erp selection case study

ERP Selection & Implementation Case Studies

Enterprise software and digital transformation case studies, micro control.

Successful, goal-achieving ERP projects, like Micro Control’s, require structure. At Ultra, this framework is provided by our methodology, which also provides a step-by-step guide for the business transformation journey. Get a close-up look at Micro Control’s ERP journey

Deschutes Brewery

In setting aggressive growth goals Deschutes knew it was time for a change to their ERP system. Learn how Ultra utilized business process improvement, new efficiencies and modern software to give Deschutes the capabilities it needed to open a new brewery.

R&L Spring Company

For R&L Spring Company, an OEM manufacturer of precision springs, rings, wire forms and other wire products, greater process efficiency was the driver for its new ERP solution. The first task was to build an internal project team that could determine and deliver opportunities for improvement.

Chicago Tube & Iron

Chicago Tube & Iron was at a technology dead-end: Its 30-year-old, green-screen Unix-based operations management system was heavily customized and difficult to maintain and update. While it served the company well for many years through changing business models, it was time for an upgrade

Evans Food Group Ltd.

Evans Food Group, Ltd. was experiencing growth and had tried to solve the company’s growth challenges through ERP before. By the time they engaged with Ultra Consultants for the ERP selection process, they were considerably overdue for solution upgrades to meet customer demand and business growth.

Pacific Plumbing Supply Company

Pacific Plumbing Supply Company, Seattle, Wash., is a 71-year-old, family-owned and -operated company with 200 employees and 15 branch locations. Like many mid-sized distributors, Pacific Plumbing Supply Co. chafed against the limitations of its legacy management platform and scraped by with manual workaround processes.

Biopharmaceutical Company

The company faced several challenges for improved business processes and ERP solution selection and implementation:

A variety of business processes needed more formal definition including supply chain, accounts payable, purchase requisitions and POs, order-to-cash, serialization and more.

Global Distribution Company

The company had attempted to implement a new ERP solution, but the effort was stalled.

In later years, the company continued to discuss ways to get back on track with its goal of implementing a better enterprise technology system but was unsuccessful.

Ipsen had been running a legacy version of Infor’s Syteline product for past decades.

This placed the system on an older technology platform, lacking a modern user interface and capabilities that are inherent in more current systems.

Radio Flyer

Radio Flyer looked to standardize global operations on a single, modern ERP platform to support business expansion and optimize strategic processes.

Specifically, the legacy AS-400 based ERP system limited the company in several key areas.

Independent Can Company

Because the company manufactures specialty products rather than commodities, it was looking for an ERP system built around the efficient processing and costing of a specialty product.

ICC operated on an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system that was 15 to 20 years in age; at the time the company operated out of two locations.

Nudo ERP Story

In previous years the company was handicapped by an old legacy system that did not meet the needs of a growing diversified manufacturing company.

The legacy system did not provide multi-site support, WIP control, easy user access to information, and flexible production scheduling capabilities.

Knox Machine Company

Before working with Ultra’s team of independent ERP consultants, the company’s processes consisted of an awkward combination of a homegrown legacy software package, Excel for inventory control and reporting functions, and various manual processes for material planning and shop floor execution.

Spirent Communications

Spirent Communications had acquired 5 companies in 5 different locations: California, Hawaii, Canada, New Jersey, and London. Adtech, the Hawaiian company was growing at 100% a year and was operating on a number of Tier III disparate systems.

Full Compass Systems

A legacy software system was in place that primarily supported the telemarketing efforts of the in-house sales organization. The system used an outdated database and was eventually ported to a Linux operation system.

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Download the ERP Selection Guide

Erp selection: the ultimate guide.

Are you new to the world of ERP and getting confused with so much information available? Do you have questions about whether to invest in the ERP selection process? Are you curious about why there is such a high failure rate for ERP projects? Not sure how to structure your selection process and plan your internal capacity? Want to learn the best practices of ERP selection? Then, you have come to the right place.

This is an in-depth guide with over 80 pages and covers every topic as it pertains to ERP selection in sufficient detail to help you make an informed decision. It answers questions such as the role of ERP in the context of enterprise architecture and its relationship with other peripheral systems. It also provides insights into why identifying the boundaries of an ERP is critical to identifying the right solution.

This guide summarizes ERP system functionality, ERP maturity stages , and ERP system processes. By delving into the overarching view of the ERP industry it guides you on the roles and responsibilities of different companies along with different systems for various market segments. It then touches on different selection biases that lead to implementation failure. Including process steps, selection deliverables, selection types, pricing, and contract negotiation, it also describes the ERP selection process in deep detail. Finally, it touches on change and program management, as well as organizational readiness for ERP, change management deliverables, ERP team, ERP team capacity planning, and ERP business case.

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A brief walkthrough of a recent customer who went through the process of developing the strategy to transform their current eCommerce operations to include a buy-online-and-pick-up-in-store and buy-in-store-ship-to-home business model.

A leading fashion retailer with more than 30 stores throughout the United States was struggling with the customer experience and accommodation of business models such as buy-online-pick-up-in-store due to disconnected eCommerce and fulfillment systems. They needed omnichannel experience that could transform their experience and help them compete with their larger peers.

They hired ElevatIQ to assess their as-is and to-be state and come up with the strategy to enable the needed experience. Through the series of workshops and secondary research of their data, ElevatIQ formulated a strategy with the changes in business processes, information architecture, and systems.

The strategy resulted in a clear alignment of their executive teams with a refined understanding of their business processes and operations. The strategy also resulted in a clear understanding of the investments and solutions required to implement the strategy.

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This digital transformation report summarizes our annual research on ERP and digital transformation trends and forecasts for the year 2024. 

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3 ERP Implementation Case Studies

Mark Jackley | Content Strategist | January 10, 2023

In This Article

Why Do ERP Implementations Fail?

Keys to successful erp implementation projects, your erp implementation starts by choosing the right system, erp implementation case study faqs.

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software connects the most important functions of businesses—including financials and asset management, supply chain management, customer relationship management (CRM), and human resources. That’s why an ERP implementation is such a big deal. The payoff can be substantial: A single system to connect and standardize data in real-time gives teams across the business a shared view of performance—and one source of truth to improve decision-making and planning.

However, ERP implementations have potential pitfalls. If your project team fails to create a vision to guide the project, instill a spirit of teamwork among everyone involved, and communicate its objectives to employees, you might not solve your business challenges and get the results you need.

The following three case studies spotlight companies that did things right. By borrowing from their playbooks, your business can also enjoy the benefits of a successful ERP implementation.

1. A clear vision: Discover Financial Services moves to cloud ERP

In 2019, Discover Financial Services, the third-largest credit card brand in the United States, was running seven highly customized on-premises ERP systems. Their IT landscape was complex and lacked standardization, which resulted in slow and sometimes inaccurate reporting. Moreover, the accounting team and their counterparts in financial analysis and planning needed more scalable systems to support their growing workloads. After evaluating several vendors, Discover chose to simplify its environment by consolidating systems on Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP, integrated with Oracle Fusion Cloud Enterprise Performance Management (EPM).

The project team had a clear vision: The ERP implementation was more than an IT upgrade. It was an opportunity to create and sustain business value companywide, generating “more data and higher quality,” says Michelle Green, vice president, business technology: strategy, transformation, and governance. “Ultimately, the functionality and automation help us make more effective enterprisewide decisions.”

This vision helped Discover complete the ERP implementation on time and on budget, despite working remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. “There are two things I look for in an implementation,” says Green. “The first is when people say the implementation was a nonevent. The second is when people start giving unsolicited feedback that they’re loving the systems. On day 15, post go-live, we heard both.”

The modernized ERP platform has paid off. With faster access to financial information, Discover employees companywide can more effectively manage expenses . Lines of business enjoy more accurate planning projections and cost analysis. With standardized functionality replacing customization, employees spend less time deciphering technology and more time achieving results. And with quarterly cloud functionality updates delivered automatically, Discover can continue to enhance its processes and ways of working.

2. Teamwork and trust: ERP helps Hormel Foods unify the business

With a long history of making strategic acquisitions, Hormel Foods owns more than 50 iconic brands, such as Dinty Moore, Planters Peanuts, SPAM, and Skippy Peanut Butter. But at one time, it also owned a patchwork of different IT systems.

“We had various systems for various companies that did not interface well together,” says Jim Sheehan, executive vice president and chief financial officer, Hormel Foods. “They did not provide us with a clear view of the company's performance, were difficult to maintain, and honestly, had become a burden to our competitiveness.”

In some cases, the human capital management (HCM) and ERP applications hadn’t been upgraded in more than 15 years. Some systems depended on a single person—“whoever remained who understood the code it was written on,” Sheehan says. Adding to the complexity, Hormel Foods had customized many of its applications to meet the needs of individual brands.

To simplify business processes and improve data quality, Hormel worked with KPMG to implement Oracle Cloud ERP, part of the Oracle Cloud Applications suite that now also supports Hormel’s supply chain management, enterprise performance management, and human resources.

“We had to rely on teamwork,” says Assistant Controller Eldon Quam. “We had Oracle, KPMG, and Hormel Foods people all working together. If you weren’t familiar with the group, you wouldn’t have known the difference between a Hormel Foods person and someone who worked for another company.”

When the ERP system went live, Hormel gained a unified system to standardize business processes, data, and decision-making. “We have visibility into every business from the same point of view,” Sheehan says.

Hormel Foods also has a forecasting model to pinpoint growth opportunities across its many brands. “In the past, we looked at things brand by brand,” says Jana Haynes, vice president and controller. “That’s still important to do, but now that we’re on a centralized platform, we’re able to notice things that weren’t apparent before.”

With procurement in all countries except China and Brazil now on the same platform, it’s easier to analyze vendors as well. For instance, the company discovered that some of its brands paid more than others for the same item. Hormel can also pinpoint the number of vendors that are the sole source of items its brands rely on. Knowing this allows the company to explore alternative sources and be ready should a vendor prove unable to meet demand.

With the entire company running on one ERP system, every brand does financial reporting in the same way. “Whether it’s their cash flow, their income statement, or their balance sheet items,” Sheehan says. In other words, all that teamwork enhanced their ability to operate as one team.

3. Employee buy-in: Taylor Corporation rallies support for digital transformation

A diversified global company that operates printing, data, and marketing businesses, Taylor Corporation embarked on a four-to-five-year effort to implement an ERP solution and modernize its back office, moving financial, supply chain, and manufacturing applications to Oracle Cloud. When all phases of the ERP implementation are completed, Taylor estimates it will see between $20 to $30 million in total cost savings.

CEO Charlie Whitaker has made it his personal mission to see the program succeed. On a kickoff video conference early in the implementation, Whitaker rallied the company’s 10,000 employees, urging them to see the program as key to Taylor’s growth and prosperity. He also led steering-committee meetings and working sessions with project team members.

“If you talk with Charlie, it's not an option to participate. It’s a requirement: Don’t debate it, participate in it, which I think is a fantastic message,” says Jenn Warpinski, Taylor’s vice president of enterprise transformation.

Several Taylor managers who were initially skeptical now are leading the way in bringing their colleagues around. “They’re now jumping in, and they’re doing the talking, they’re doing the change management,” Warpinski says.

