Whether you bring in a contractor or hire someone full-time for their specialized knowledge, you’re relying on a subject matter expert – or SME for short. In the world of ERP software, it’s incredibly important to have an SME that knows industry best practices, critical data requirements, ERP training expectations, and how transactions should be processed in ERP solutions like Acumatica, Sage, and Epicor.
Subject matter experts can have a big impact during implementations, of course, but with successful knowledge transfer, their value can benefit your organization long after go-live. It’s common to bring in outside experts temporarily, like an ERP partner as an SME during implementation or for ERP training & onboarding, but how do you make sure to retain new skills and knowledge, as well as consistency down the road? Building that expertise within your own team through specific ERP training is what we’ve seen pay off most in the long run.
So, how do you do that?
Well, that’s often where we come in. During implementation and after go-live, we strongly believe in transferring our ERP knowledge. We hand our knowledge and experience to your SME to continue building a great solution and team for the best ROI. As one of our long-time clients experienced firsthand, a great ERP partner doesn’t just help you meet deadlines – they help your team build confidence and become SMEs themselves.
For this article we’ve invited Karen Warren to share her perspective, as a longtime client and leading SME. As the IT Application Manager at ICP Group, Karen was extremely involved in many of the ERP projects we worked on and was always curious to learn more about the solution so that she could provide more support between projects and find ways to get more out of the technology. She was a natural SME.
So, why does an SME matter that much? And how did it impact Karen’s team? Let’s rewind a bit…
What is an ERP Subject Matter Expert?
ERP subject matter experts (SMEs) are key to making sure the system actually works for your business. An ERP SME is someone on your team who has in-depth knowledge of both the business processes and the technical aspects of an ERP system. That expertise allows them to act as a bridge between the organization’s needs and the ERP system’s capabilities. ERP SMEs play a critical role in making sure the ERP system aligns with the company’s workflows and objectives by offering specialized knowledge for troubleshooting, guiding system configuration for continued optimization, and supporting end users. They help the entire team get the most out of the solution long past the implementation, through ups & downs, and both business & team changes.
How Do We Collaborate With Our Clients to Help Develop SMEs?
We strive to be a trusted information technology partner to our clients. An important component of this role is helping our clients develop internal ERP SMEs by being a mentor, trainer, and knowledge resource. Studies have shown that 85% of implementations were successful when a consultant was involved, and part of that success extends to helping develop SMEs for post-implementation. While it can be done in-house from the get-go with less promising results, just imagine what it would be like to have someone on board with the same expertise as an outside consultant moving forward!
As Karen shared, “For over 10 years, I was engaged as the primary ERP SME for the initial implementation of our Sage ERP application and several subsequent implementations when our company acquired new businesses and/or wanted to utilize more automation to make continuous improvements in our business processes (ie MRP, E-Com, EDI, etc) and reporting. The in-depth system knowledge and expertise that I gained from Jeff and his team, and their extensive business process knowledge was extremely valuable to both my company and me.”
She continued, “Jeff and Steve provided me with a solid foundation to build on by teaching me the required skills and activities required to properly configure the ERP, scrub and load accurate & complete master data, properly record and test transactions with our departmental SMEs, review our results using standard reporting tools and work with them to troubleshoot/resolve any issues or challenges that arose.”
So, how did we actually do that with Karen? With the right support, here are our 4 practical ways to building up an ERP SME:
1) Focused ERP Training Sessions:
We create and lead deep-dive ERP training sessions that go beyond the basics, zeroing in on the parts of the system that matter most to your business. These are completely tailored, covering critical areas and advanced functionalities that align with the company’s unique needs. The goal? To give SMEs a comprehensive understanding of key ERP modules and specific processes within the system, empowering them with practical, hands-on knowledge they can actually use day-to-day.
As Karen shared, “Arris’ strategy of utilizing first a primary ERP SME and secondly departmental SMEs for testing and disseminating training across key stakeholders prior to go live has been a recipe for success over & over again, and has been a primary factor in the successful accomplishment of many of ICP’s ERP-related business goals, as well as my own professional development and goals.”
2) On-the-Job Mentorship:
During the ERP implementation or upgrade, we don’t just do the work for you – we bring your future SMEs along for the ride. By involving them in real tasks like configuration, data migration, and testing, they gain hands-on experience with our mentors.
Karen highlighted that by being directly involved in scrubbing and loading the data, she made critical connections between key fields and functionality, creating a much deeper understanding that stayed with her much longer than simply watching a training video.
