A question we often get from clients who are looking to implement CloudSuite is what should an organization do to prepare for an RPI pre-planning event? While I think it’s the same as planning for an engagement, there are basically two things to consider. The first is that the better you both understand and document your current processes and pain points, the better you can articulate them to a consultant. This way we already know what you’re looking to achieve from the beginning instead of both RPI and your group having to discover it together at the time of the engagement. The second is that the cleaner the master data is, the better off you’ll be, regardless of whether you’re using migration tools or converting the data.

On the tech side, it's also great to have documentation on all client interfaces. When you are ready to begin pre-planning, start gathering requirements if they aren’t handy or might be out of date. You should also reach out to any other entities, such as benefits providers, and make sure the document requirements are all in one place. Additionally, it's never too early to start educating and exposing your business to CloudSuite. Infor has put a ton of material out there and we have around 150 webinars recorded on a variety of topics related to this area. But in the interest of honing in on your exact needs, we are always happy to make specific recommendations based on a person's role in an organization and their area of interest. Basically, you should get everyone thinking about what they’re looking to get out of your CloudSuite implementation. 

About the Authors

Keith Wayland

Managing Partner, RPI Consultants

Keith is the Managing Partner of RPI and is certified on Infor Cloud Suite Financials and Supply Chain. He has been working with Infor & Lawson customers for 20+ years and his passion is helping leaders develop strategies to optimize their use of the software. Keith leads and sets the direction for RPI – he is a driving force every day of our customer centric strategy as well as pushing our team to be thought leaders. He “leads from the front” by being a common presenter and the master of ceremonies of most of our webcasts or as we say our “carnival barker”. Keith also interacts daily with customer and Infor executives to promote the positive forward movement of our industry, community, and customers.

Richard Leigh Stout

Partner, Infor Practice Leader, RPI Consultants

Richard has been sharing his passion for helping clients implement optimized Infor solutions for more than 15 years. As an RPI partner and head of the Infor practice, he is widely known throughout the Infor community as a though leader in the space as well as one of the foremost figures in designing, developing, and optimizing successful ERP architectures leveraging the Infor solution. In addition to helping clients achieve their immediate and long-term goals, Richard focuses on educating the wider community on best practices, optimizing solutions, and moving organizations to their next level.