Workforce support is necessary to succeed with such a transformational project. Indeed, the scope was significant: Taylor needed to consolidate data and business processes across 85 different systems, some of them no longer supported by vendors. Taylor wanted to make timely and informed financial and supplier decisions, automate manual processes that were costly and time consuming, and make it easier for customers to operate across the company’s business units.

For example, one of Taylor’s five multisubsidiary enterprise groups had customer information sitting in 16 different systems. That made it difficult for the group to cross-sell products across business lines. (Taylor units sell everything from printed wedding invitations to digital marketing services.)

Before phase one of the implementation—a global rollout of cloud financials completed in January 2022—it would take Taylor’s finance teams a couple of weeks to assemble a consolidated view of outstanding accounts receivable across the company. That data is now available for executives to act on in real time.

Now that Taylor is also live on cloud procurement applications, it can negotiate better volume discounts with approved indirect suppliers, while end users can get approvals and execute orders for supplies with just a couple of clicks.

One leading cause is failing to practice contingency planning. At the outset, implementation teams should identify likely causes of delays or cost overruns and plan accordingly. For instance, are there existing vulnerabilities in your company’s business model that need to be fixed before launching the project?

Unrealistic expectations are another reason for failure. If your timetable shrinks but your list of deliverables doesn’t, the ERP implementation could be doomed from the start, or at the very least become chaotic and expensive.

Some careful whiteboarding can help you avoid these potential problems. You can enjoy a successful ERP implementation with the right ERP provider, executive support, and a willingness to learn from other businesses’ successes and mistakes and a willingness to learn from other businesses’ successes and mistakes, you can enjoy a successful ERP implementation.

Besides crafting a vision, working as one team, and enlisting the support and patience of employees at all levels, other factors can lead to a successful ERP implementation. First, you’ll need to clearly define the project’s scope, objectives, and budget. A project team with the right expertise is another must. So are having plans for migrating data to the new system as well as a realistic timeframe for going live. A detailed change management plan that includes user training and education, such as the one Taylor created, is perhaps most critical to success.

Another ERP success factor: The system you implement should be easy for people to use. After all, simplifying the IT landscape and the user experience is a critical objective of any ERP system. If your implementation unfolds in stages, you can conduct periodic surveys to see if employees think the system is user friendly.

Your Complete Guide to Modern ERP

Discover what defines a modern ERP solution and how cloud ERP drives business agility and innovation.

Even if you devise a flawless implementation plan, it won’t yield great results if you choose the wrong ERP system. Look for a solution that can not only integrate disparate data and business processes but can also integrate with existing systems and applications your business will continue to run. Additionally, you’ll want capabilities that are purpose-built for functions, such as cash management or procurement, giving you faster and more accurate information to improve decision-making. It’s also smart to choose a system that can both monetize and measure business value as you plan new products and set pricing strategies.

Of course, your project management team should thoroughly assess ERP vendors. It’s important to listen carefully to what they can actually deliver, looking beyond basic features and capabilities. For example, what is their support offering like? What kind of training do they provide? What does the future look like—is the vendor truly invested in the emerging technologies you’ll need to compete? You’ll also want to hear what industry analysts, such as Gartner, say about cloud ERP solutions, including Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP.

Lastly, consider what else an ERP system can offer your company. Oracle’s solution, for example, includes built-in risk management tools that use AI and machine learning to strengthen financial controls. It also can integrate with your customer relationship management (CRM) system, so your front- and back-office teams can seamlessly share data.

What are the top challenges of ERP implementations?

Three of the most common challenges are:

• Defining a vision of what the ERP system needs to do and how to manage the implementation—who should lead it and set priorities
• Engendering trust and teamwork between the project team, your ERP provider, and your consulting partner
• Communicating with employees about how the implementation will benefit them, freeing up time from mundane tasks to do more interesting work

See how Oracle Cloud ERP gives you the agility to adopt new business models and processes quickly, helping you reduce costs, sharpen forecasts, and innovate faster.

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Case Study: 8 ways to inject expertise into your ERP selection process

We recently worked with a research and development company who specialise in medicine delivery and injection devices. They were building a small production facility to provide manufacturing services and fulfil larger orders.

To support this new strategy, they needed to implement a new ERP solution with a specific focus on the following functional areas;

Finance and Reporting Supply Chain (Including Procurement) Manufacturing Quality Assurance

Time was also a factor, with the production facility planned to come on-stream in Q2 2021. This meant the client was looking to select and implement a solution within 9 months.

Fortunately, through a series of clever decisions that went against the received wisdom around ERP implementation, they’re now on the right track to comfortably meet this goal.

Here’s 8 things you can learn from them for your own ERP project..

1. Choose a Greenfield ERP Implementation to support your business strategy

Our client’s key motivator behind implementing ERP was a new business strategy that focussed on the production of medical devices for sale rather than just R&D.

The new strategy would require a single system that functioned across the entire business. The client did have some applications in place across different teams, but all data transfer was manual and there was no main or core ERP system in place.

This put them in a relatively unique position as they were “starting from scratch” when it came to choosing and implementing an ERP system. That made a Greenfield Implementation the obvious choice.

However, you don’t need to be in this position to consider a Greenfield ERP implementation. In fact, a Greenfield implementation is often the best choice regardless of your current circumstances.

With a Greenfield implementation you don’t carry over the baggage from your old system - baggage like technical debt and complex legacy customisations.

It also gives you the opportunity to review and improve your data quality. If you opted for a ‘lift and shift’ Brownfield implementation you could carry over a lot of bad data.

And, with Greenfield you don’t need to worry about code remediation to make sure that what’s in your old system works on your new system. Why? because you’re not bringing that old code with you.

But best of all, when you opt for a Greenfield implementation you are free to choose the ERP that is most closely aligned to your business strategy — not the one which most closely matches your existing system (with all its faults).

Which leads to our next point...

2. Focus on adopting standard business processes for a faster, cheaper ERP implementation

In our SAP Success Report we discovered that Solution Standardisation is the most important thing to get right when it comes to bringing an ERP project in on budget. The companies who deviated most from standard came in significantly over budget time and again.

Early on in the implementation process, our client made the decision that they would choose an ERP that supported their business strategy and operating model in as standard a way as possible.

They would only customise processes that were unique to their business and drove their competitive advantage.

And, most importantly, they decided to change how they perform commodity business processes to conform to their new ERP system.

This decision would make their implementation process easier, cheaper, and quicker - and it would mean that they would create less technical debt.

Less technical debt means their ERP will be much easier to maintain and upgrade in the years to come if they choose to do so.

3. Invest time understanding what you do as a business for better strategic ERP decision making

As we’ve already covered, our client was committed to choosing an ERP that enabled their business strategy “out-of-the-box”.

To do this they needed to understand how their business operated at a process by process level - a much deeper level of understanding than they had ever tried to achieve before.

That meant creating a Business Process Framework.

A Process Framework is a bit like a business process master list, but as well as listing processes in a hierarchical way, the Process Framework also allows you to augment each process in the list with business relevant meta-data that supports strategic decision making.

Processes can be annotated with characteristics such as Value-Add, Process Variability, Operational Frequency, Transaction Volumes, Complexity, Isolation (vs. Integration), User Volumes, Change Impact, Workarounds, Usability and Defects.

This helps you to understand which processes you should run using out of the box ERP functionality, and which processes you can justify customising to extend your competitive advantage.

To speed up this process, our client used the APQC process framework for Life Sciences as a basis, applying standard process augmentation and tailoring it to understand which process areas were in scope, their relative priority, and which were subject to industry regulations.

This work was supported and fast-tracked thanks to FusionGraph. FusionGraph includes APQC data sets as standard and makes it easy for businesses to visualise their solution against their business process requirements.

The Business Process Framework was created with the wider business - not just as an IT project. Our client involved figures such as the Finance Director, the Supply Chain manager, and stakeholders from Manufacturing and R&D.

This is important as it won business buy-in for the ERP transformation early on. It also meant business figures could provide input into the project. It made clear what the business needed from the new ERP system.

If the business had not been involved at this early stage, the ERP implementation could have become solely IT driven with the risk being it would fail to deliver what the business needed from ERP.

4. Identify risk early on and used an independent expert to improve internal ERP knowledge

Prior to creating their Process Framework and finalising what their ERP approach would be, our Client had considered going down a more traditional ERP implementation approach. They even went as far as getting 2 quotes from Systems Integrators who would provide the software licenses and act as implementation partner from day one.

Although both SIs suggested solutions that broadly matched the Client’s business requirements, they didn’t address specific areas such as regulatory compliance - and both solutions were heavily caveated.

And — frighteningly — implementation effort and costs were subject to confirmation, built using time and materials commercial models. All the risk was on the Client.

While the Client’s in-house team had some prior exposure to ERP projects they were lacking experience and confidence in running a successful ERP implementation and managing Systems Integrators.

At this point, they recognised that there was a risk of making an expensive mistake and paused.

They then made the vital decision to involve an impartial ERP consultancy as an advisor in the selection process.

They chose Resulting IT to provide them with this independent advice. This decision led to the creation of the Process Framework to better understand requirements and to scope out the project.

And, Resulting would continue to provide support throughout the rest of the vendor selection process.

By using an independent advisor - specifically one that doesn’t sell software licences - our Client was better prepared to make the right decision when it came to choosing ERP software and their implementation partner.

5. Have a clear Plan and Cost Model to set realistic expectations around ERP implementation

At the start of the engagement, Resulting set out an initial ERP project plan that detailed the expected activities for the Client and their vendors along with suggested timelines.

During the selection, Resulting worked with the Client and the chosen vendor to refine and baseline the implementation plan to help validate the cost model and ensure a realistic view of the business-side costs (and effort) required.

This provided the Client with a clear illustration of what an ERP implementation would look like with highlighted areas to watch out for. This included potential gaps in their organisation, options to bridge and a recommendation to extend the search to include additional vendors and solutions.

This “Plan on a Page” approach made clear from the outset the costs and timelines the Client should expect for an ERP implementation, which Risks to watch out for, and helped them to understand the importance of a thorough ERP selection process and making the right strategic decisions throughout.

This may seem like an obvious or basic step - but it is one which many companies overlook or fail to do properly. However, getting this right is key to setting expectations within the business and understanding how big and all encompassing a project an ERP implementation really is.

6. Run an ERP Success pre-flight check to understand your weaknesses and how to fix them

As well as advising our Client to create a Business Process Framework, Resulting helped them to better understand their ERP maturity with an ERP preflight check.

This served as an ERP education and orientation exercise.

The Client had recognised that they didn't have a good view on how to run a successful ERP implementation.

With an ERP Success preflight check, we helped the Client to assess their knowledge and internal capability in 15 key areas that research shows have the most impact on success in ERP projects.

The Healthcheck was an important stepping stone, helping the Client to understand why products like the Process Framework and Solution Briefing Document were vital to understanding their requirements and choosing the right ERP software.

7. Create a thorough Solution Briefing Document to help ERP vendors provide better proposals

To help position and support the Business Process Framework, Resulting proposed creating a Solution Briefing Document.

This would help vendors to develop their solution and better calculate and outline their commercials.

The Solution Briefing Document detailed the non-functional requirements the Client expected from the system (hosting, data security etc.) as well as the specific business process requirements they identified when creating their Process Framework.

This was an important decision as a Solution Briefing Document enables a smooth ERP and Vendor selection process.

It makes clear from the outset what the customer expects from their Vendor — which is exactly what a vendor wants to know before they pitch their solution.