This approach gives SMEs practical experience under the guidance of seasoned experts, building their confidence and skills simultaneously.
3) Teach Troubleshooting and Problem-Solving Skills:
More than just general ERP training, we run troubleshooting workshops to train SMEs on diagnosing and solving common issues – think data discrepancies or workflow hiccups. Or more practically, we use real life support issues to teach these skills and encourage the SME to log the cause and resolution into a knowledge base.
By equipping them with troubleshooting skills, we help SMEs become more self-reliant and capable of solving problems without having to call Support.
4) Set up Regular Check-Ins and Support Reviews:
Just because the project wraps up doesn’t mean our support ends. We schedule periodic check-ins with SMEs to check in, answer any remaining questions, and support their continued growth. Karen pointed out that it’s also common for organizations to have changing priorities. By having regular check-ins, she was able to communicate the current “hot” priorities so that we could provide more specific training as those changed with time.
These regular sessions reinforce what SMEs have learned and continue to expand their knowledge, giving them confidence to keep pushing forward, and address any new questions that come up as they take on more responsibility.
How Empowered SMEs Reduce the Cost of ERP System Ownership
Developing SMEs can lead to significant savings for companies, especially in the context of ERP systems and other complex implementations. I would like to call attention to these five areas where, in my 25+years as an ERP consultant, I have seen the biggest positive impact on companies and projects that value, build, and invest in SMEs:
1) Reduce Consulting and Support Costs: Having SMEs who understand the system deeply allows companies to resolve a lot of issues internally and significantly reduce external consulting or support costs. Basically, strong SMEs mean you need my team less, and that’s ok! For example, ICP Group saw a drastic drop in Help desk tickets since the majority of things were then able to be covered internally with Karen’s knowledge. This also helped managers to see where knowledge gaps were and spot opportunities for more departmental-specific ERP training or mentoring to share that knowledge and create additional SMEs.
2) Efficiency Gains and Productivity Improvements: Well-developed internal SMEs help optimize workflows, identify automation opportunities, and resolve user issues quickly, leading to productivity gains across departments that use the ERP. “Over time, I was able to expand my knowledge of our ERP capabilities and identify opportunities for our company to gain even more ROI from our ERP,” Karen shared.
3) Reduced Customization and Maintenance Costs: According to Panorama Consulting’s ERP report, companies with strong in-house expertise typically reduce ERP customization needs. SMEs encourage the use of out-of-the-box ERP functionalities, minimizing costly customizations that require ongoing maintenance and support. This was exactly the case with Karen as she was able to build dashboards to quickly identify transactions that needed attention or to track KPIs. Her knowledge of both the company and the technology allowed her to proactively create things to help the team before it was even requested.
She stated “The knowledge and experience I gained thru Arris’ continuous knowledge transfer to me over time enabled me to be able to trouble shoot most user issues on my own, to identify solutions for users using standard ERP functionality versus incurring expenses to develop unnecessary customizations and to manage complex projects for our business.”
4) Improved Project Success Rates: ERP implementation and upgrade projects involving SMEs have been shown to have higher success rates, reducing the risk of costly failures. The involvement of SMEs creates better alignment with business processes, reducing the likelihood of unexpected costs associated with project delays or rework.
Another key benefit Karen, and several of our clients, noticed is how having someone on the team who understands your systems also helps with end-user adoption rates. This is illustrated by a study from Deloitte that highlights “resistance to change” as the top barrier to change management for most organizations.
5) Savings from Data Accuracy and Compliance: You’ll have more accurate data entry, better system configurations, and adherence to compliance requirements with an SME. Research by Accenture shows that better data quality and compliance through use of AI and automation technologies coupled with exception-based risk management costs companies 50% less to maintain risk-management, as they face fewer penalties and rework due to compliance-related errors.
A company’s culture can significantly impact the effectiveness and growth of an ERP Subject Matter Expert. All companies have SMEs across the organization. So, when a culture supports collaboration, learning, and empowerment and provides the necessary tools to help them be successful, ERP SMEs are easy to identify and are more likely to thrive.
By implementing an effective ERP system, with expert third-party support, you can eliminate silos of information and fiefdoms, and build the foundation for a single version of the truth. Plus, throughout the process, you get two birds with one stone by effectively developing ERP SMEs that can maintain your systems moving forward, extending your ROI for all the reasons we’ve outlined.