In a business world defined by speed, technology and change, organizations rely more than ever on enterprise platforms to help them run business processes efficiently, track and improve productivity and drive better customer experiences. These platforms, frequently identified by acronyms like ERP (enterprise resource planning), FP&A (financial planning and accounting), HCM (human capital management), CRM (customer relationship management), and SCM (supply chain management) systems, are powerful tools that can impact broad segments of an organization and have profound effects on the day-to-day functions of employees and the processes they manage. Leveraging these systems in an optimal way that propels the enterprise forward and does not throw it into chaos requires strategic foresight, broad stakeholder participation and a well-crafted blueprint, or solution design, from which to build or modernize the system.
Solution design as a vision
More than just a technical roadmap, solution design provides a clear, cross-functional vision for how teams will use the system to navigate process complexities together, discover opportunities and deliver meaningful value. Unfortunately, success in achieving these benefits is far from given: a number of studies indicate that 55% to 75% of ERP projects fail to meet business objectives, with a full 50% ERP implementations failing on the first attempt. By investing in a thoughtful, comprehensive solution design, organizations can mitigate these risks, optimize resources and build a foundation for sustainable outcomes.
In this blog, we will dive deeper into the art and science of solution design, explore the importance of understanding current issues and future goals, and suggest a methodology for maximizing opportunities and investment.
Understanding the current state: pain points, opportunities and regulatory drivers
A successful business platform transformation starts with understanding where the organization is today. This means conducting a thorough assessment across people, processes and technology to uncover inefficiencies, bottlenecks and unmet needs. Stakeholder engagement is critical during this phase, as collaboration across departments and levels of the organization provides insights into practical challenges and frustrations. If unaccounted for, these issues can undermine the success of even the most technically well-designed systems.
A comprehensive solution design not only addresses internal pain points but also considers business strategy, operational models, industry standards and compliance requirements. This broad lens helps uncover opportunities for process optimization, improved data governance and scalability to support future growth. In many cases, organizations use a current state assessment to evaluate and/or confirm expansion goals and determine whether a modern enterprise platform can enable strategic objectives such as entering new markets or business lines.
Defining the future state: vision, strategy and measurable success
Once the current state is well understood, the next step is defining the future state — the north star that will guide implementation efforts. This future-state vision should be ambitious and aligned with the organization’s long-term goals yet grounded in operational realities. At this stage, teams would articulate what success looks like and begin to define the “art of the possible” in terms of technology, process transformation and user experience.
Key steps of future-state design include defining the following:
- Strategic business objectives: To begin, organizations should define specific, measurable business goals they hope to achieve with the solution, whether financial (e.g., cost savings, increased revenue, investment ROI) or operational (e.g., reduced cycle times, improved compliance). Setting these objectives helps teams stay focused on the big picture and provides a benchmark to measure progress. It’s important to take baseline metrics prior to an implementation to be able to assess ROI and cost avoidance post-implementation.
- Operating model: A clearly defined operating model outlines how the organization will function, including changes in structure, responsibilities and process ownership. This provides clarity on how future-state systems will support day-to-day operations.
- Process enhancements: This step involves thinking through and documenting changes to business processes that will improve productivity, highlighting how workflows will evolve and the benefits these changes will bring. This may include automation, role realignments or standardization across locations or business units.
- Platform architecture: A thoughtful future-state application design considers both existing systems and potential new tools. For example, organizations may evaluate ERP Suite solutions versus composable ERP approaches, weighing tradeoffs between simplicity and functionality. The resulting architecture should be secure, scalable and designed to support integration across business functions.
- IT infrastructure: This step considers the underlying IT infrastructure and how it will support the desired performance, availability and security standards of the solution. The IT infrastructure should allow for future growth, i.e., cloud capabilities, mobile access, and the use of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things.
- Governance and controls: Organizations should define clear governance structures to ensure accountability, enforce consistency, and help maintain compliance. These frameworks are essential for both implementation and ongoing operations.
Tools and techniques that bring vision to life
Defining a compelling future state is only part of the equation; successful execution requires the right tools, methodologies and mindset. The following principles, if followed, can help accelerate the transformation and maximize the benefits:
- Focus transformation on key processes and activities that drive value in each business area
- Seek out automation opportunities to streamline and enhance processes, including the use of advanced technologies like AI and machine learning
- Build business rules into business processes and technology whenever possible to enable consistent execution of activities and reduce the compliance burden
- Identify and document data and reporting requirements up front
- Define integrations, systems of record, and the overall composable ERP architecture
Beyond frameworks and tools, fostering a culture of adaptability and continuous improvement is crucial. Change is an ongoing process, especially with the proliferation of AI that is both causing disruptive change and providing new tools to manage through it. Organizations that embrace a mindset of change are better equipped to pivot when needed and capitalize on new opportunities as they arise.
Laying the foundation for transformational success
Solution design is not just a phase in enterprise platform transformation; it’s the foundation upon which the success of the entire system implementation rests. By investing the time to understand current challenges and define a strategic future state, and by leveraging best practices and methodologies or partnering with the right third parties, organizations can significantly reduce risk, accelerate value delivery and shift system implementation from a technology “upgrade” to a true catalyst for transformation.
How Protiviti can help
At Protiviti, we help organizations align their enterprise applications with broader transformational goals by integrating business process design, change enablement and technology optimization. Our approach ensures that platform transformation is a business-led initiative that drives agility, resilience and growth. We partner with clients to define future-state visions, select the best software for the future, manage complex implementations and enable adoption.
Our system implementation capabilities span across leading platforms, including SAP, Oracle, Workday, Microsoft and more, with deep experience across various industries. Whether modernizing legacy systems or launching new deployments, Protiviti delivers solutions that enable transformation and evolve with the business.
Grant Horton, Senior Manager – Business Platform Transformation, contributed to this content.
To learn more about our enterprise application consulting services, contact us.