A good Solution Briefing Document covers everything that a Vendor needs to know such as business context, timelines, functional, non-functional and other specific requirements and selection principles.

By creating a thorough Solution Briefing Document, not only do you make it clear from the off what you expect from your Vendor, you also lay the foundation for a successful working relationship.

You remove any confusion, potential arguments and scope creep down the road that could threaten to derail your Vendor relationship, and in turn the project as a whole.

A Solution Briefing Document starts the process off on the right foot for a better ERP implementation project.

8. Explore various ERP softwares to ensure you make the right decision

Throughout the ERP and Vendor Selection process our Client kept an open mind and were dedicated to making the right decision by their business strategy.

The same is true when it came to choosing ERP software. They assessed multiple options in earnest to understand which would best enable their goals.

But how is this different to a normal ERP spec and select process?

Typically, businesses do engage with multiple ERPs — but often only at a superficial level.

Many businesses enter into the selection processes with a preferred ERP from the outset - often one with whom their CIO or Head of Apps has prior experience. This makes their spec and select process little more than a box ticking exercise to appease their procurement department - in reality they made their decision long ago.

This was not the case for our Client who made a genuine effort to understand multiple ERPs before choosing which one they would implement.

They shared their Solution briefing document with four vendors who each proposed the implementation of different ERP software.

The Vendors were then given three weeks to submit proposals, with an option to ask questions or hold working sessions in the intervening period.

Overall, thanks to a rigorous selection process grounded in a strong understanding of their business, our Client decided that Sage was the right choice.

This went against an early inkling some project members had (prior to working with Resulting and creating a Process Framework and Solution Briefing Document) that they would choose SAP Business One.

By keeping their options open and following the Spec and Select process outlined by Resulting, our Client found the ERP software that was the right fit for their business.

They could use their chosen ERP largely “out-of-the-box”, reducing the cost of their implementation, the amount of customisation required to make it work with their business strategy, and the consequent technical debt that would have created.

Had they been stubborn about choosing SAP Business One they could have found themselves making lots of customisation over the course of a long and expensive implementation project.

Need to run your own ERP spec and select? Here’s how to do it.

By taking a different approach to ERP spec and select our Client was able to get the best result for their business. And so can you.

We supported our Client throughout their ERP selection process from the creation of the Business Process Framework and Solution Briefing Document to evaluating the suggested solutions from their Vendors.

If you’re about to embark on ERP selection we can do the same for you. Contact us today to get started.

Tony Cronin

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ERP Selection, Change Management, & Data Cleaning

Vendor evaluation to inform erp selection & implementation of new erp system.

Client’s Challenge

Project leadership & project management.

Soles4Souls needed project leadership and project management support to facilitate an informed selection of a new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system and to ensure a seamless and successful ERP implementation.

Our Solution

Vendor selection & erp implementation.

After conducting an analysis of ERP vendors, our team developed a custom scoring methodology to evaluate the vendors based on Soles4Souls’ business goals. Once a selection was made, we helped them implement the new ERP system.

Value Realized

Successful erp implementation.

With our analysis and methodology, Soles4Souls was able to make a confident and timely ERP vendor selection that was specific to the needs of their organization.

“Partnering with InfoWorks made our process a lot easier, knowing someone was boots on the ground doing the leg work and letting us focus on the high-level. It made the process very easy to have a partner with expertise lead the way.”

Katherine Eboch VP of IT, Soles4Souls

Project Details

Due to company growth, Soles4Souls had an increasing need for cohesion across departments, countries, and systems within their organization.

They engaged us to provide  project leadership and project management  support to facilitate the informed selection of a new ERP system and ensure seamless ERP implementation.

Our team began by creating and approving a vendor starting list.

We then performed extensive research and conducted vendor interviews. Potential vendors were rated using a custom scoring methodology developed with the client’s needs in mind. Finalists then presented demos of their platforms and Soles4Souls was able to make an informed ERP selection.

To facilitate a seamless migration to the new ERP system, our team mapped out a process for cleaning data across all systems and coordinated a change management process. We provided significant project management support throughout the ERP implementation process.

With our help, Soles4Souls was able to quickly select an ERP that fit their business model, the transition to the new system was successful, and their team adapted well to the new process.

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Mastering the ERP Selection Process: Expert Strategies for Success

Embarking on an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) selection process can be a daunting task for any organization. With the rapid advancements in technology, particularly the integration of AI (Artificial Intelligence), making the right choice has become even more critical. Insights from industry influencers and consultants provide valuable guidance on how to navigate this complex landscape effectively.

Table of Contents

The Importance of Neutral Industry Experts

Involving neutral industry experts in the ERP selection process brings a balanced perspective. These experts offer insights not just on specific ERP solutions but also on broader industry trends, ensuring that organizations make informed decisions based on a comprehensive understanding of the market.

Neutral experts can evaluate ERP systems objectively, without the bias that might come from vendors. Their experience across different industries and projects allows them to identify potential pitfalls and best practices that might not be immediately apparent to internal teams. They can also facilitate workshops and requirements-gathering sessions, helping organizations articulate their needs more clearly and prioritize features that will deliver the most value.

The Role of AI in ERP Selection

AI is revolutionizing the ERP landscape, influencing ERP selection and implementation. Clients are increasingly interested in AI capabilities such as predictive maintenance, inventory optimization, and supply chain planning, which can significantly enhance operational efficiency and decision-making processes.

While AI offers exciting opportunities, it is crucial to have a clear roadmap for its deployment. Simply having AI tools is not enough; businesses need to articulate and define their future business processes to leverage AI effectively. This approach allows for incremental improvements, reducing the risks associated with large-scale implementations.

The current use cases for AI in ERP are practical and highly valuable. AI can generate consistent product descriptions, reducing the workload on engineering departments. Additionally, AI agents can handle repetitive tasks, minimizing errors and freeing up human resources for more strategic activities.

Addressing Concerns About AI

Despite the enthusiasm around AI, there are concerns about its potential negative impacts. One major challenge is the fear of AI replacing jobs. However, AI is more likely to augment human capabilities, making jobs less mundane and more focused on strategic decision-making. This shift can lead to the creation of new roles that did not exist before.

For example, AI can take over data entry tasks, allowing employees to focus on analyzing the data and making informed decisions. This not only enhances job satisfaction but also improves overall productivity and innovation within the organization.

The importance of data governance and establishing strong corporate governance models cannot be overstated. As organizations explore AI, they need to consider where their data is going, how it is being used, and who ultimately owns it. Clear policies and procedures can help mitigate risks and ensure responsible AI usage.

The Strategic Timing of ERP Implementations

The timing of ERP implementations is crucial. Economic downturns or periods of slow business can be an opportune time to focus on ERP projects. With fewer immediate pressures, organizations can dedicate their best resources to setting up and configuring new systems, preparing for future growth.

Slow periods allow for reflection on business models and processes, leading to more thoughtful and effective ERP implementations. Moreover, during these times, vendors might be more flexible with pricing and support, providing additional value to organizations undertaking these projects.

Organizations should also consider the readiness of their internal teams. Are the key stakeholders available and engaged? Is there sufficient time to train staff and adapt processes? Addressing these questions can ensure a smoother implementation and better long-term outcomes.

A Phased Approach to Digital Transformation

Adopting a phased approach to digital transformation is advisable. Rather than attempting a massive, high-risk overhaul, companies should break the project into manageable phases. This strategy allows for gradual improvements, reducing risk and ensuring smoother transitions.

Each phase should have clear objectives, timelines, and success metrics. For instance, an initial phase might focus on migrating financial systems, followed by phases addressing supply chain management, human resources, and customer relationship management. This approach enables organizations to learn and adapt as they progress, building confidence and momentum.

Ensuring Employee Buy-In

A critical aspect of successful ERP implementation is ensuring employee buy-in. Employees are often the end-users of the new system, and their acceptance and support are crucial for a smooth transition. Change management strategies, including training, communication, and involvement in the decision-making process, can help mitigate resistance.

Training programs should be comprehensive, ongoing, and tailored to different user groups. Providing hands-on experience, user manuals, and support resources can empower employees to use the new system effectively. Regular communication about the benefits and progress of the implementation can also foster a positive attitude and reduce apprehension.

Vendor Selection and Partnerships

Selecting the right vendor is a crucial part of the ERP selection process. Organizations should consider not only the technical capabilities of the ERP system but also the vendor’s reputation, support services, and commitment to continuous improvement.

Building a strong partnership with the vendor can facilitate better customization, faster issue resolution, and more effective use of the ERP system’s features. Regular reviews and feedback sessions with the vendor can ensure that the system evolves with the organization’s needs.

Measuring Success and Continuous Improvement

Post-implementation, measuring the success of the ERP system is essential. Organizations should establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to assess the impact on efficiency, cost savings, and overall business performance. Continuous improvement should be a core principle, with regular reviews and updates to the system to align with changing business needs.

User feedback is invaluable in this process. Engaging with employees to understand their experiences and challenges can highlight areas for improvement and innovation. This iterative approach ensures that the ERP system remains a valuable asset over the long term.

An Example of ERP Transformation

A recent experience with ERP transformation involved implementing a new quote-to-cash system, automating processes from sales quotes to contract delivery. Despite facing typical implementation challenges, such as training and change management, the transformation aimed to enhance efficiency and service delivery.

The organization faced initial resistance from employees accustomed to legacy systems. However, through comprehensive training programs and regular communication about the benefits, the team gradually embraced the new system. The result was a significant reduction in processing times, improved accuracy, and enhanced customer satisfaction.

Navigating the ERP selection process requires a strategic approach, involving neutral experts, leveraging AI, and adopting phased implementations. By addressing concerns, focusing on data governance, and timing projects wisely, organizations can make informed decisions that drive long-term success. As technology continues to evolve, staying informed and adaptable will be key to thriving in the ever-changing ERP landscape.

The insights and experiences shared by industry experts underline the importance of a well-planned, thoughtful approach to ERP selection and implementation. By prioritizing strategic goals, employee engagement, and continuous improvement, organizations can harness the full potential of ERP systems to drive growth and innovation.

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ERP Software Selection Process and Criteria

Good ERP software should address every part of your business. Countless enterprise resource planning solutions are available, but you should choose the one that fits your organization. ERP selection requires thorough steps and solid vendor criteria.

Select the Right Software with the Free Lean Selection Book

Don’t worry if you’re not familiar with the ERP selection process! We discuss selection criteria, our nine-step Lean Selection Methodology and pricing considerations. This article can also compliment your ERP software requirements checklist .

Table of Contents:

• Functionality and Ease of Use
• Vendor Viability
• Support and Training
• Industry Expertise
• Implementation
• Risk Mitigation

Scalability

• Current Clients
• Post-Go-live Tools

Lean Selection Methodology

Purchasing considerations, further reading, selection criteria.

It’s essential to evaluate potential software and vendors with basic selection criteria.

Use these 11 requirements throughout your ERP software selection stages to determine if a solution is right for you.

1. Functionality and Ease of Use

The first standard questions in ERP selection are: What are the system’s functionalities and ease of use? And what functionalities and degree of user-friendliness do you need?

Answering these questions will help you decide if the product is the right fit for your business on a fundamental level.

This criterion may be the most lengthy and mundane to complete — it involves an in-depth evaluation of your company and the ERP product — but hold tight. This assessment is vital to work.

