Lift the fog
Programme boards hear from the project team and the people closest to it. Lift the fog to see the whole organisation, then click any function to explore the friction point targets its people raised.
Three things your leadership team can act on
Every Compass is written for your question, functions and sites. Click a finding to reveal what was agreed. Examples are from the case study.
Not every gap needs new software. Slid3rs™ scores each one by business value and delivery complexity, and tests whether existing functionality, training or a process change will do before anything is bought.
Which decision are you facing?
Pick the ERP decision on your desk. ERP Compass gives you evidence from your own people before you commit budget.
From your question to evidence-backed priorities in a few weeks
Not an engagement survey or a maturity score. Scored questions make functions comparable; follow-up questions explain the scores.
“It gave us the visibility we never had.”Jon Sweeting, Group Manufacturing Director, Park Cakes
Book a 20-minute scoping call
We agree the question your ERP Compass must answer, who it should reach and the timetable before anything launches.
ERP Compass™: what this case study found
Illustrative case study. A composite built from patterns we see when running ERP Compass with UK manufacturers. The functions, figures and quotes are representative and do not describe any single company.
What ERP Compass™ is
ERP Compass™ asks everyone your ERP programme affects what is really happening, then turns their answers into evidence your leadership team can act on. This example follows a UK manufacturer weeks before ERP go-live. Programme boards hear from the project team and the people closest to it. ERP Compass hears the whole organisation.
Headline figures
- 91 people heard directly, not just the project team
- 12 functions mapped, 5 never briefed by the programme
- 3 go-live blockers found while there was time to act, all in functions the steering group could not see
- 32 evidenced risks, actions and opportunities
The four steps
- 1. Frame the question. We agree the decision the diagnostic must inform and its scope: which sites, functions and roles it reaches.
- 2. Build the Compass. Questions are written for your functions, language and sites. Nothing generic, no off-the-shelf questionnaire.
- 3. Run it company-wide. AI agents talk to people conversationally and ask follow-up questions. Coverage is tracked by function, with thin coverage flagged while there is time to fix it.
- 4. Read out the targets. You receive evidence-backed focus points traced to the people who raised them, ready to score in Slid3rs™.
What each function said
Engineering & Design (14 people surveyed). The largest technical team, with an 88% involvement gap. Engineers had read the updates but never seen the screens, and the engineering change flow had not been walked through. Top friction points: Never shown the engineering screens; Can't picture the new working day.
Production (18 people surveyed). The biggest group surveyed. Shift leads liked the idea of real-time tracking but had never logged in, and most asked for a practice run on the line before cutover. Top friction points: Want a dry run on the line; Shift leads not involved.
Quality (6 people surveyed, confirmed go-live blocker). The non-conformance and traceability module was still in configuration. Without it, inspection records would stay on paper at go-live. Top friction points: Non-conformance module not ready; Batch traceability untested.
Supply Chain & Logistics (9 people surveyed). Goods-in and warehouse staff were trained once, then went straight back to the day job. Team leads said nobody had time to practise between sessions. Top friction points: Trained once, no time to practise; Goods-in process slower.
Planning & Scheduling (5 people surveyed, confirmed go-live blocker). The highest concern on site. Planning parameters had been migrated but never validated, so the first live schedule could order the wrong quantities. Top friction points: Planning parameters not validated; First schedule run not rehearsed.
Procurement (5 people surveyed). Supplier onboarding and approval workflows had changed, but buyers had not been told who now signs off what. Top friction points: Approval limits changed without notice; Buyers not involved.
Finance (8 people surveyed). Close to the project and broadly confident, but month-end had not been rehearsed with realistic volumes and the day-one reporting pack was not agreed. Top friction points: Month-end untested at volume; Reporting pack not rebuilt.
Sales & Customer Service (7 people surveyed). The most positive team on site. Their worry was customers: order status and delivery dates would be hard to give during cutover week. Top friction points: Want early sight of the screens; Customer updates hard during cutover.
Maintenance (4 people surveyed). Spares and work orders move into the ERP, but the team had not been told. Some planned to keep their own spreadsheets regardless. Top friction points: Didn't know maintenance was in scope; Spares kept in private spreadsheets.
HR & Payroll (6 people surveyed). Assumed the ERP did not affect them. In fact, timesheet data feeds payroll from go-live. One briefing closes the gap. Top friction points: Never involved; Assumed the erp doesn't affect them.
IT & Systems (5 people surveyed). The lowest concern on site, but the service desk had no runbook for the new system and would take the first calls at go-live. Top friction points: Service desk has no runbook; No department readiness view.
HSE & Compliance (4 people surveyed, confirmed go-live blocker). Regulatory reports came from a separate tool whose data feed from the ERP had not been tested. Top friction points: Regulatory reporting link untested; Never seen the system.
The three outputs
Readiness & adoption (14 risks and 11 actions). Protect go-live and the return on your ERP investment. Examples: 61% said they were not ready to use the system day to day; Trained once, then no time to practise; 5 functions never briefed, including Quality.
Value gaps (6 gaps). Where the ERP must do more, without buying what you don't need. Examples: Quality: non-conformance module still in configuration; Planning: parameters migrated but never validated; Reporting: month-end pack untested at volume.
Delivery plan (5 projects). Projects that land the capability, each with a clear owner. Examples: Quality module configuration and testing; Planning parameter validation; Compliance reporting integration.
Not every gap needs new software. Slid3rs™ scores each one by business value and delivery complexity, and tests whether existing functionality, training or a process change will do before anything is bought.
Next step
Book a 20-minute scoping call. We agree the question your ERP Compass must answer, who it should reach and the timetable before anything launches. Email scott@foreverfoundry.com or use the Forever Foundry contact page.
Questions
What is ERP Compass™?
ERP Compass™ asks everyone your ERP programme affects what is really happening, then turns their answers into evidence your leadership team can act on. It is AI Compass™, the first stage of the Forever Foundry Process™, applied to an ERP programme.
How does it work?
Four steps: frame the question, build the Compass for your functions and sites, run it company-wide with coverage tracked by function, then read out evidence-backed focus points ready to score in Slid3rs™.
How long does it take?
A few weeks, from framing the question to the readout.
What do you receive?
Three outputs your leadership team can act on: readiness and adoption risks with agreed actions, value gaps with a fix to test before anything is bought, and a delivery plan of projects with clear owners.
Is this case study a real company?
No. It is an illustrative composite built from patterns we see when running ERP Compass with UK manufacturers. The functions, figures and quotes are representative and do not describe any single company.