The Project Champion

Implementing ERPNext in any organisation requires clear identification of pain points, meticulous planning planning and active involvement of all parties associated with the project. It involves the integration of various business processes, data migration, training, and organisational change management.

Since there are so many moving parts in parallel, having a single point of contact for driving the activities plays a huge role. It has been fund that effectiveness of the Project Champion is the key distinguishing factor between Success and Failure.

These are some of the key benefits of having a Project Champion assigned for each project.

1. Leadership: Project Champion acts as a single point of contact at customer's end and provides strong leadership by closely adhering to the vision, goals, and objectives for the project.

2. Stakeholder Buy-In: Project Champion acts as a liaison between the project team and key stakeholders. He/She works to create more awareness about the project and acquires buy-in from the potential users and stakeholders.

3. Resource Allocation: Project Champion ensures that the required resources (man power, funding etc) is allotted as per the requirement to ensure seamless continuation of the project.

4. Problem Solving: Project Champion provides solutions whenever any challenges are faced. They are expected to address burning issues, resolve inter-personal conflicts and make informed decisions to keep the project on track.

5. Change Management: ERP implementation involves reasonable changes in the processes and the way teams operate. Project Champion helps employees adapt to the new system ensuring a seamless transition.

6. Risk Management: ERP implementations can be complex and risky as it directly affects business continuity of the user. A project champion identifies potential risks and derives strategies to mitigate them, minimising the likelihood of project delays or failures.

7. Communication: Project Champion keeps track of the project and shares updates with the concerned stakeholders.

8. Accountability: Project Champion builds the team at their end and ensures that everyone is aware of the role they have to play in the implementation process. They keep track of commitments, deadlines and milestones very closely and call out any potential risks.

9. Continuous Improvement: At times, ERP implementation can be an iterative process. So, a Project Champion continues to lead the project involving customisations, localisations and enhancements.