Taking the following actions can help you better understand ERP software, gather your requirements or compare systems:

• Requirements Gathering: Consider the challenges your organization faces that an ERP system could solve. Then, evaluate which of the system functionalities would accomplish this.
• Consider Business Process Automation: Ponder all the routine business processes at your organization that could be automated and evaluate if the particular solution has the tools to do that.
• Examine End-Users: How tech-savvy are your end-users, and do they have the capacity to navigate complex software features? Have they used an ERP system before? Answering these questions will help determine if the products’ user-friendliness meets your requirements.
• Plan for Centralization: Consider the systems you currently use that will need to be integrated with your ERP system and inquire about integration possibilities. For instance, how does the CRM interface with the overall ERP?

2. Vendor Viability

Before investing in a particular solution, it’s wise to ask yourself: What’s the vendor’s reputation, and can I work with them long-term? Even if a product has the proper functionality, it should be out of the question if the company isn’t trustworthy and secure.

Beyond company credibility, you should review the product’s scalability to determine if this can be a lasting transaction.

Analyzing vendor viability ensures a great system and a great partner for your business. Consider the following factors when comparing ERP systems and the vendors that provide them:

Company Credibility

Investigate how the vendor has changed organizationally in recent years and inquire about the future direction of their business. In addition, consider the age and financial health of the company.

Product Viability

Find out how long the ERP product has been on the market and seek customer references. Ask the vendor how long they intend to keep running the product and regularly distribute updates or improve it.

If you want to cover your bases, ask the vendor about the products they will issue in the coming years.

Evaluating product scalability requires you to look internally and into the future of your business with workforce planning . Will you need to add users in the future or expand on functionality? Does your organization have the potential to expand into new markets?

Consider if the system’s features can support and enhance your business strategy. This consideration is significant for young, growing businesses to consider – your chosen ERP system needs to be able to grow with you.

3. Technology

ERP systems utilize a significant amount of technology — for example, standard software should contain business intelligence, reporting and customization.

Like the functionality evaluation, you should ask yourself: What technologies does the solution offer, and what technologies do we need?

Consider the following factors when you’re ready to compare ERP or are actively performing your software selection process:

• Customization: Ponder whether the solution is turnkey or customizable to your organization and unique business processes. If the solution needs to be customized to function, ensure the vendor can complete the request.
• Requirements: Consider whether the solution can meet the technical needs of your organization. For example, can it generate visual, real-time sales reports for presentations?
• Value: Evaluate whether the ERP leverages the most recent, cutting-edge technological trends and if the vendor plans to update the system consistently. Considering this factor ensures you aren’t investing time and money to implement a system that will soon become outdated.

This ERP solution’s interface gives in-depth financial insight.

Compare Top ERP Software Leaders

It may feel evident that you should consider the cost of an ERP system, but unfortunately, it’s not as simple as it sounds. With several disparate elements to account for, it’s essential to ask yourself: how much will the solution cost ?

The actual cost consists of licensing fees, which depend on how many users you have, the software itself or the modules you select, hosting or hardware, implementation, maintenance, training and support.

Determining a rough estimate of your Return on Investment (ROI) before you sign any contract is wise.

Consider the following factors while evaluating the cost of an ERP:

• Basic Pricing Information: First, assess the cost of the platform and whether it’s appropriate for the functionalities and technologies it offers. If the vendor’s pricing structure is unjust, you can likely find another product — plenty of fish in the sea.
• True Cost: Next, work on determining the actual cost of the solution. Calculate the long-term total cost of ownership (TCO) , guaranteeing to incorporate all applicable charges from the list above.
• ROI: Once you’ve finished the latter evaluations, estimate whether the projected return on investment (ROI) will be significantly more than the TCO.

5. Support and Training

Support and training are the pieces that get a system up and running and always functional. In the current ERP market , there’s a wide range of what vendors offer for support and training.

A comprehensive training plan typically includes access to training videos or documentation, an online knowledgebase or user community, and options for in-person training.

Comprehensive support typically includes access to a call center and various online resources. Conversely, some vendors outsource or lack help or training materials.

While considering these points, it’s vital to look closely: What kind of support and training will you receive? What type of support and training do we need? You should review support and training offerings, ensure they’ll work for your end-users and draw an apparent agreement with the vendor.

Think over the following factors during your ERP software selection quest:

• End-User Needs: First, take some time to consider the needs of the end-users. What sort of training, such as face-to-face versus virtual, will be the most convenient and effective? Do you have an internal IT team to assist with technical support, or will you rely entirely on external support?
• Pricing: Is the cost of support and training included in the licensing fees, or will this be an additional investment?

6. Industry Expertise

Industry expertise refers to a vendor’s ability to cater to your needs. Depending on your requirements, you may be able to find a solution designed specifically for your business type and size.

Obtain significant advantages when working with a vendor that understands your business and allows for industry practices built into the system.

Ask yourself: Does the nature of your business require a specialized platform? Consider how long the vendor has worked in your industry and if they’ve proven successful.

7. Implementation

Implementation is vital to getting your new ERP system up and running. Ask how the vendor will ensure a successful installation. This step will be critical if you anticipate an involved implementation, such as migrating from a legacy system to a new ERP.

Here’s a brief overview of what a successful installation plan requires:

• Find the Ideal Software: Use Lean Selection or another methodology.
• Plan: Gather an implementation team and structure an installation plan. Also, allocate and perform project management duties.
• Transfer Data: Perform in-depth data reviews to diminish repetitive information. Your company information is the foundation of any ERP system unless you start from scratch.
• Train Users: Access and distribute training materials to the designated end-users.
• Conduct System Tests and Launch: Perform program tests to ensure the solution has a suitable interface and performs all your desired features effectively before and when you go live.
• Complete Post-Launch Tasks: Analyze ROI, study employee performance, monitor client satisfaction and measure other company KPIs to gauge the software’s results over time.

We’ve concluded our list of ERP software selection criteria. This list can evaluate solutions throughout your entire software selection process.

Get our ERP Software Requirements Template

8. Risk Mitigation

Investing in ERP software is risky business for several reasons. It’s pricy, has complex functionality and takes time to implement.

However, establishing a reasonable budget and allotting for hidden fees, using vendor training resources and having patience will help you overcome these risks to ensure you’re running your operations at maximum power.

It’s also good to know that ERP offers several benefits , such as saving money, boosting productivity, maintaining customer relationships and giving you a competitive advantage.

9. Scalability

Companies scale up and down all the time. Most ERP systems offer scalability tools to help you manage more employees, manufacturing machinery, warehouses and facilities, and other resources.

During the ERP software selection process, ask if you want your company to grow or downsize in the next 10 years. If you see expansion, ask vendors about scalability.

10. Current Clients

Ask potential vendors if you can speak with their current clients for additional input. Other end-users can inform you about the pros and cons of the system. Some customers can also tell you about vendor resources and customer support tools.

This process is similar to employers asking potential recruits to provide job references. If you get great reviews, you’ll consider choosing the vendor. If not, that vendor may not be the right option.

11. Post-Go-Live Tools

Lastly, you have to ask vendors about the resources and services they provide after you go live with their software. Is their support team reliable? Do they offer tiered help packages (i.e., silver, gold, platinum and more)?

Vendors are great with implementation and data migration, but they should also be available for post-installation support in case random problems occur or you have functionality questions.

To provide some additional introductory information, we’ll walk you through our Lean Selection Methodology, helping you make the ideal ERP selection for any industry and company size.

This easy-to-follow, nine-stage process helps you determine your business needs, evaluate and compare solutions, validate your technical requirements and negotiate a significant contract. You can perform this methodology with or without SelectHub’s help.

1. Establish

The first step in our process, and ERP software selection, is to self-evaluate your business operations. These questions include:

• Why do you need a new program?
• What’s wrong with your existing software or procedures?
• What do you want this solution to simplify and automate?

Answering these and other internal questions will help you build a foundation for your requirements list and help you pinpoint how you want this solution to rectify your problems.

2. Collaborate

It’s easy to delegate ERP selection to one or two people. You need a committee of department leaders, stakeholders, partners and more.

Department leaders are valuable. You can research and attempt to develop requirements for your HR , accounting and marketing sectors, but these heads know what they need.

You can query stakeholders and partners within your industry about their solutions and if they have any vendors they’d recommend. The more worthy people you add to your selection team, the better your chances of picking the ideal solution.

Sit down with your team to create a master requirement and feature list, a critical step in ERP software selection.

SelectHub services offer an apparatus that helps you pick and choose from various functional and technical requirements. You can score how vendors perform with these requirements with values up to 100.

Choose from various requirements in SelectHub’s express app.

4. Distribute

Sift through vendors that best meet your requirements list.

Create a vendor shortlist and review how well they stack up to your features list. You may leverage SelectHub’s tools to create an RFx, or a request for proposal (RFP) , a request for information (RFI) or a request for quotation (RFQ) template.

This stage helps you evaluate everything you pulled from the previous step. You also have to consider three options:

• Do I want to continue my software selection journey with these potential vendors?
• Do I want to add integrations or add-on modules to my existing software?
• Do I want to end the ERP software selection and stick to my current program/practices?

No matter your choice, this step will help you understand how you want to move forward.

You’ve either decided to find a brand-new platform or search for additional modules to add to your current system. You’ve created a shortlist of vendors and want them to prove how well their solution performs specific requirements.

This step allows you to ask providers for demos, proofs-of-concept (POCs) and use cases.

Here, you ask vendors to show you how to carry out tasks. Create demo scripts or lists of tools you want vendors to demonstrate.

Examples include:

• “Show me your general ledger.”
• “Show me your accounts reconciliation tools.”
• “Show me your bill of material (BOM) accessory.”

Use cases go deeper than demos. They allow you to ask how to perform particular tasks. I.e., “Show me how to perform end-of-the-month bank reconciliations;” or “Show me how to automate employee payroll.”

You may also develop a script for this option.

POCs show more than demos and use cases. Vendors can recreate the solution with previous or current user data to show how the system works like a simulation.

Although effective, this method can be timely and more expensive than demos or use cases. We suggest you only use POCs for one or two ideal solutions.

You can add POCs to SelectHub’s system.

Score each solution’s performance in your demos, use case or POC and tack it next to the requirements score. These scores will help you rank your top applications.

Rank your solutions based on requirements and demo scores for better ERP selection insights. Also, consider rating each program’s TCO or the final price tag. This price can range from a few thousand dollars to $100,000 or more.

8. Negotiate

Lean Selection allows you to have at least two to three potential programs that meet your needs. Once you’ve ranked your choices, pick your top option and review the vendor’s or reseller’s agreements and contracts.

SelectHub can review the contract and give you information on this vendor. However, we are not a legal company and cannot provide legal advice. Be sure to review your contract with a law firm.

Create an RFx within SelectHub’s apparatus.

After your legal review and negotiating terms, decide if this vendor is right for you. If so, you can move on to the signing phase. If not, move on to the subsequent providers on this list and repeat this step.

Understand, however, that we charge additional fees if you request other company reviews.

The moment is here. After researching and conducting thorough evaluations, it’s time to sign with your vendor. Set up an implementation plan.

Conducting an ERP software selection is like buying a new car. It’s a worthwhile investment when you know what you’re looking for to align with your company’s best interests.

Factor’s affecting a solution’s TCO include company size, deployment options, department needs and more.

