Independent Enterprise Application Consulting Company 

Planning

Velcom ERP > Planning

Planning

Scope, Resource, Governance, Budget

Introduction

The Planning phase establishes the foundation for a successful Enterprise Application Program Management initiative. Effective planning ensures that business objectives are aligned with technical strategies, project resources are allocated efficiently, governance is robust, and budgets are realistic and controlled. It acts as the blueprint before the blueprint – defining what success looks like and how the organization will achieve it.

Planning

Scope

  • Define Business Objectives
  • Identify Inclusion/Exclusion Of Module
  • Success Metrics

Resource

  • Human & Technical Resource
  • Vendor & Partner Management
  • Capacity & Skill Readiness

Governance

  • Structure Matrix & Control
  • Risk & Compliance
  • Communication Plan

Budget

  • Structure & Forecasting
  • Actuals Tracking
  • Accountability & Audit

Scope Planning defines the vision, boundaries, and measurable outcomes of the program. It ensures all stakeholders share a common understanding of what’s in scope, what’s out of scope, and how success will be measured.

Define Business Objectives

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    Establish strategic goals – efficiency, scalability, compliance, and digital transformation.
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    Ensure objectives are SMART – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
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    Align ERP, CRM, SCM, HCM, Analytics, and Digital Cloud objectives to business growth and agility.

Identify In-Scope Applications & Modules

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    ERP: Finance, Procurement, Manufacturing, Quality, Plant Maintenance, Projects, Asset Management, Sales Order Process.
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    Customer Experience: Marketing, Sales, Service, ECommerce.
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    SCM: Integrated Planning, Transportation, Barcode/Warehouse, Vendor Collaboration.
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    HCM: Recruitment, Core HR, Payroll, Talent, Expense.
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    Analytics & Dashboard: Data Acquisition, Storage & Modelling, Visualization Layer, Predictive & Advanced.
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    Digital / Cloud: Vision & Value Streams, OKR & KPI Tree.

Document Exclusions & Prevent Scope Creep

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    Record out-of-scope items and deferred requirements.
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    Maintain a Scope Register and formal Change Control process.

Success Metrics & KPIs (Examples)

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    Finance: Close cycle reduction by 40%.
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    SCM: Inventory accuracy at 98%.
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    CRM: Lead conversion +25%.
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    HCM: Payroll time reduction by 50%.
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    Analytics: Dashboard adoption 90%+.
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    Implement KPI dashboard for tracking.

Roadmap Alignment

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    Link project scope to digital roadmap and fiscal planning.
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    Synchronize dependencies across departments and modules.

Resource Planning ensures that the right people, skills, and tools are available at the right time to deliver the project effectively.

Human Resource Planning

  • Bullet
    Establish PMO, Steering Committee, functional and technical work-streams.
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    Assign work-stream leads for Finance, SCM, HR, CRM, Analytics.
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    Identify super users and business SMEs for ownership and testing.

Technical Resource Planning

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    Define infrastructure – cloud hosting, data backup, network, and DR.
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    Set up development, testing, and training environments.
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    Assign system administrators and integration support.

Vendor & Partner Management

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    Define responsibilities across OEM, implementation partner, and client IT.
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    Manage SLAs, dependencies, and subcontractor governance.
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    Maintain vendor tracker and communication plan.

Capacity & Availability

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    Map resource workload vs. project schedule to identify gaps.
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    Build redundancy for key roles.
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    Track utilization through weekly PMO dashboard.

Skills & Enablement

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    Conduct skill gap analysis and plan OEM-certified training.
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    Develop capability plan for ERP/CRM/HCM/Analytics practitioners.

Governance provides the framework for control, accountability, and transparency across the program lifecycle.

Governance Structure

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    Define Steering Committee, PMO, Workstream Leads, Change Control Board.
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    Implement multi-level escalation matrix for issue resolution.

Decision-Making & Escalation

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    Tier 1 – Workstream issues, Tier 2 – PMO coordination, Tier 3 – Steering decisions.
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    Maintain decision logs and approval traceability.

Monitoring & Control

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    Establish dashboards for progress, risk, and cost tracking.
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    Use MS Project, Jira, or SAP Activate for milestone reviews.
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    Conduct stage-gate approvals before next phase transition.

Risk & Compliance Management

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    Maintain risk register with probability-impact matrix.
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    Align to ISO 27001, GDPR, SOX, and data privacy standards.
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    Define mitigation and contingency actions.

Communication Governance

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    Daily stand-ups, weekly reports, monthly steering reviews.
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    Ensure transparency and alignment with all stakeholders.

Budget Planning ensures the program is financially viable and managed proactively through its lifecycle.

Budget Definition

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    Build TCO model including licenses, implementation, infra, internal resources, and AMS.
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    Include both CapEx and OpEx projections for 3-5 years.

Budget Structuring

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    Categorize cost by ERP, CRM, HCM, Analytics, and Infra workstreams.
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    Assign Finance partner for project-level financial control.

Contingency & Forecasting

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    Allocate 10-15% reserve for scope or compliance changes.
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    Define approval matrix for contingency usage.

Cost Tracking & Reporting

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    Implement budget vs. actual variance dashboard.
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    Track KPIs – Cost Performance Index (CPI), Burn Rate, Forecast Accuracy.
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    Conduct monthly reviews with Finance and PMO.

Accountability & Audit

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    Enforce PMO–Finance joint accountability.
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    Maintain audit trail for all invoices, approvals, and payments.
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    Comply with procurement and corporate audit guidelines.

Outcome

By the end of this phase, the organization achieves a clearly defined scope, resource plan, governance model, and budget baseline — enabling controlled execution, risk visibility, and measurable value realization.