What is an ERP System and Why is it Important for Your Business?

The world today is driven by digitization in its business processes. The technological advancements, software and tools come together to give businesses a competitive edge over competitors stuck in traditional practices. Let us introduce you with an all-in-one resource management solution for your business called an ERP system. 

Ever wonder how global industrialists meticulously manage their businesses? The large-scale enterprises carry on with the complex operations with such ease. How do these enterprises operate? How are these businesses growing in such a short span of time? We observe that their hirings expand, leads maximize, new product launches, and customers roll in. There must be a continuous support system that assists with these complex tasks.

With an online presence over the internet, corporations and enterprises now look for ways to automate, integrate and effectively transform their business operations. For that matter, a business now uses a business management software called enterprise resource planning to automate the processes and save them from the hassle of manual activities. 

What is an ERP System?

An enterprise resource planning (ERP) system is an automated and integrated solution for the enterprises wanting to manage their staff, inventory, finance, manufacturing and distribution. The system keeps track of your day-to-day activities and detects bugs or inadequacies within the operations to ensure a streamlined workflow with real-time reporting.  

Mostly, the supply chain companies and industries with manufacturing and distribution challenges use the ERP system. On the other hand, the healthcare, non-profiled, construction or hospitality industries prefer an all-in-one solution for their business processes. 

Why Do You Need an ERP System?

An ERP system attends to the unique needs and challenges of your business. If you are still confused about why you need an ERP software then consider the following conditions and rethink your stance:

• Your employees remain stuck with complex tasks
• You wish for easy access to the data 
• The company remains stuck with multiple suppliers and vendors
• You need multiple applications and programs to run the business
• Hard to keep track of the inventory and sales 
• Retrieval of data is time-taking and hectic 
• Staff is stuck with filing and documentation
• Difficult to access confidential data at any time 
• Failure to identify issues and bugs within the system 

Types of ERP System

ERP system works best for small or big businesses. Small business ERP is the ultimate business management solution devised so that it meets the mid-sized company’s needs. While in case of big business ERP, the deployed software solutions are tailored to meet various resource needs. In order for this to function smoothly, the ERP software extends its various types of deployment models. Let’s discuss the types of ERP systems: On-Premise, Cloud-based, or Hybrid.

On-Premise ERP System

As the term suggests, the on-premise software type is implemented on-site and is managed from within the confines of physical office space. In fact, the system is run on the computer or servers used by the particular organizations offering complete solutions and control for the entire business resource system. 

Cloud-based ERP System

In cloud-based ERP software, everything happens over the cloud. It is a service as a software (SaaS) that gives a complete database solution for any organization to be accessed from anywhere. Basically, the software provider particularly supports continuous data storage, retrieval, and update.

Hybrid ERP System

The third type is most suitable for an enterprise wanting to expand its business potential. It is about exploring the highest range of ERP software. A hybrid model is the combination of a cloud-based and on-premise system. Here, the resource provider crafts the ERP model with integrated and enhanced flexibility to deliver precision not achieved with a single model. 

So look for a vendor who understands your business type and offers the most suitable deployment model type for your organization. Whether on-site, cloud, or hybrid, an ERP system takes over all the hassle for your business processes and provides an integrated solution to carry on with your business processes.  

The Importance of ERP System

Are you looking for an integrated system to carry on with your business processes with complete security and accuracy? If you wish for a system that would manage multiple business modules at once without the hassle of manual record-keeping, then ERP is your only choice. This software attends to the business’s unique needs and operates efficiently without outside management from an IT team. Be it a large enterprise or a small business, the ERP system facilitates organizations to automate their routine finances, manage employee bases, or store company data with complete security. 

Here’s a list of key modules that your ERP system would seamlessly support

Financial Management 

ERP facilitates finance and accounts management for businesses to look over their current finances and predict future prospects. It helps organizations manage their accounts information, pay dues, and secure documents, sheets, reports or receipt statements. 

Moreover, the software becomes an automated database to streamline billing, routine finances, payments and revenue management. It diverts the HR department from constant documentation and shifts its focus to an integrated system that helps through finances and accounts management. Finally, the profit and loss statements help you gauge your business’s overall ROI. 

Supply Chain Management 

Supply chain management is apparently most tricky for businesses. Businesses demand expert resource persons to keep track of all the goods and supplies. Yet, it lacks the precision achieved through automated ERP software. With an ERP system, the organizations easily track step-by-step movements of their supplies and goods from manufacturers, supply-chain suppliers, and distributors to consumers or retail industrialists. 

The system coordinates the entire cycle of the supply chain, such as manufacturing, inventory management, the ordering process and warehouse management. 

Human Resources Management

ERP system takes over your workforce management hassle and offers a comprehensive automated CRM system to manage employees. It keeps a tab on the employee documents, payroll system, performance and offers letters. Also, it manages complete employee working hours and monthly attendance records. On the top, the system contains individual employee records and discards duplicate reports or inaccurate information recorded within the portal. 