How big is your company?

Company size is vital. Are you a Fortune 500 enterprise or a startup company getting ready to move out of your parent’s basement?

Scalability, as discussed in the selection criteria, can accommodate more employees, departments, users and more as your company grows. You can also invest in small business software if you don’t see much growth in the next five to 10 years.

What do your other departments need?

It’s no secret that ERP has diverse functionalities that serve several company departments. However, it’s essential to survey your department heads and get their input on what they need in a new system.

Treat your department heads like regional ambassadors. You could research everything about HR, CRM and accounting practices, but you’re not an expert. These department heads serve as experts and understand what they need to streamline operations.

How much are you willing to spend?

Another selection criterion, ERP software can cost anywhere from $100 to $100,000 or more. Set a proper budget to find the ideal system without emptying your wallet.

What’s your ideal deployment option?

Knowing your preferred deployment option — on-premise, cloud or hybrid — will make the ERP selection process more manageable. Of course, each deployment has its pros and cons, but choosing the one that meets the company’s needs is essential.

This option is the traditional software deployment because it allows you only to access the solution on your company servers. On-premise is typically pricier because of its different support packages, such as gold, platinum, silver and so on.

This option may be right up your alley if your company deals in local work and clientele.

Cloud, aka SaaS , software permits you to access the solution and data on laptops, smartphones, tablets and other devices with a strong internet connection.

Vendors allow data storage on their internal or third-party vendors instead of hosting it on your company’s hard drives. This option offers more security options to protect your data from cyber threats, such as encryption, multi-factor authentication and so on.

This deployment choice is best if you have regional or global patrons and partners you manage regularly. Cloud solutions typically offer manageable subscription-based pricing.

This deployment merges the best on-premise and cloud qualities into one option to ensure your information is safe and accessible in real time. This option varies from vendor to vendor, so ask them about this deployment’s capabilities.

For more ERP software resources, tips and requirements from our market analysts, check out our other in-depth articles:

• Top Expert Software Selection Tips
• What Is ERP and How Does It Work?
• ERP Requirements Template and Checklist
• ERP Implementation
• ERP Functions and Software Requirements List

Conducting an ERP selection is a difficult task. However, it’s not so scary after you break down the selection criteria, ERP software selection methodology and purchasing considerations into manageable parts.

Ready to get started? Look at our in-depth ERP requirements template to find the modules that align with your company’s practices.

What was your ERP selection process like? Let us know in the comments!

arborist columbia mo - July 22, 2021 reply

Very interesting points you have observed, appreciate it for posting.

Khaleel Hayes - July 23, 2021 reply

Thanks for reading!

Vittorio - February 7, 2018 reply

Thanks, great to see a comprehensive guide. What are the suggested ERP systems for the smaller end of town? I.e. 10 to 20 employees companies that are starting to outgrow their current accounting packages? Seems like most ERP platforms are cost-prohibitive for smaller companies?

Michael Shearer - February 7, 2018 reply

We have a product directory for ERP found here: https://www.selecthub.com/erp-software/ that has filters on company size and price so you can drill-down on some recommendations. Talk to our team, too. They could give you some recommendations based on your specific needs and business size.

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A case study on finding the right ERP consultant

Entercorp began with their requirements for the new ERP and their requirements were well prioritized.  Quickly they realized they did not have all the necessary expertise within their ranks. They did not want to hire experts on a permanent basis since the jobs would be completed within a relatively short time.  Someone who truly understood the needs was the first priority. They interviewed contractors and consulting firms both with no preconceived notion of better or worse. Because they needed a variety of expertise, they chose Helpful ERP Consultants who employed or used their own external consultants and seemed to have the right mix of experts.  The ERP project needed skills including network technology, data conversion, integration, customization, and financial requirements. The Helpful ERP Consultants also worked with several ERP systems, in addition to the chosen product, and Entercorp felt this would be an advantage as there often is more than one way to accomplish needs.

Availability

Once Entercorp found a consulting firm that fit their needs, they also needed to ensure that their chosen consultancy firm was available during the period when the ERP project would be implemented.  This requirement should not be overlooked. The top consultants are always in demand and the choice could come to second best or next year.

Check out our free guide on how to budget for an ERP consultant

Ask for references and check them carefully.  The Helpful ERP Consultants provided a list of several satisfied customers.  Entercorp went beyond, performed internet searches, and found other businesses that had employed their chosen consulting firm.  They also talked with partner customers, suppliers, and contacts from industry groups. Any prospective consultant will provide their best list.  Ask open-ended questions to elicit extensive replies. Listen to the replies for between-the-lines inferences and try to follow up as these might provide the best insights.  Develop a standard questionnaire and a score sheet so that replies from all sources are comparable.

Business model

Entercorp knew their own business model and wanted consultants who had worked with businesses in that niche but also wanted consultants who worked in other kinds of business.  A distribution background will help with warehousing and logistics even when your business might be manufacturing.

Entercorp felt their ERP project was theirs.  While some consultants offer turnkey projects, Entercorp believed they had to be in control.  The Helpful ERP Consultants had many of their needs covered but Entercorp kept the relationship in a way that all knew who the boss was.  In the beginning, there was a lot of conversation about using one of the consultants as a project manager in addition to providing technical and ERP knowledge.  Entercorp chose to promote someone from within to manage the project full-time. That person now has been promoted to be Director of Finance and gained valuable experience managing the ERP project.

Strategic advice

Entercorp found they could rely on people from Helpful ERP Consultants for advice and suggestions related to ERP as well as strategic business choices.  This was an important want-to-have requirement in choosing a consultant. Because the team at Helpful ERP Consultants had worked with a variety of businesses, they could often make suggestions and recommendations based on those backgrounds.  As the consultancy firm became more trusted, and their partnership with Entercorp was strengthened, several of their recommendations were adopted into business practices and ERP usage. Clearly, the consultant team were much more than programmers, which was the impression other consultants left.

Data conversion

Helpful ERP Consultants worked with IT personnel from Entercorp to develop the plan for converting data and then to execute that plan.  The legacy ERP used code language not commonly found, and having the support from the consultants in that domain turned out to be an added benefit.  The consultancy firm employed several experts at the beginning of this phase. The number of people needed declined over time and as the project moved on, only one person put in hours as needed toward the end.  Data conversion includes selecting what data should be migrated and then using different techniques to load that data in the right sequence into proper tables. Data conversion works along with testing as often the test reveals some data is not correctly placed in the tables needed.

Helpful ERP Consultants used testing software to robotically run tests repeatedly.  They knew that a red light on any one test could affect another test that passed with a green light yesterday.  Robot software can perform many more iterations than any manual testing. The consultants also used their expertise to help Entercorp users develop both manual scripts and robotic tests that accurately checked system flow in the way Entercorp already did business.  They also coached Entercorp users to stage order to cash test scripts for their management audience. This allows some showmanship to please management. It also lets the boss know that in-house users are performing the tests and developing their own expertise in the new ERP.

Entercorp wanted all the trainers to be super users who had helped with other phases of the project.  The consultants would not stay forever. Showcasing the newly developed talent of those users helped position them as go-to experts who would help other users into the future.  The Helpful ERP Consultants provided a training consultant to help those super users become better teachers. Users throughout Entercorp were very satisfied with the training they received .

The day to shut down the legacy ERP and begin using the new one came along.  The Helpful ERP Consultants played a valuable role during these few days. The consultancy team were on site with IT, sales, finance, production, engineering, shop floor, and everywhere there were users.  Even best conversions will surprise us with something unexpected. Entercorp users were well trained and able to overcome most obstacles. There were some that had not been tested and the consultants were on hand to work beyond those once-a-year occurrences that always appear at the wrong time.

Your business is unique as is Entercorp.  These are some of the important criteria Entercorp used to choose their ERP consultant.  Your criteria will be different but hopefully you have a better idea of how to proceed. The Helpful ERP Consultants will be back to help with other projects – they proved their ability to add value to the process.  Entercorp knows their users and managers are capable now to manage their ERP and use it as a set of tools to achieve their goals.

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Microsoft: A Case Study in Strategy Transformation

If you’re leading your team through big changes, this episode is for you.

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In early 2015, Microsoft’s senior leaders were facing a set of difficult decisions. The firm had been struggling to innovate and grow as fast as its competitors. Now they were considering new opportunities that would yield higher growth but lower margins — like shifting away from perpetual licensing to focus on subscription sales.

Harvard Business School professor Fritz Foley studied this period of transformative change at Microsoft for a business case study he wrote. In this episode, he shares how Microsoft’s leaders analyzed different options and worked to get both investors and employees on board with new ideas about growth. He also explains how the company’s risk-averse culture evolved in order to execute such a huge transformation.

Key episode topics include: strategy, growth strategy, business models, corporate governance.  

HBR On Strategy curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock new ways of doing business. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original Cold Call episode: The Transformation of Microsoft (2018)
• Find more episodes of Cold Call
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HANNAH BATES: Welcome to HBR On Strategy , case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, hand selected to help you unlock new ways of doing business.

In early 2015, Microsoft’s senior leadership team was facing a set of difficult decisions. The firm had been struggling to innovate and grow as fast as its competitors. Now, they were considering new opportunities that would yield higher growth, but lower margins like shifting away from perpetual licensing to focus on subscription sales.

Today, we bring you a conversation with Harvard Business School professor Fritz Foley, who studied this period of transformative change at Microsoft for a business case study he wrote. In this episode, you’ll get a window into how Microsoft’s leaders analyzed different options and got both investors and employees on board with a different idea of growth. You’ll also learn how the company’s risk-averse culture had to evolve in order to execute such a huge transformation.

This episode originally aired on Cold Call in July 2018. Here it is.

BRIAN KENNY: Electronics enthusiasts in the 1970s looked forward to it every year: the January issue of Popular Electronics . That is because that issue was known for featuring the coolest up-and-coming products in the world of electronics. And when the January 1975 issue hit newsstands, it did not disappoint. The cover was adorned with the first available image of the Altair 8,800, the world’s first mini-computer kit. It may not have been the shot heard around the world, but many say that it was the spark that ignited the home computer revolution. That very magazine inspired a young Paul Allen and Bill Gates to turn their passion for computers into a business that subsequently became an empire.

Today, Microsoft Corporation is the third most valuable company in the world and the world’s largest software company. But after four decades of buffeting the headwinds of the very industry it helped to create, Microsoft is at a turning point and the way forward is not entirely clear. Today we’ll hear from Professor Fritz Foley about his case entitled “The Transformation of Microsoft.” I’m your host, Brian Kenny, and you’re listening to Cold Call .

SPEAKER 1: So, we’re all sitting there in the classroom.

SPEAKER 2: Professor walks in.

SPEAKER 3: And they look up and you know it’s coming. The dreaded cold call.

BRIAN KENNY: Professor Fritz Foley’s Research focuses on corporate finance. He’s an expert on investment capital structure, working capital management, and a range of related topics, all of which probably factor into the case today. Fritz, thanks for joining us.

FRITZ FOLEY: Thanks so much for having me.

BRIAN KENNY: So, everybody pretty much knows who Microsoft is, and I think people will be really interested in getting a glimpse into where they were at this turning point in the company’s history. Still a very, very important company in the landscape of the technology industry and beyond. So, I think people will relate right away to this, but let me ask you, if you could start just by setting the stage for us. How does the case begin? Who’s the protagonist and what’s on her mind?

