Selecting the right JD Edwards partner for foreign rollouts (1 of 2)

In a rapidly globalizing world, international expansion is inevitable for many companies seeking growth. This expansion brings new challenges, especially when companies establish factories or offices in countries where they lack familiarity with the language and culture. In addition to commercial challenges, there are also technical and organizational hurdles, particularly when implementing JD Edwards ERP in these countries. How do you make the right choices and ensure a smooth implementation? And how do you choose a suitable partner for this process?

Part 1 – Doing It Yourself or Outsourcing?

One of the first decisions to make when rolling out JD Edwards internationally is whether to handle it yourself or outsource it. Will you use an internal team supplemented with local experts, or will you fully outsource it? And if so, will you outsource to a local company or an international partner? Various scenarios are possible:

1. Self-implementation

Self-implementation can be an option if your organization has the necessary expertise. The benefits are that your employees know the system and the organization well, and the acquired knowledge stays within the company. The downside is that it can be costly and time-consuming to have employees travel and bridge language and cultural differences. Additionally, specific local knowledge of regulations is often required, which your teams may not always possess.

2. Implementation by initial partner

Another option is to ask the JD Edwards partner that handled the initial implementation to also manage the rollout in other countries. This partner already knows the company and processes well. However, without local offices, the partner may be limited in their knowledge of local regulations and culture, which can hinder communication with end-users.

3. Outsource to a local partner

You could opt to fully entrust the rollout to a local partner. These companies often have strong knowledge of local regulations and speak the language of the end-users. This can be cost-effective, as it avoids travel and accommodation costs for international consultants. The downside is that the local partner is usually less familiar with the organization and previous implementations.

4. Fully outsourced to an international partner

Companies can also outsource the rollout to an international partner with branches in multiple countries. The advantages are that they share experience from previous implementations internally and that local consultants speak the language and understand local rules. This minimizes travel and accommodation costs and ensures consistent quality.

5. Hybrid model

Lastly, a hybrid model can be chosen, where the internal team is supplemented with local experts. Consultants from the home country can be deployed with the support of local experts familiar with local requirements. A drawback may be that language and cultural barriers remain, which can hinder communication with end-users.

Pros & cons of different JD Edwards partner options

How many locations will be included?

The choice of partner you make largely depends on the number of sites to be rolled out. If you want to implement the rollout in just one country, the hybrid model can be a good solution, where you work with your own internal team and one local resource for example.

But if multiple countries are involved, we recommend looking for a partner who is active in those countries and has a standardized methodology. Not only will the partner have local knowledge and experience with international rollouts and localizations, but by avoiding multiple local partners, you won’t need to enter into multiple contracts and will be assured that projects will follow one methodology.

Is a standardized project methodology used?

If choosing a single international partner, it’s important to confirm that their local teams all work under the same project methodology. Having a standardized process and using the same tools, means that it is easy to find, understand and exchange information during every phase of a project. This keeps miscommunication to a minimum, and because the work gets done more efficiently, total hours worked and the costs of the projects should be lower in the long-term.

Next blog we’ll discuss the selection process for the right partner for a JD Edwards project. What must you look out for when searching for a partner to help you implement the project successfully?