What precautions to be taken before SAP implementation specifically in a SMB ?

Question

I am responsible to handle the IT activity of a SMB organisation , which is into automobile gear manufacturing. My management has decided to implement SAP ERP in our organisation. Since we have heared so many failure stories of this type of project. Being the IT head, what are the precautions should be taken by me ? Please suggest.

Answer 1

There are a lot of studies made on that matter. You could check some links
about it :

http://www.erpsoftware-news.com
http://accountingsoftware.geekyblogs.com/
http://www.erpandmore.com/
http://sapro.blogspot.com/
http://projectfailures.com/blog/

Answer 2

Oh man, are *you* in for a treat. If you're trying to do a *major* deployment like SAP, and you're fishing for help on Yahoo Answers, you *really* need to hire some experienced help (either permanent staff or at least some consultants) before you go *any* further.

Or phrased differently: The *very* first precaution you should take is making sure that your organization has enough SAP-experienced people in place before starting the deployment.