Four qualities to look for in a good ERP superuser

A super user for your ERP should be skilled in their particular discipline and have above-average expertise with the ERP itself.  Here are a few other qualities to look for.

1. Communications skills

ERP superusers are the interface between day-to-day ERP users and the technical experts.  Those super users who are best at their jobs can sense internally what the users mean when they think they have a problem.  Because they have ERP system expertise, they often can communicate back what the answer to that problem is.  Super users also can communicate with the IT department propeller-heads explaining what a user might have to say in a language that person understands.  Next, they have to translate the technical reply to the user who originally asked the question in words they know.

2. Curiosity

A top superuser is curious.  They find spare time to check out what happens in ERP when they try a new sequence of keystrokes.  Sometimes they find an improvement and those superusers are happy to tell everyone about the time saver they found.  Superusers know from the functional side what needs to be done and will make continued attempts at the ERP side to find a way to get the work accomplished.  They do not listen when the technical expert says it can’t be done.  A curious ERP superuser will go back to some field on a purchase order that is not used and figure out how your business can gain value from that field even if the documentation indicates it has some other purpose.

Learn how to implement ERP effectively using our eleven step guide to ERP implementation success

3. Care

ERP superusers like what they do and care about other users and what might be seen as a problem.  They do not wait for a problem to arise but look outward asking people what they find to be difficult or what might not make sense.  That superuser might be assigned to production planning, but will talk with sales order users to understand the links needed between the two functional departments.  They also talk to shop floor personnel to see if there is anything planners might do to make their lives better.  They care about their assigned users as well as the entire organization.

4. Available time

Many superusers have a “day job” already before taking on the superuser role.  They will look at what they already do and filter out non-value adding activities to create time to help their assigned users.  They will negotiate with their supervisors to move work to another person and free up more super user time.  They will develop flexibility in their jobs so users can ask questions at any time.

Superusers should be developed and rewarded as the critically important people they are in making your ERP tick.