjustments
Processes before software
An ERP imposes a way of working. Before choosing software, describe your current processes: how an order is received, prepared, invoiced and paid; how inventory is tracked; who approves purchases. Identify what works, what needs to change and what is specific to your company. Our guide to writing an IT requirements document explains how to put these needs in writing.
Software names, such as Microsoft Dynamics 365, SAP Business One, Odoo or Acumatica, are only examples: the right choice depends on your processes, your industry, your integrations and your budget. Have the quote separate standard configuration from custom development, which will need to be maintained when the software is updated.
Data migration and integrations
Data migration is often underestimated. Decide which data to migrate: clients, suppliers, items, opening balances, transaction history, and over what period. Data often needs cleaning before migration: duplicates, incomplete records, inconsistent codes. Have the quote specify who does this cleanup, how many migration trial runs are planned and who validates the result.
Also list the software that must exchange data with the ERP: e-commerce site, payroll software, customer relationship management tool, bank, production tools. For each integration, specify the direction of the exchanges, their frequency and what happens when there is an error. The Act also requires ensuring that the project allows computerized personal information collected from the person concerned to be communicated to them "in a structured, commonly used technological format" (s. 3.3): check that the ERP allows it.
Hosting, contract and personal information
The Commission d'accès à l'information describes the privacy impact assessment (in French) as a preventive and evolving process, to be carried out from the start of a project involving personal information. If the ERP is hosted outside Québec, section 17 of the Act also requires an assessment before communicating the information or entrusting its storage outside Québec, and a written agreement. The mandate given to a provider who will have access to the data must be in writing (s. 18.3).
Think about the exit from the start. In ITSM.50.030, the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security explains that vendor lock-in occurs when it is not financially feasible to port data from one provider to another, for example because of large penalties, proprietary data formats or data ownership, and recommends considering an exit strategy when entering a service contract. Have the quote specify how you will be able to export your data and in what format.
Governance, training and go-live
An ERP project affects every department. Appoint a project lead in your company with the time and authority to make decisions, and key users in each department to define needs, test and train their colleagues. The quote should describe the project governance: follow-up meetings, change request management, approval of milestones and go-live criteria.
Training should be tailored to each role and delivered close enough to go-live for employees to remember it. The project schedule, including the go-live date, is to be set with you based on the scope and your team's availability; be wary of a date set before the process analysis. Have the quote specify the support offered after go-live, how long it lasts and what will be billed in addition.
Questions to ask yourself before requesting a quote
- What problems must the ERP solve, concretely?
- Which departments and how many users will use it?
- Are your processes described anywhere, even briefly?
- Which current software will the ERP replace, and which must be connected to it?
- Which historical data must you keep in the new system?
- Who in your company can devote time to the project?
Pitfalls to avoid
- Choosing the software before describing your processes
- Reproducing every habit exactly through custom development
- Underestimating data cleanup and migration trial runs
- A project with no internal lead or available key users
- Forgetting the privacy impact assessment
- A contract with no terms for exporting your data
What to specify in your request
- Your industry, number of employees and expected users
- The departments involved: accounting, purchasing, inventory, production, sales, payroll
- Your current software and what must be connected to the ERP
- The software you are considering, if any, as an example
- The data to migrate and its condition
- Your constraints: fiscal year-end, peak periods, client requirements
You can then describe your project: the team will contact you to clarify your needs and provide a quote.
Frequently asked questions
Do we need to choose the software before requesting a quote?
No. You can request a quote that includes analyzing your processes and selecting the software. If you already have software in mind, mention it, but process analysis remains the first step.
How long does an ERP implementation take?
That depends on the scope, the number of departments involved, the integrations, the state of the data and your team's availability. The schedule is set with you after the process analysis. Be wary of a go-live date promised before that analysis.
Is a privacy impact assessment mandatory?
If the ERP involves personal information, yes: Quebec's Act respecting the protection of personal information in the private sector requires one for any project to acquire, develop or overhaul an information system involving such information (s. 3.3). The assessment is proportionate to the sensitivity of the information, the purposes for which it is to be used, its quantity, its distribution and its medium.
Do we have to migrate the full history?
Not necessarily. Decide with the IT services company which data to migrate and over what period, based on your obligations and needs. Data that is not migrated must remain accessible for as long as you need it.
Can we change provider or software later?
Yes, if the contract provides for it. The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security recommends considering an exit strategy when entering a contract and warns against vendor lock-in. Have the quote specify how your data can be exported and in what format.