Best approach for gathering ERP requirements?

Hi, this is an article about the best ways to collect ERP requirements .. worth reading .. what do you think?

gbeaubouef.wordpress.com/2011/01/09/gath...4253_member_40321168

Sounds good but my preferred approach for gathering business applications requirements is to start by a high level of documentation of the business processes and their required enhancements followed by collecting requirements for reporting.

We let the vendors use their imagination of how to fit our processes into their applications by working iteratively with the users who will have to rate the vendors based on their ability to meet or improve the business process requirements.

The reports are important because they let every one know what data needs to be captured because it is needed for decision making .. so it often works as an eye opener for all.

Sounds simplistic, yes it is but it works and it is fast.

I have an issue with involving vendors before the requirements are totally collected and documented. Once vendors are in, they want to rush you, they want to influence your requirements, and they find/develop 'friends' on the inside.

This tends to complicate the process from that point onwards.

You sit back and relax, let the vendors do the work, gather requirements, demo best practices, find the partners .. then you negotiate them down!

The only risk with that approach is that vendors tend to build relationships as they go through this process and those relationships may became a source of difficulty during final decision making.

This is one cheicken and egg situation.

If you start from a blank sheet and ask people what their dreams are, you might end up with functionality that is not even supported in most ready made ERP systems.

If you start from the product you will end up limiting people's imagination.

I would say the best approach is to do a high level process mapping and them start comparing that withe product specific best practices.

This approach allows you to have best of both worlds.

My preferred approach is not to gather requirements in a vaccuum but to use vendors to present the workings of their solution and jointlyu document the gaps with our team .. saves cost, and eliminates the possibility for users to dream up functionality!