5 Mistakes You Need To Avoid In ERP End-user training

ERP end-user training is an integral part of ERP implementation. One of the most common reasons for the failure of ERP implementation is ineffective end-user training. Even if organizations consider end-user training, they may be committing a few mistakes that could lead to inefficient end-user training. Wondering what they are? Here are 5 mistakes you need to avoid for effective end-user training.

Cutting off training budget

According to research by the Gartner Group, when organizations spend less than 13% of their total ERP cost on training,they are three times more likely to exceed deadlines and budgets compared to organizations that spend 17% or more. But unfortunately, end-user training is often the first thing to bite the dust during cost cutting sessions. This might be the costliest mistake you commit because training is not an option.

One-For-All Training Method

ERP software is quite complex and having the same training material for all the employees may not be an appropriate approach for ERP end-user training. Employees from different departments and different roles work on this software. So, training must also be delivered based on the roles of the end-users. Such roles-based training lets employees focus on only the subject concerned with their job roles.

Failing to put theory into practice

Every subject is learned in a different way and training on a software application is no exception. You may conduct hours of lectures demonstrating the software functions and provide user manuals as a job aids, but hands-on training is very important. It ensures users practically experience the functions and are more confident of the usage at the time of go-live.

“One-&-Done” Training Approach

Selected the ERP software, customized it according to organizational needs, and trained end-users accordingly – the job is done! If this is the case with your ERP software training, this is yet another mistake you are committing. As ERP software is often upgraded according the changing business processes and technology, end-users also need to be trained each time the software is upgraded.

Lack of Training Experts’ Help

Usually it’s the ERP implementation partners who draw the training plan. But that’s only for the senior and middle level employees and not for the end-users. Ultimately it’s the organizations responsibility to ensure its end-users are trained and that too before going live with the software. So, bringing in an expert training partner right from the beginning of the ERP implementation helps organize the end-user training depending on the customization of the software and the roles of end-users.

You need not commit all these mistakes; committing any one of them is enough to ensure poor enablement of the end-users. These are a few mistakes I thought you must avoid to ensure effective ERP end-user training. Hope you find this blog post useful. Please share your thoughts through your comments.