ERP Requirement Gathering Tips 1st Installment

Using the previously discussed Requirements Matrix, setup a sheet for each function/department of a manufacturing company:

1. Sales
2. Customer Service
3. Service & Spare Parts
4. Marketing
5. Engineering
6. Quality Assurance
7. Purchasing
8. Planning
9. Scheduling
10. Accounts Payable
11. Accounts Receivable
12. General Ledger
13. Plant Maintenance
14. Human Resources
15. Information Technology

The following requirements are broadly applicable to most businesses NOT just manufacturers and could be listed under the IT sheet or a General feature and functionality sheet:

1. Must use an established RDBMS (Oracle, SQL, etc) with a controllable audit trail file and transaction delete capability for all files/tables.
2. Provide a complete database Schema and database relationship/star map.
3. Provide user oriented on-line query Wizard (display & hard copy) with file join capability and no hidden data fields or files. Temporary files are excluded.
4. A Query/Report Wizard is highly desirable.
5. User access (by screen form & field) security must be easily adjustable, but tight.
6. Different classes of users are highly desirable for efficiency in administering security, when several people need the same permissions.
7. The ability to assign access to a Group of Users is highly desirable.
8. Must be able to add user defined fields with maintainable dropdown list of choices
9. Must be written in current vintage programming languages.
10. Microsoft's Dot Net is highly desirable.
11. Virtually all transactions and database records (table rows) must record the User, Date and Time Stamp that they were added and last edited/changed. This can sometimes serve as adequate tractability of “who did what last”.
12. If your company can afford the disk space and processing overhead of full journaling, this is the best answer to “who did what last” and fast database recovery.
13. Notes, Remarks and Memos throughout the system must be variable length paragraphs. Notes should be attached files of many types (CAD, Word, Excel, etc.) in addition to text.
14. Spell Check capabilities for Descriptions, Notes, Remarks and Memos is highly desirable. Must have the ability to export any file or report to Excel and MS Access or as a comma delimited file.
15. It is highly desirable for the user to be able to switch form the standard screen form to a grid style screen in which file maintenance, filtered retrieval of data and mass updates by column can be done.
16. Users should be able to retrieve data by filtering on one or more fields on any screen form.
17. There should be no case sensitivity when entering record keys or filtering on data fields for retrieval.
18. Full Boolean logic should be available for filtering (<,>,<>, null, =) All cost, price and numeric database fields and transactions should have, at least, six decimal places and eleven whole digits.
19. Permit the users to change their password at anytime.
20. Permit keyboard alternatives for Tool Bar functions (copy, cut, paste, screen print, etc.)
21. Provide extensive parameters to determine the "processing rules" in all application areas.
22. Provide multiple choices of (print, fax, e-mail) for external documents such as (Invoices, Order Acknowledgements, PO's, RFQ's, etc.).
23. Users should have the opportunity to create a report as hard copy, PDF or other document types.
24. The screen forms throughout the system should provide for drill up and drill down in the database:

    a. From a General Ledger Account down to the original source of a Journal Entry (PO Receipts, Material Issue to a Job, etc.)

    b. From the PO Receipt to the Purchase Order Line to the Purchased Item.

25. Provide for various alpha Order Prefixes by Order Type (Sales Order, Purchase Order, Job, Work Order, RFQ, etc) and maintain a Next Sequential Number series for each Order Type by Facility.
26. Provide automatic Customer #, Vendor #, Sales Order, Purchase Order, Invoice, Pick List, Pack List, Bill Of Lading, Lot & Serial # , etc. by Facility (plant, warehouse, sales office)
27. Multiple Facilities (Plants, Depots and Warehouses) must be supported on one database with Interplant Orders between facilities on the same database, as well as, between databases/networks:

    a. Each Facility on a database could have the same Part at a different cost.

    b. The same Part # could be Manufactured at one Facility and Purchased at another.

    c. Gains and losses should be recognized between Facilities, if they exists.

    d. Part # and Bills Of Materials and Routings could be copied from one Facility to another and then changed, as needed.

    f. Facilities could have differing Costing methods.

28. Each set of system parameters would be by Facility.
29. The use of bar-coding throughout the system is a must.
30. a. Labor Reporting against direct and indirect Jobs/Work Orders by Operation with through on-line edits and a conversational style User Interface.

    b. Material Issues/Returns to Work Orders and Work Order Receipts into Inventory by Lot.

    c. Purchase Order Receipts and Returns

    d. Outside Service Shipments to Vendors and Receipts from Vendors, as well as returns to Vendor.. e. Sales Order Shipments and Returns. f. Cycle Counting g. Physical Inventory h. Sales Order Picking and Packing Lists I. Sales Order Packing Labels

31. All date fields should have dropdown colander to aid the user in date selection.
32. Provide for the assignment of specific Files/Tables to specific physical disk drives to minimize thrashing while processing. a. Such as the Parts File/Table on a different disk drive than the Bills of Material for more efficient processing during Planning runs.
33. Provide for executive dashboards and automatic Alerts.
34. Provide for wireless device support for Shop Floor Data Entry via bar code and Inquiry capability.
35. Provide for the centralization across multiple Facilities of Purchasing, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, General ledger, etc.