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The best way to assess new enterprise software is to ask the right questions. Today we’d like to discuss requests to send to developers, based on a real project for the implementation of an enterprise-level automation system in an industrial facility in the UAE. So, here are some questions to ask in order to understand whether it is a good idea to switch to a new tool.

Is the system adjustable?

When we are talking about enterprise business, there are hardly any problems you can solve just by purchasing a solution and using it “as is”. Every business is unique and has its peculiarities, custom processes, restrictions, legacy, etc.

For an enterprise accounting and management system, you will almost certainly need to modify the database to adjust it to the company’s structure, add custom tables, fields, change the list of documents, add custom reports, etc.

For example, in a project for a UAE-based industrial facility, six sub-systems of 1C:ERP (Enterprise Resource Management) were implemented:

production management;

stocks management;

procurement management;

sales management;

accounting;

payroll.

There were 15+ objects, documents and tables that needed to be modified to tailor them to the company’s needs.

Will the software scale as your business grows?

For enterprise projects, new software implementation could include 50–60 automated seats. This is big at the beginning, but corporations tend to hire more people every year, so in a few months time the company might need to get 70 or even 100 automated seats.

How well can your chosen solution adapt to such changes? To continuously adjust the solution to business needs, it is good to use flexible software that allows the adding of new features step by step. For example, the 1C:Enterprise platform enables the implementation of different modules and the creation of customer configurations.

Also, the platform has several modes of operation and working when it comes to databases. The first of them is suitable for SMBs, while the others are perfect for large companies with multiple points of presence.

Can the tool be easily localized?

Enterprise software is always complicated but still needs to optimize the business processes and reduce the number of potential human mistakes. This is impossible without proper localization.

Localization is a complicated procedure which goes far beyond just interface translation. To fully localize, say, an accounting or business automation system, you need to implement integrations with popular local software tools, design data exchange processes with financial companies and authorities, and provide compliant press forms and reporting.

Also, it is necessary to understand what languages should be present in the system. Sometimes only an English interface will suffice; however, in many cases, it is necessary to add the local language as well.

You need to carefully review the quality of the texts, notifications and manuals throughout the entire product. Are there things that might be confusing for users? If yes, then you do not want to use such a system in an industrial plant: the cost of any mistake is too high in this kind of environment.

This can take different amounts of time and involve different human resources, which means money. So, business owners shouldn’t consider the system from the side of possibility of localization, but from the aspect of the costs required for this process.

For our products, we have developed a custom approach to translation (we’ve already covered it in this article). In summary, the main idea is to use translators who are source language native speakers with the target translation language knowledge. Also, we divided localization for the end users and software developers — while users should always get an opportunity to access the interface in their mother tongue, the common language for developers is English.

Automation using specialized software also helps in speeding up the translation process and elevating its quality. For now, we have a custom system that has features such as a cross-product glossary and the automatic translation of pieces of text that had previously been translated.

How to choose a proper implementation partner?

Here is the situation: the customer is based in the UAE and operates a large industrial facility. There is no chance of successful automation software implementation if the developers won’t come and manage it themselves.

This is why finding a vendor with a wide partnership network is crucial. You should have the opportunity to bring in engineers onsite with a perfect knowledge of the product to work on your project for as long as is required.

In this particular case, engineers of the 1Ci partner — Rearden Group — spent 7.5 months working in the facility to implement the 1C:ERP (Enterprise Resource Management) system. We’ve already covered our implementation methodology here, but to briefly summarize it, the process consists of several stages, including requirements research, system design, adjustment, and training.

Implementation stages

After the system is implemented, and users are trained, you will need further support as well. So, the physical presence of the vendor’s partners in your location is also a plus.

Is there a way to increase efficiency via integrations?

To efficiently embed the new software into the company’s current business processes and infrastructure, the solution should have integration features. For example, accounting and business management software should not only provide the functionality for working with the company’s website or uploading information (Excel price lists, etc.) but also work with any external management systems that the company has already implemented.

For example, during 1C:ERP implementation in the UAE industrial holding, the solution was integrated with the warehouse management system WMS SPAN. This allowed for automatic data exchange between two tools, which resulted in the increased efficiency of inventory management and analytics.

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