Continuing my series on How to evaluate an ERP, today I am discussing the installation and Operation Issues that normally turn up. These installation and operation issues gain importance since the way the ERP is installed makes a difference in its operation later on during normal processing. Companies thinking of investing in a new ERP would benefit from the installation and operation issues discussed below: 1. The first issues to consider is have the installation specifications defined in some document? 2. Next, have the responsibilities of both the vendor as well as the purchaser of the ERP defined clearly. This is important because later on this might become a cause of conflict. 3. Have acceptance criteria for the ERP clearly defined? 4. How much training is required for employees as well as system programmers to operate the ERP. The operation of any ERP is very complex and it is important to be clear as to how long will it take for the organization to adjust to the new computing environment. 5. Does the ERP come with comprehensive documentation which is available online? Similarly, does the vendor provide assistance in case of any operational issues. 6. Does the vendor have a manual or computer assisted installation procedure? 7. Are there any standard operating procedures and baselines that the vendor provides as samples that can be adapted and used by the purchasing company. 8. Are major changes required in the operating system, organization network, database before the organization can install the ERP? 9. Does the system documentation conform to the installation's documentation standards? 10. Has the purchasing company defined any ERP performance criteria before accepting the ERP? 11. Can data from the legacy system be easily converted / migrated to the new ERP system. 12. What support does the vendor offer after installation of the ERP? This is very important since vendor might not be able to provide critical service & support after ERP installation.