A Guide to Software implementation - Tips and Advice for your Construction business

We, at 4PS, believe that software implementation process should be well structured, straightforward and objective-driven. However, is a standard implementation process achievable and can it be delivered in a construction business? In this blog, we will take a look at Contoso – an implementation methodology developed by 4PS for the construction industry.

Contoso is a fictitious company name invented by Microsoft in 1996. 4PS adopts the name to bundle the experiences of more than 450 construction ERP implementations in an efficient methodology to ensure customer success every time.

We often receive requests from customers and prospects to show certain functionality in our 4PS Construct software. For example, what does a purchase ledger look like, what is a practical set up for cost control and what’s the way to optimise the procurement process. These are all good questions and reasonably asked by construction businesses implementing new software solutions only every 7-10 years. It is imperative that you get a feel for functionality and have a good understanding of how it could improve your processes.

Take a look at the “software showroom” for the construction industry

For items that we don’t buy every day it is always good to get some inspiration first, right? Let’s take for example fitting a new kitchen. More often than not the first step of the process is visiting a showroom to get a feel for different kitchens, what is trending and what is practical for you. You walk out with a good idea of what you like, what you don’t and potentially what you would like to have in your dream kitchen. It is much easier to get some design ideas than to come up with them yourselves without knowing what is already available. The same principles apply to software.

Contoso – software implementation methodology designed specifically for construction

Software solutions are not purchased and implemented every day by construction businesses. That is why it is nice to be able to find inspiration in a “software showroom” when looking for the right solution for your business. Drawing on our experience delivering more than 600 successful software implementations in the construction sector, we have developed a standard setup of 4PS software solutions. We call this standard setup Contoso. Of course, every construction company is slightly different and brings something unique to the industry. But if you have set up project cost control 600 times, you will have seen most of the possible variations. A standard implementation approach combined with a certified solution that has proven to be effective in practice is the way forward for a number of construction businesses.

Testing experiences with the 4PS customers

So is the pre-configured software solution 4PS Construct set in stone? No, definitely not. You are encouraged to reach out and discuss with customers and core users and hear about their experiences. You can also run a proof of concept to see what the feedback is on what is good and where you may need to make adjustments yourself. Are there any areas which you would like to give special attention? Current users can share tips and advice. So why not trust experience? Would you like to know more? Read 4PS customer stories.

It turns out IT is much closer to everyday life than we thought, right? How does that translate into the current approach at 4PS? Read more about the Contoso method in the whitepaper: Five Phases for Successful Software Implementation.

Download whitepaper