FRITZ FOLEY: Yeah, so the protagonist is Amy Hood, who is Microsoft’s CFO. She also was a student here at HBS at the time that I was in the PhD program. So, I’ve known her for some time and she’s facing a set of choices that really revolve around whether or not Microsoft should try to pursue increased margin or increased growth.

BRIAN KENNY: Okay. What prompted you to write the case? Your connection with Amy obviously is part of that, but why Microsoft and why now?

FRITZ FOLEY: I think I have been struck by the transformation that they are in the midst of. This is a company that… I mean, it’s hard to remember this. In the early two thousands, the stock price was stuck in the 20 to $30 a share range. And there was a group of people who were calling for the firm to be managed essentially for cash distributions and for increased margins. And then there were some growth opportunities that the company faced simultaneously. So, there was a real choice as to what direction to head. And I think this is a compelling choice that many other companies face. So, it’s a powerful example for me to highlight in course I teach about chief financial officers.

BRIAN KENNY: Microsoft was the first player on this stage really, but then Apple came along and I think many people look at these two as fierce competitors. But can you just talk about the difference between these two companies in terms of how they manage their financial strategy?

FRITZ FOLEY: Yeah, I can say a bit about that. So, at one level, they certainly are similar. They’re in tech space and in fact, many things that Microsoft was attracted to phones in particular, is something that Apple has excelled at. And I think that at the time of the case, they were quite different in the eyes of investors, I would say. I would say that investors still viewed Apple as having a lot of a growth emphasis of a commitment to innovating new products and solving problems that people weren’t even sure they had. Whereas Microsoft was the older, more established tech firm that I think, in the eyes of some, had become not a relic of the past, but less relevant when thinking about future innovations. And in some sense, the cases about how Microsoft tried to shed that view and become a relevant growth-oriented entity again.

BRIAN KENNY: And they’d certainly been criticized over the decades for not moving quickly enough to innovate and getting caught up in their own. And you think about IBM maybe as a company that faced similar criticisms getting caught up in just their size and the bureaucracy of the place. What did Microsoft’s business look like in 2012? Because that seemed to be the beginning of the turning point?

FRITZ FOLEY: Yeah. I mean, it was one where there was varying performance across divisions. There was interest by value activist investors given the large cash holdings that the firm had. Obviously, their market share when it came to the office suite of products and windows, those were quite high. And they were obviously very successful in continuing to provide versions of that to a whole variety of users. They had emerging cloud business, but it wasn’t clear that they would win in that space and had really struggled in other spaces.

In search, Bing never got traction relative to Google. In phones, they were really struggling in 2012 right before they tried to make more headway in phones by buying Nokia, which also subsequently didn’t work out as well as they had hoped. So, I think along a series of dimensions, they were really trying to get some traction, trying to get footing in new spaces. And there were a group of investors that actually felt like that wasn’t what they should do. That they should just focus on Office, focus on Windows, enjoy the high margins that came with their on-premises server and tool business offerings. So, they faced some really hard choices.

BRIAN KENNY: And they were also, in terms of just the organization itself up against some issues, what were some of the things they were encountering culturally at the time?

FRITZ FOLEY: Yeah. I mean, it’s a fascinating story from a cultural standpoint. It was an environment where there were high returns to showing that you were the smartest person in the room. Some of the stories that I have heard are a little jarring. I am not sure I would’ve survived in this environment. There were these very long mid-year reviews that took place and were incredibly demanding. It was an environment that was beginning to really emphasize the desire to be efficient, to be right, and in fairness to them, and Microsoft was coming from a culture or their culture came from a place where they were selling a product that couldn’t really fail. People had very high expectations for the performance of everything Microsoft provided them. And unlike today where there’s more room to update things through online updates, a lot of the software, it shipped and it had to be close to perfect when it shipped.

BRIAN KENNY: Actually, I can remember a time when the launch of a new Windows system was similar to the launch of a new iPhone. People were really excited to get the new system, but inevitably there were bugs and those were highly publicized, and so they fell under a lot of criticism. They were really operating under a microscope for a long time.

FRITZ FOLEY: For sure. And we’re keenly aware that time to fail in their products, which is a measure of how long it took for some product or process to break down, had to be very long. Otherwise, they would meet with a lot of customer dissatisfaction.

BRIAN KENNY: Yeah. Okay. So, let’s move into the transformation phase for them. What was the fundamental shift they made in terms of changing or restructuring the organization?

FRITZ FOLEY: In my view, I think that they did a variety of things to adopt more of a growth orientation. And some of this dealt with their metrics. Some of it dealt with very explicit changes to the culture, and I think some of it also dealt with a realization that pursuing growth would enhance value much more than trying to increase margins and have large dividend payouts or larger dividend payouts to shareholders. So this was, I would say in the 2012, 2013 timeframe, we began to see pieces of this. And they also faced significant managerial changes at that time. That’s when Steve Ballmer retired and they needed to pick a new CEO and could have gone a variety of directions there. And by picking Satya Nadella, effectively we’re committing to more of a growth path.

BRIAN KENNY: Can you think of an example of a company that chose the margins path? And I mean, these are both potentially successful choices, but I would guess.

FRITZ FOLEY: For sure. And it’s a very hard trade-off to make. In teaching my MBA students and executive education students I’m always struck, when I ask them, “Would you sacrifice some margin for growth,” how hard that question can be and how many people don’t have much intuition for it. So, other companies did go the margin route.

BRIAN KENNY: Yeah. Is it a situation where the margin choice is one that’s probably more comfortable and the returns are going to come sooner and the growth choice is a little riskier, and for a risk-averse culture probably harder to implement and you’re betting on the future? Is that fundamentally what the choice is?

FRITZ FOLEY: Yeah. I think that’s a really good way of putting it. Many people find it easier to see the benefits that come with cutting costs and looking for efficiencies and worry that what may come with growth could be elusive. And in some regards, I have heard senior finance managers say that they had to earn the permission to go after growth. They have to get the buy-in from a group of investors who feel as if the senior leadership team has credibility in pursuing growth.

BRIAN KENNY: So, here we have Microsoft, an enormous company, 130,000 or so employees, something like that, large by any measure about to pursue an option that is in many ways counter to the culture of the organization. How do you do that? How do you cascade this kind of a change through an organization of that size?

FRITZ FOLEY: On the cultural side, one thing that they did was very explicitly dropped a growth mindset culture. And Satya Nadella writes about this in his recent book, Refresh. The story is, for me, very compelling. It’s incredibly hard to get any organization to change its culture. Whenever I’ve been a part of an organization that tried to engage in a cultural shift, whatever the tagline was, quickly became the punchline for a set of office jokes.

BRIAN KENNY: I’ve been on the other side of that. I’m the guy who writes the punchlines most often.

FRITZ FOLEY: Yeah. So, you know how hard this is. And I think that they were very wise in picking Kathleen Hogan who had led one of the divisions of Microsoft to head up the charge to describe and roll out this cultural change. They brought senior leaders on board, and ultimately, I think there was a lot of demand for it that many people who were working at Microsoft were innovative engineers and a very creative set of employees who wanted to pursue growth. And when given the choice to move away from review processes and given the opportunity to go to meetings where they didn’t feel like they had to be exactly right in making a point, but could stimulate the beginning of a discussion set of ideas that could lead to something that was new, people embraced that.

BRIAN KENNY: And here we are in the age of the millennial worker. Millennials don’t want to work for the old Microsoft for sure. And Microsoft is competing with the likes of Google and Apple and other firms that are definitely perceived as open and innovative, and they want people with energy and ideas. So, they have to adopt that same personality, I guess.

FRITZ FOLEY: Yeah, I agree with that. I think there’s a new buzz about Microsoft, at least among my students, they’re much more intrigued by what it would mean to work there and what opportunities exist to do some things that would be truly novel and have a big impact on how people get work done.

BRIAN KENNY: So, let’s go back to our protagonists. Amy Hood in the case actually delves into her mindset a little bit. She’s getting ready to communicate these changes to the financial community. What are the kinds of things a CFO would have to think about? Because I can imagine the financial probably is more comfortable with the margin choice than the growth choice

FRITZ FOLEY: Yeah, for sure. It’s fun for me to imagine her faced with this choice really of, okay, I can go this path of growth, but if I do this, I am going to have to go to my investors and say, our margins are going to go down for some period of time, and you’re not going to like that. But there’s going to be some upside and it will take some time for that upside to show up. So, I think she needed to find ways to communicate or signal what that upside would be and how big it might be to the investors so that she wouldn’t lose credibility with them and would have the permission essentially to pursue growth.

BRIAN KENNY: Yeah. Now we hear it all the time about the emphasis on the short-term, short-termism in the financial community, and people want returns and they want them right away. In your experience, are you seeing a shift in the financial community, or are the analysts getting a little more comfortable with this notion of you can’t always go for the margins, you’ve got to find some sustainable growth in the long term?

FRITZ FOLEY: Yeah. It’s a great question. It’s one that troubles me or is something I think about our financial system generally. I happen to be probably more optimistic relative to many when it comes to how short-term-oriented, or really how financial markets aren’t as, as some might worry, or that concern about short-termism doesn’t resonate as much with me. I do think there is a big burden on senior finance teams to explain how value is created by thinking long-term and embracing growth opportunities. And in some sense, when I look at what Amy has been doing at Microsoft, I applaud her and her team for taking on that challenge. They quite explicitly set a target of a $20 billion run rate for their commercial cloud business, and once analysts had that number, they could begin to build off of it and get a feel for how much value could be created if Microsoft succeeded at pulling this off.

So, by having the courage to commit to that path and help analysts understand what the path meant, I think that they have been effective in pursuing it. More generally, I do worry that there are some analysts that simply take an earnings-per-share number and apply some current multiple and don’t think much about what the future will look like. I am hopeful that finance teams and organizations will play a role in educating analysts as to how they should think about the future, when growth opportunities do exist and are attractive.

BRIAN KENNY: Yeah. You mentioned earlier that you’ve talked about this in class, and I’m just curious, do the MBA students come at this differently than the executive education students who have been in fiduciary roles and organizations already?

FRITZ FOLEY: Yeah. That’s an interesting question. Let me reflect on that for a moment. I think the approach is fairly similar. I would say that some MBA students are probably less aware of the constraints that capital markets may put on senior management teams to pursue growth. They’re less aware of what an activist who wants cash now might push management to do, whereas executive education students tend to be keenly aware of those pressures. If anything, I find that MBA students, it’s a little bit harder for them to articulate what is the case for pursuing margin for Microsoft in 2012, 2013. Many executive education students are quick to come up with lists of things that could be done strategically financially in picking leadership.

BRIAN KENNY: Yeah, it’s interesting. And anybody who’s worked in an organization for any period of time, going back to that whole notion of how hard it is to change a culture, it’s pretty easy to think of reasons why not to pursue that path. So, I thought maybe some of the exec ed students might come at with those constraints already wrapped around themselves.

FRITZ FOLEY: Yeah, I agree.

BRIAN KENNY: Yeah. Fritz, thanks for joining us today.

FRITZ FOLEY: Thanks very much for having me.

HANNAH BATES: That was Harvard Business School Professor Fritz Foley in conversation with Brian Kenny on Cold Call . We’ll be back next Wednesday with another handpicked conversation about business strategy from Harvard Business Review.

