Department of Finance & Administration
Dave Goetz, Commissioner

Learning From Other States' Experience

Throughout the project, members of the Edison team have solicited the advice of other states who have successfully implemented their own ERP systems, including site visits to Pennsylvania and Oklahoma to discuss lessons learned during the implementation process. The following are several mistakes identified in independent studies of ERP implementations and how Tennessee plans to avoid them:

Not bringing in enough staff to get the job done: Many states have tried to make do with staff already on hand. This can lead to severely overworked employees who just don’t have the time to do their own jobs and help implement the new system.
The Tennessee Approach: Assign and recruit more than 100 full-time State employees, contractors and independent consultants to the project.

Envision the implementation only as an IT project: Some states have looked at their implementation as simply another big IT project. These projects failed to adequately study how existing business processes would mesh with the new system, sometimes leading to frustrated end-users.
The Tennessee Approach: Exhaustive study and documentation of existing business processes so that Edison will not only meet Tennessee’s business needs, but provide numerous opportunities for improvements.

Skimping on training: Without adequate training, employees can face difficulties using the system at Go-Live. Other states have made the mistake of waiting until the last minute to bring in trainers who are unfamiliar with their states’ unique needs.
The Tennessee Approach: With the HR/Payroll Go-Live date approaching, the project team has a training plan in place, has identified which users need to be trained in which areas of Edison, and has begun to design courses tailored to the needs of Tennessee’s users. Many of the State’s trainers have been on board for well over a year already, and most have spent time working in State agencies in order to better understand their business processes. Finally, the Edison team plans to run a dedicated help desk to provide immediate response to end-users’ questions.