Implementing Infor ERP LN is one of the most significant technology investments a manufacturer can make. Done well, it transforms operationsāproviding real-time visibility, tighter cost control, and a foundation for continuous improvement. Done poorly, it can disrupt production and erode trust in the system before it ever has a chance to deliver value. Based on years of hands-on implementation experience, here are the practices that consistently separate successful projects from struggling ones.
1. Define Clear Business Objectives Before Touching Software
Every implementation should begin with a crisp answer to this question: what specific business outcomes are we trying to achieve? Whether it is reducing order-to-cash cycle time, improving on-time delivery, or eliminating manual reconciliation, concrete objectives give the project team a compass when making the hundreds of configuration decisions ahead.
Resist the temptation to define success as 'go live on time and on budget.' Budget and schedule are constraints, not outcomes. Document KPIs before the project starts so you can measure them after go-live.
2. Invest in Business Process Redesign
Infor LN comes with deeply embedded process logic. The implementation goes significantly smoother when the organization is willing to adapt its processes to the system rather than demanding the system mirror every existing workflow. This does not mean accepting a bad processāit means distinguishing between processes that reflect genuine business differentiation and processes that are merely 'how we have always done it.'
- Run process workshops before any configuration begins
- Map current-state processes with swim lanes to identify handoff gaps
- Design future-state processes with Infor LN's native workflows in mind
- Document deviations from standard with a formal gap/fit analysis
- Prioritize closing gaps through configuration before considering customization
3. Staff the Project with the Right People
The most common reason implementations overrun is under-investment in internal resources. Your best peopleāthe ones who actually understand how the business worksāneed to be deeply involved. A common mistake is assigning the ERP project to staff who are available rather than staff who are capable.
The core team should include a dedicated project manager, functional leads for each major area (finance, manufacturing, procurement, sales), a technical lead for integrations and reporting, and an executive sponsor who can break organizational deadlocks.
4. Treat Data Migration as a Project Within the Project
Data migration is consistently underestimated. It is not a task that begins six weeks before go-liveāit is a stream of work that runs in parallel with configuration from the very start. Poor data in the new system is one of the leading causes of post-go-live dissatisfaction.
- Inventory all data objects: items, bills of material, routings, open orders, customer balances, supplier balances
- Profile your legacy data earlyāidentify duplicates, missing fields, and format inconsistencies
- Define cleansing rules and assign ownership to business owners, not just IT
- Perform at least three full mock migrations and validate results with end users
- Establish cutover balances with finance sign-off before go-live
5. Configure the Logical Company Structure Carefully
Infor LN's company structureāfinancial companies, logistic companies, and enterprise unitsāis one of its most powerful and most misunderstood features. Getting this wrong early in the project creates problems that are very difficult to unwind later. Take time to model your organizational structure, intercompany flows, and reporting requirements before creating a single company in the system.
6. Build a Comprehensive Testing Strategy
Testing in Infor LN should happen in layers: unit testing of individual configurations, integration testing of end-to-end processes, performance testing of batch jobs and reports, and user acceptance testing (UAT) with realistic scenarios. UAT should be driven by business users working through their daily tasks, not by the implementation team verifying that features exist.
7. Plan for Hypercare After Go-Live
Go-live is not the finish lineāit is the starting gun. The first 30 to 90 days after cutover are when real-world usage reveals gaps that simulation never exposed. Staff the support desk generously, establish a rapid escalation path for production-blocking issues, and plan for additional training sessions once users have real transactions to reference.
Auspex Consulting has guided manufacturers through Infor LN implementations of all sizes. If you are planning a new implementation or a re-implementation, we can help you build a project plan that reflects these lessons.