If you found this episode helpful, share it with your friends and colleagues and follow our show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. While you’re there, be sure to leave us a review. And when you’re ready for more podcasts, articles, case studies, books, and videos with the world’s top business and management experts, find it all at HBR.org.

This episode was produced by Ann Saini and me, Hannah Bates. Ian Fox is our editor. Special thanks to Maureen Hoch, Adi Ignatius, Erica Truxler, Ramsey Khabbaz, Nicole Smith, Anne Bartholomew, and you, our listener. See you next week.

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Selection of low impact development technical measures in the distribution area of expansive soil: a case study of hefei, china.

• 1 College of Environmental and Energy Engineering, Anhui Jianzhu University, Hefei, China
• 2 Institute of Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems, Anhui Jianzhu University, Hefei, China
• 3 Shucheng Zhonghe Real Estate Development Co., Ltd, Hefei, China
• 4 Anhui Eco-environmental Monitoring Center, Hefei, China

Expansive soils are widely distributed around the world. They have significant characteristics of both hygroscopic expansion and water-loss shrinkage, which have caused serious damage to road paving, construction of low-rise houses, and construction of slopes along the banks of rivers. Similarly, the implementation of low impact development measures can cause considerable difficulties in the distribution area of expansive soil. The entire urban area of Hefei is situated on expansive soil. Although Hefei city has developed a sponge city plan, it has not been carried out on a large scale for implementation of low impact development technical measures. Experimental studies have shown that exposed expansive soils produce fissures that run up and down during wet and dry cycles. These fissures are extremely unfavorable to the infiltration of surface runoff formed by short-term heavy rainfall. This is also one of the reasons for short-term rainfall in Hefei city, resulting in serious flooding in low-lying areas with a poor drainage system. At the same time, initial rainfall is ineffective in cleaning up surface source pollution. Therefore, we can enhance the characteristics of expansive soil, keep the expansive soil unexposed, and maintain a certain level of humidity. These approaches can play a better role in the control of rainfall runoff and surface source pollution. The characteristics of expansive soils can be enhanced by mixing them with weathered sand, a physical improvement, to meet the technical requirements for infiltration, interception, and purification. It is recommended to carefully select low impact development measures in the distribution area of expansive soil to avoid the occurrence of wasteful investment and poor results.

1 Introduction

Expansive soil is a kind of special clay widely distributed on the land surface. The clay particles in the soil are mainly composed of hydrophilic minerals, including montmorillonite, illite, and kaolinite. It is a cohesive soil with significant characteristics of water-absorption expansion and water-loss shrinkage. Because of its remarkable properties of expansion and contraction, it often causes serious damage to engineering construction in the expansive soil area. Expansive soil is widely distributed in more than 40 countries across the world ( Zhang, 2005 ).

The hazard and risk due to expansive soils is often overlooked when tabulating natural hazard risk, vulnerability, and resilience ( Bin Mostafiz et al., 2021 ). The randomly distributed fissures and repeated expansion and contraction deformation in the soil mass cause great harm to engineering construction, which is often referred to as disastrous soil in engineering ( Jones and Holtz, 1973 ). Worldwide, the annual economic losses caused by this are up to 15 billion U.S. dollars or more, with China being one of the most seriously affected countries, where the distribution of expansive soil is extremely wide, throughout Anhui, Guangxi, Yunnan, Hunan, Henan, and in more than 20 other provinces and autonomous regions ( Figure 1 ) ( Ye, 2010 ).

Figure 1 . China’s expansive soil regional distribution map ( Ye, 2010 ).

From 1959 to 1977, the United Kingdom, the United States, Romania, the former Soviet Union, and Japan have successively added provisions on expansive soil to the officially issued geotechnical and railway specifications and other documents ( Sun et al., 1995 ). In 1987, China officially issued the Technical Code for Buildings in Expansive Soil Regions ( GBJ 112-87 ), and in 2013, it was revised to the Technical Code for Buildings in Expansive Soil Regions ( GB 50112-2013 ). The current methods of dealing with expansive soils are mainly chemical modification, such as stabilization of expansive soils by mixing lime, cement, fly ash, sodium chloride, calcium chloride, and phosphoric acid. Among chemical modifications, the treatment of expansive soils with lime is the most common and effective method. It has been widely reported that the addition of an appropriate amount of lime to an expansive soil improves the workability of the soil by causing a reduction in the soil’s swelling potential ( Locat et al., 1990 ; Rao and Thyagaraj, 2003 ; Khattab et al., 2007 ; Al-Mukhtar et al., 2011 ; Al-Mukhtar et al., 2012 ; Obuzor et al., 2012 ).

Low impact development (LID) is an ecologically based stormwater management approach favoring soft engineering to manage rainfall on a site through a vegetative treatment network. The LID aims to sustain a site’s pre-development hydrologic regime by using techniques that infiltrate, filter, store, and evaporate stormwater runoff close to its source. Contrary to the conventional “pipe-and-pond” conveyance infrastructure that channels runoff elsewhere through pipes, catchment basins, and curbs and gutters, LID remediates polluted runoff through a network of distributed treatment landscapes ( Low Impact Development, 2010 ). In developed countries, such as the United States, Australia, and Germany, LID technology has been widely used in rainfall control and utilization projects, renovation of old towns, planning of new towns, and regional development design, and corresponding design standards have been formed. LID technology is the core idea of sponge city planning, which has been well-developed in China in recent years, and it is mainly used to manage urban flooding and to improve urban water treatment methods and water recycling capacity. Future research should include comprehensive and systematic research on the LID technology, research on the effectiveness of removal of difficult-to-detect pollutants, and research on the structure and materials in LID facilities.

In October 2014, Housing and Urban–Rural Development of the People’s Republic of China issued the Technical Guidelines for Sponge City Construction—Low Impact Development Stormwater System Construction ( Trial ), which clarifies that the total runoff control pathway includes reduction of infiltration and emission of rainwater and direct storage and utilization. LID technologies mainly include infiltration, storage, regulation, transfer and interception, and purification technologies ( Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture et al., 2014 ).

The city of Hefei is located in the central-eastern part of China ( Figure 1 ), and the entire main urban area of Hefei is situated on top of expansive soils. Therefore, the study of both the nature of the expansive soils and their engineering treatment is very significant for the selection of technical measures for LID.

2 Main characteristics of expansive soils in the study area

2.1 main mineral composition of expansive soil.

According to the regional data, the expansive soils of the Upper-Pleistocene Xiashu Group are widely distributed throughout the urban area of Hefei. The expansive soils contain a large number of hydrophilic clay mineral components, of which 35%–43% are hydroclays, 4.6%–6.8% are kaolins, and 2%–2.7% are montmorillonites ( Anhui Engineering Investigation Institute, 2008 ). These mineral components have strong hydrophilicity and have significant characteristics of both water-absorbing expansion and water-losing contraction with change in water content. The change in soil volume, i.e., expansion or contraction, causes damage to engineering structures or slopes.

2.2 Water content of expansive soil

According to regional data, the natural water content of expansive soils widely distributed in the main city of Hefei is 21%–28% ( Anhui Engineering Investigation Institute, 2008 ). Relevant studies show that when the water content of the expansive soil body increases by 1%, the volume of the soil body can increase by 2%–5%. Dry expansive soil has a high swelling potential, and conversely, it has low swelling potential. The soil body has a dry and wet cycle and constantly develops soil fissures, which will have an impact on the LID measures. Therefore, the selection of LID measures should take into account the water content of the soil body of the expansive soil. The “ Sponge City Construction Technical Guidelines—Low impact Development of Stormwater System Construction ( Trial )" pointed out that when applying the permeable paving LID measures in the distribution area of expansive soil, necessary preventive and control measures should be taken to prevent the impact of geologic hazards of expansive soil deformation ( Shi et al., 2002 ; Xie, 2009 ; Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture et al., 2014 ).

2.3 Free swelling ratio of expansive soil

According to the Technical Code for Buildings in Expansive Soil Regions ( GB50112-2013 ), the free swelling ratio of expansive soils should be calculated by the following formula ( Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of the People’s Republic of China, 2012 ):

where δ ef is the free swelling ratio of expansive soil (%), v w is the volume of the soil sample after swelling and stabilization in water (mL), and v 0 is the original volume of the soil sample (mL).

IS 1498 ( BUREAU OF INDIAN STANDARDS, 1970 ) gives a criterion to predict the expansivity of soils, based on the free swell index ( BUREAU OF INDIAN STANDARDS, 1977 ).

where V d is the sediment volume of 10 g of oven-dried soil passing a 425 μm sieve placed in a 100 mL graduated measuring jar containing distilled water and V k is the sediment volume of 10 g of oven-dried soil passing through a 425 μm sieve placed in a 100 mL graduated measuring jar containing kerosene.

Equations 1 and 2 show that the formula for calculating the free swelling ratio for expansive soil is the same for China and India, but the method of measurement is different. In this paper, the free expansion rate is determined based on the Chinese Technical Code for Buildings in Expansive Soil Regions ( GB50112-2013 ).

In May 2008, Anhui Engineering Investigation Institute completed collection of 50 soil samples ( Figure 2 ) and testing work in the Hefei city area and collected and utilized data of soil samples testing of 158 boreholes in geotechnical engineering survey projects in the Hefei city area ( Figure 2 ). The soil samples were extracted without disturbance.

Figure 2 . Map of the sampling sites in the distribution area of expansive soils in Hefei, China ( Anhui Engineering Investigation Institute, 2008 ).

The 30%–40% free swelling ratio is 28%. The 40%–50% free swelling ratio is 20%. The greater than 50% free swelling ratio is more than 50% ( Table 1 ). These indicated that clays in the Xiashu group of the Upper Pleistocene distributed in the area generally have a weak potential for expansion ( Figure 3 ) ( Anhui Engineering Investigation Institute, 2008 ).

Table 1 . Statistical table showing free swelling ratio results for soil samples in the Hefei urban area ( Anhui Engineering Investigation Institute, 2008 ).

Figure 3 . Area distribution of expansive soils in Hefei, China ( Anhui Engineering Investigation Institute, 2008 ).

2.4 Climate effects of expansive soils

2.4.1 humidity coefficient of expansive soils.

The humidity coefficient of expansive soil is the ratio of the minimum value of soil moisture content that may be reached at 1 m depth to its plastic limit value under the influence of natural climate.

According to the Technical Code for Buildings in Expansive Soil Regions ( GB50112-2013 ) ( Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of the People’s Republic of China, 2012 ), the humidity coefficient of the soil can be calculated according to the following formula based on the relevant meteorological data of Hefei:

where ψ w is the humidity coefficient of expansive soil, α is the ratio of the sum of the local evaporation power from September to February to the annual evaporation power, and c is the sum of the difference between the evaporation power and precipitation in the months, with dryness greater than 1.00 in the whole year (mm).

2.4.2 Climate-influenced layer and markedly climate-influenced layer of expansive soils

According to Equation 3 , the humidity coefficient ( ψ w ) of expansive soil is calculated as 0.868 ( Table 2 ). The thickness of the climate-influenced layer as calculated by the interpolation method is 3.34 m Table 3 . The thickness of the markedly climate-influenced layer is 1.50 m, calculated by multiplying the thickness of atmospheric influence by 0.45 ( Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of the People’s Republic of China, 2012 ). The deformation disaster of expansive soil will be more serious at this depth, i.e., the LID measures need to consider the climate-influenced layer of 3.34 m and the markedly climate-influenced layer of 1.50 m, which will directly affect the implementation of the LID measures.

