ERP Project Roadmap: Setting Your Project Up for Success with the First Three Stepping Stones
We’re starting a new short blog post series focused on the INDUSTRIOS ERP project roadmap, breaking down the 12 essential “stepping stones” that guide teams from kickoff to a successful system launch. Whether you’re rolling out a new ERP or curious about what makes a software implementation work for manufacturing, these stepping stones are your blueprint for a project that delivers results.
Today, let’s look at the first three:
- Charting the Course
- Orienteering
- Confirming the Path
Why an ERP Project Roadmap is Important
Rolling out ERP (enterprise resource planning) software is one of the biggest bets a manufacturing company can make. The right roadmap is your strategy that keeps your team focused, encourages honest conversation, and helps you adapt as things change.
As Edward Szukalo, General Manager at INDUSTRIOS, puts it: “You need everyone focused on why this project matters. If the goals aren’t clear, the rest won’t fall into place.”
Let’s take a closer look at the first three steps and see how they will set you up for long-term ERP success.
INDUSTRIOS Project Roadmap: First Three Stepping Stones
Purpose: To identify and define the steps involved in the implementation process, objectives of each step, the expected output and measurements.
Step 1: Charting the Course
Every successful ERP project begins by clarifying the “why.” Before the real work even starts, executive leaders and project sponsors fill out the INDUSTRIOS Road Map Survey, sharing their priorities, concerns, and what success looks like.
- Tip: Whenever your team hits a fork in the road, look back at your survey answers. Do your latest actions support those original goals?
- What makes this work: Teams that revisit their Road Map Survey at regular milestones stay on track and catch drift early.
The first stepping stone also ensures everyone is introduced, roles and operating practices are defined, and there’s clear ownership for each part of the process.
Step 2: Orienteering
After setting goals, it’s time to lay out your current reality. In the Orienteering step, team members complete the ISAAC Survey to benchmark current operations. Then, you’ll review your real data, handle tables, entry screens, and daily processes, and compare how these align (or don’t) with what INDUSTRIOS can provide.
Edward explains it simply: “Before we map out solutions, we have to know exactly where the business is starting.”
- Why this matters: Gaps, strengths, and opportunities get documented clearly. Teams that do this legwork avoid surprises and data issues further down the line.
- What you gain: Insights from orienteering drive how you set up your software, what data you migrate, and which workflows matter most.
This stepping stone transforms assumptions about “the way we’ve always done it” into facts that guide smart decisions.
Step 3: Confirming the Path
With your destination mapped and your current state documented, it’s time to build the project plan. Using results from both surveys, the team allocates resources to areas that need the most attention, aligns tasks to business priorities, and sets benchmarks for measuring progress.
- Practical detail: Key project benchmarks (such as the Road Map and ISAAC results) are made visible and referred to routinely. Progress, slow-downs, or pivots are all discussed openly.
- Why it matters: Actions are now matched to real needs, not just generic checklists or vendor suggestions.
Edward puts it this way: “You need milestones and real measurements, not just hope and phone calls. That’s how projects stay healthy and results become predictable.”
Final Thoughts
The success of any ERP project starts before a single piece of data is migrated. Charting the course, orienting your team, and confirming the path form a rock-solid foundation for every ERP project roadmap. Skipping or rushing these steps is inviting trouble; investing the time brings strong alignment and fewer headaches down the road.
What’s Next?
In our next article, we’ll move from planning to action, diving into Installing & Configuring your ERP, Migrating Data, and Measuring Early Progress. Subscribe or check back soon to keep following the INDUSTRIOS ERP project roadmap series. Ready to see how these steps translate into real results? Request a demo and we’ll show you a personalized view of the INDUSTRIOS process.
