Why Conduct a Rapid Diagnostic Assessment

Numerous organizations today have realized the benefits of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. However, as their businesses have changed and technologies have evolved, many CIOs and technology executives find themselves asking questions such as:

• How well are our systems supporting current business operations and anticipated future needs?
• Are we able to competitively differentiate ourselves in serving our customers?
• Are our systems able to support new enabling technologies such as mobile and digital?
• Is our ERP system scalable, stable and secure?
• Will we continue to have available resources with the necessary skills to support our current ERP system?

CohnReznick’s Rapid Diagnostic Assessment (CRDA) enables companies to quickly address these and other questions relating to their ERP systems, helping them determine the right course of action – a modernization strategy for their current system or a new system altogether.

Is a Cloud-based System Right for You?

One of key questions that a rapid diagnostic assessment will answer is whether an on premise or cloud-based ERP solution is right for your business. Often, we are finding that our clients with traditional on premise systems benefit greatly by migrating to a cloud-based system. The cloud offers them many key advantages, including:

• Defined, standardized business process
• Readily addresses both business and IT changes 
• External apps can be easily integrated
• Application market can be easily integrated
• Focus on digital technologies
• Improves social, mobile, and data analytic capabilities
• Creates OpEx efficiencies

The Rapid Diagnostic Assessment Process

Our CRDA approach will help you construct a strong foundation of systems, processes, and data sources that support an architecture that delivers a high-speed, customer-centric digital platform. The process is designed to help companies quickly determine where, and how, to make strategic investments in their ERP systems to optimize business benefits. The key elements of CRDA include:

• Completing a questionnaire that focuses on specific components of your company’s operating processes including business strategy, applications, infrastructure, organizational structure, documentation, and controls
• Determining business requirements and how modern best practice processes can best address them
• Developing integration design guidelines
• Creating process flow accelerators

The final deliverable from the process includes a comprehensive project plan along with recommended business case accelerators.

The CRDA questionnaire should be completed by your team approximately one week prior to the assessment. Answers provided in the questionnaire will give CohnReznick a greater understanding of your organization right from the start and allow us to immediately evaluate system gaps and compile specific questions we will have for you in conjunction with the assessment.

During the assessment, our team will review the completed questionnaire, work with you to answer our questions, and ultimately identify the key areas of your ERP system that, we believe, require modernization and further discussion.

The CRDA is typically completed within just three days assuming all your key stakeholders are present to provide input and make decisions.

Outcomes and Benefits

CRDA is specifically designed to help your organization minimize the costs and risks associated with an ERP modernization process. By engaging with this process, you can significantly shorten the time it takes to realize the true value of your ERP system. The specific outcomes of the CRDA will enable your team and your organization to benefit from:

• A high-level strategy and roadmap designed to properly allocate your technology investments
• A foundational strategy document that leads to a smooth transition of your ERP system to a digital architecture 
• A review of all recommended applications that will align modern best practices to your business process flows
• The identification and collection of high-level requirements, integration points, and systems
• A follow-on preliminary change management and training assessment
• Implementation and support services from CohnReznick, if desired