Table 2 . Values of the humidity coefficient of expansive soils ( Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of the People’s Republic of China, 2012 ).

Table 3 . Climate-influenced layer thickness ( Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of the People’s Republic of China, 2012 ).

3 Test simulation systems and methods

3.1 test simulation system.

A laboratory small-scale multi-nozzle, under spray tank-type artificial rainfall simulation system was built. Spraying was controlled by controlling the switch of the solenoid valve. The pressure of the nozzles was controlled by a pipe pressure gauge, which ultimately enabled the simulation of different rainfall intensities ( Figures 4 , 5 ). The main equipment components of the laboratory artificial rainfall simulation system consisted of the expansive soil trough surrounded by rain curtains ( Figure 6A ), the expansive soil trough support frame ( Figure 6B ), the top wide-angle cone nozzle ( Figure 6C ), the pressure gauge and solenoid valve ( Figure 6D ), the control cabinet ( Figure 6E ), and the submersible pump ( Figure 6F ).

Figure 4 . Expansive soil trough layout plan.

Figure 5 . System diagram of the simulated rainfall device above the expansive soil trough.

Figure 6 . Main equipment components of the laboratory artificial rainfall simulation system.

The purpose of establishing this test simulation system was to study the infiltration capacity and runoff generation characteristics of expansive soils under different rainfall intensities. In addition, the test simulation system also studied the infiltration capacity of expansive soils and the characteristics of runoff generation under different levels of initial water content in expansive soils.

According to Chinese meteorology data, rainfall of 16 mm or more per hour is called “torrential rain.” Rainfall intensities of 0.25 mm/min, 0.44 mm/min, 0.57 mm/min, 0.67 mm/min, and 1.04 mm/min were designed for simulation tests in combination with historical rainfall statistics from Hefei meteorological stations.

3.2 Test methods

The test expansive soil was taken from the bare expansive soil excavated from the longitudinal section of the local newly repaired road in order to simulate the natural compaction of the real expansion soil body. The test fill thickness was 25 cm ( Figure 6A ). The expansion soil body was wetted by rainfall three times, with an interval of 3 days. Each time, the wetting was to be stopped by the production of streams, and it was covered with a rain cloth until the expansion soil body was sufficiently settled and sinked ( Figure 6A ). The surface soil was sampled and observed, and the average dry bulk weight was 1.41 g/cm 3 , which was close to the bulk weight of the expansive soil after natural consolidation.

Before the beginning of the test, the water content of the surface layer of the expansive soil body was maintained at 23% (±0.3%) to ensure that the water content of the soil body itself does not affect the generation time of rainfall runoff and runoff volume, respectively, in the rainfall intensity of 0.25 mm/min, 0.44 mm/min, 0.57 mm/min, 0.67 mm/min, and 1.04 mm/min; the surface of the expansive soil body was stimulated to produce the runoff process.

3.3 Test results

3.3.1 infiltration capacity of expansive soils.

It was found that at rainfall intensities of 0.25 mm/min and 0.44 mm/min, no runoff was generated from the surface of the expansive soil mass within 1 h. Under the rainfall intensities of 0.57 mm/min ( Figure 7A ), 0.67 mm/min ( Figure 7B ), and 1.04 mm/min ( Figure 7C ), the time to start generating runoff was 44 min, 30 min, and 17 min, respectively, and the time to reach the maximum runoff was 47 min ( Figure 7A ), 33 min ( Figure 7B ), and 19 min ( Figure 7C ), respectively. The time intervals between the start of generation of runoff and reaching the maximum level of runoff were 3 min, 3 min, and 2 min, respectively. The maximum runoff intervals are similar for rainfall intensities of 0.57 mm/min ( Figure 7A ), 0.67 mm/min ( Figure 7B ), and 1.04 mm/min ( Figure 7C ). The test results show that the exposed expansive soil has a rapid infiltration capacity and a short time interval to reach the maximum runoff volume under higher rainfall intensity, which is not very effective in reducing surface runoff.

Figure 7 . Runoff curves under different rainfall intensities.

Relevant studies have shown that with the continuation of rainfall, the infiltration potential gradient of expansive soils decreases after water absorption, and the surface cracks of land with expansive soils are closed due to soil expansion, resulting in a decrease in soil infiltration capacity. When encountering strong rainfall, due to the expansion, the cracks in the soil will be rapidly closed. This leads to a rapid decline in soil infiltration capacity ( Lei et al., 2020 ).

3.3.2 Initial water content of expansive soils

It was found that the simulated surface layer of expansive soil was operated under the initial water content of 21.6%, 24.8%, 26.3%, and 27.5%, and the time for starting generating of runoff was 49 min ( Figure 8A ), 31 min ( Figure 8B ), 22 min ( Figure 8C ), and 16 min ( Figure 8D ), respectively. The time taken for reaching the maximum runoff was 66 min ( Figure 8A ), 48 min ( Figure 8B ), 40 min ( Figure 8C ), and 33 min ( Figure 8D ), respectively. The time interval of arriving at maximum runoff was 17 min ( Figure 8A ), 17 min ( Figure 8B ), 18 min ( Figure 8C ), and 17 min ( Figure 8D ), respectively. It can be seen that the four simulated water content rates were similar to the natural water content of local expansive soil. The time interval for producing maximum runoff was similar as well, indicating that there is a certain effect of abatement of runoff generated by rainfall under the natural water content of expansive soils. This further demonstrates that maintaining the natural water content of expansive soils can reduce the occurrence of geologic hazards and surface runoff from rainfall.

Figure 8 . Runoff curves under different water contents.

4 Selection of LID technical measures

Low impact development technologies can generally be categorized into several types according to their main functions, such as infiltration, storage, regulation, transfer, interception, and purification.

In October 2014, the Technical Guidelines for Sponge City Construction—Construction of Low Impact Development Stormwater System ( Trial ) listed the relevant LID technical measures ( Table 4 ).

Table 4 . Comparison of low impact development facilities ( Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture et al., 2014 ).

Some of the low impact development technical measures listed in Table 4 , such as infiltration, sewage interception, and purification, are not suitable to be selected in expansive soil development areas. If necessary, infiltration and decontamination measures can be selected after enhancement of expansive soil properties, but this implies an increase in the cost. This is a particular concern for our municipal, environmental, and landscape design engineers.

At present, the treatment for enhancing the properties of expansive soil roadbeds all over the world generally adopts the mixing of lime, cement, fly ash, and other mineral cementing materials. First of all, all the above materials are in powder form, and it is difficult to mix the expanded soil sufficiently. Second, the cost of improvement is high, and it also has a greater impact on the surrounding environment and the health of the construction workers ( Chen et al., 2006 ; Yang et al., 2014 ).

The characteristics of expansive soils can be enhanced by mixing them with weathered sand, which is a physical improvement. The weathered sand particles have a certain particle size, and adding it to the expansive soil can result in better mixing and homogeneous nature. Second, the surrounding environment and the health of the construction workers will face a smaller impact. In addition, the low price of weathered sand can vastly reduce the cost related to improvement. Therefore, the improvement strategies involving the mixing of weathered sand compared with the traditional means of improvement have the advantages of simple construction process, environmental protection, and low cost ( Chen et al., 2006 ; Yang et al., 2014 ).

Bouassida et al. (2022) proposed a new method for characterizing expansive clays after barometer test results on intact saturated clay specimens. Oedometer tests performed on a 53% thickness clay specimen overlaid by a 47% thickness of sand showed a significant reduction in the swelling pressure compared to that measured on a full expansive clay specimen. The mitigation solution reduced the swelling effect by placing a compacted granular layer as an interface between the expansive clay and the foundation ( Bouassida et al., 2022 ).

In summary, the mixing of weathered sand can effectively inhibit the expansion of expansive soil. This ensures the implementation of LID techniques.

5 Conclusion

The selection of the LID technical measures in the expansive soil distribution area cannot be generalized, and the following points should be paid attention to in particular:

To carry out the technical measures of infiltration, sewage interception, and purification, it is necessary to enhance the expansive soil properties. Weathered sand is easy to pick up and is inexpensive; hence, mixing of weathered sand in the improvement treatment of expansive soil should be prioritized, which is a means of physical improvement. It can meet the technical requirements of infiltration, sewage interception, and purification.

The depth of atmospheric influence and the depth of the acute layer of atmospheric influence directly affect the selection of the LID technical measures; for example, the depth of atmospheric influence in Hefei city is 3.34 m, and the depth of the acute layer of atmospheric influence is 1.5 m. When LID facilities are constructed, the adopted LID technical measures must take into account the impact of these two depths on the LID facilities. Otherwise, the expansive soils will cause damage to the LID facilities.

The continuous cycle of drying and wetting of expansive soil causes cracks to develop continuously, resulting in the surface cracks of expansive soil extending deeper. When encountering strong rainfall, the cracks close rapidly due to soil expansion, which leads to a rapid decrease in soil infiltration capacity. Therefore, maintaining the natural water content of the expansive soil can not only better inhibit the expansion of the soil body to produce cracks, which can reduce the frequency of expansion of the soil rise and fall, but also help reduce the surface runoff generated by rainfall.

The results of the test simulation system show that the exposed expansive soil has a fast infiltration capacity and a short time interval to reach the maximum runoff volume under larger rainfall intensity, which is not very effective in reducing surface runoff. In addition, maintaining the natural water content of expansive soils can reduce the occurrence of geologic hazards and surface runoff from rainfall.

Therefore, the natural water content of expansive soil can be maintained by avoiding exposing expansive soils to vegetative cover. Granular materials can be used to mitigate swelling when LID techniques such as infiltration, filtration, and water storage are used. More research studies must be carried out on granular materials to alleviate the swelling phenomenon in the distribution area of expansive soil so as to provide technical support for the upcoming Special Plan of Hefei City Sponge City .

Data availability statement

The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article/ Supplementary Material; further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author.

Author contributions

MH: conceptualization, funding acquisition, investigation, software, writing–original draft, and writing–review and editing. ZL: formal analysis, investigation, and writing–review and editing. RZ: data curation, project administration, and writing–original draft. YT: data curation, software, and writing–review and editing. Y-MS: writing–review and editing and conceptualization.

The author(s) declare that financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This study was funded by the Science and Technology Major Project for Water Pollution Control and Management (2014ZX07303003) and the Anhui Provincial Department of Education Quality Engineering Project (2020rcsfjd05).

Conflict of interest

Author RZ was employed by Shucheng Zhonghe Real Estate Development Co.Ltd.

The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Publisher’s note

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Supplementary material

The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2024.1417048/full#supplementary-material

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Keywords: low impact development, technical measure, expansive soil, distribution area, selection

Citation: Huang M, Liu Z, Zhang R, Tao Y and Sun Y-m (2024) Selection of low impact development technical measures in the distribution area of expansive soil: a case study of Hefei, China. Front. Environ. Sci. 12:1417048. doi: 10.3389/fenvs.2024.1417048

Received: 13 April 2024; Accepted: 13 June 2024; Published: 10 July 2024.

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Copyright © 2024 Huang, Liu, Zhang, Tao and Sun. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

*Correspondence: Ming Huang, [email protected]

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.