Manufacturing 

ERP solutions offer complete production management and manufacturing plans such as; infrastructure, raw materials, machinery, and the production of goods and services. Here, the system records the manufacturing process and statistics per daily production output. Also, we keep track of processed goods, finished product details and supply-demand. 

Well, that is not all, an ERP system has several more important characteristics such as: 

• Asset management 
• Big data analytics
• Service management  
• Internet of things 
• Project management
• Customer relationship management  
• Business Intelligence 

The latest research suggests that 81% of the companies are now pivoting to an ERP system. So why do you think the system is gaining so much popularity. It is because the software offers tons of benefits for your business. 

Let us discuss how ERP manages an entire enterprise system in a single database. 

Improved Efficiency 

An ERP system stores and manages real-time information. There is no chance for errors or glitches within the system. It is a single database for the entire team to access easily from anywhere in the world. Therefore, remote teams prefer an ERP system to keep tabs on the business process and receive accurate insights on the ROI. The system aids managers and stakeholders in accessing the confidential data and info to gauge the KPIs through easy access to the company ERP dashboard.

Your business can easily do tasks such as managing the inventory, tracking the manufactured products, managing the employee base and positioning them for multiple duties. Also, the resource program allows you to track employee behaviour, note the working hours, manage their payroll, receive automated financial reports and manage employee benefits. 

All-in-all, the program reduces human resource work to an automated system. For instance, your employees get to focus on the core tasks without having to report manually. Also, your IT team can focus on the main functionalities rather than manually generating company data and reports. Basically, it is an integrated human resource management system aiding in the new hires or managing the old staff. 

Real-time Tracking 

Forget about hiring a business intelligence team and using an ERP system as your BI tool. Basically, the ERP system allows your company to input data and information into the system and receive real-time reports and statistics on various projects. It is an easier and more responsive system that does not require human activity and reduces months of work into just a few clicks. However, it is essential to have a fully functioning ERP system that keeps a record of your years old reports. 

When you log into the system, it becomes your central database for all the income statements, key performance indicators, generated expenses and detailed insight into the complex processes. In addition, the system has built-in filters. Precisely, the vendor develops a strong resource program that fits all your business needs. 

Customer Relationship Management 

How about an integrated CRM system within the ERP software? ERP system extends its efficacy into managing customer relations. This key module covers inventory’s sales and marketing hassle and provides live statistics on leads and conversions alongside order reports, history, generating quotes and closed deals. Basically, the built-in tools help track the inventory at multiple warehouses, transportation and trucking to stock details.

Cost-Effective Approach

Let’s face it, we all look for shortcuts in our routine activities. ERP is one such system that reduces human work and automates business activities with digital solutions. You get to manage an extensive employee base with an efficient ERP system. For instance, the program helps with:

• Effective inventory planning
• Improved procurement management
• Streamlined customers support 
• Enhanced vendor relationships

Moreover, applying a unified system to the enterprise saves your employee base from operating across multiple platforms. In short, you save on the expenses of recruiting and training employees for a single system. If used right, the ERP is your organization’s robot that takes over all your enterprise resource management.

In Conclusion

Let us conclude this discussion with the argument that an ERP system saves you from wasting time, money and effort. Rather, it automates your business processes to ensure maximized revenue, coupled with increased ROIs. Sourcing Square is an all-rounder ERP software developer to aid businesses with streamlined functioning and implementation. 

So bring your business needs to our table and watch us tailor the most suitable ERP software model for your business type.

Automate Onboarding with Employee Onboarding Software

Remember how traditional onboarding processes went on for months? It was a continuous struggle to accommodate and familiarize a large pool of employees with your company culture. The HR department already went through the headache of screening a lot of applicants before reaching a final hiring decision. After closing the position at your company, an employee base comes into the family. But, the concerns for their documentation, signing agreement forms, and formal orientation rise. 

The world’s top organizations have come far from these troubles and have finally automated the onboarding processes of new employees. For that matter, employee onboarding software is now used to streamline hiring new employees. The system introduces fresh employees to the job roles, duties, and responsibilities. On the other hand, the software equips organizations to swiftly manage their new bees’ training. 

So switch to an employee onboarding software to digitize the joining experience for your employees. 

What is Employee Onboarding Software? 

Employee onboarding software is tailored to your organizational needs and HR processes. It welcomes new hires on board by offering a comprehensive introduction to the company. Precisely, all the necessary steps for onboarding new hires are automated and secure. As a result, they quickly adapt to the environment and make haste to gel in with the rest of their team. Precisely, all the necessary steps for the virtual onboarding of new hires are automated and secure. In case you hire a remote set of employees, employee onboarding software enables them to experience a fantastic first day as if they are actually present at the office. 

To begin with, the employees sign their offer letters and complete the initial documentation. The process is simple, fast, and automated as the employees can easily sign documents through their phones and laptops. In addition, all the hassle of paper documentation is eliminated by digitizing the initial onboarding process for volume hiring. 

Personalized Onboarding Experience

Do you wish to hook the new hires right at the onboarding stage? A digital employee onboarding software allows organizations to fully personalize the onboarding process by creating graphical templates for each job role. Individuals are directed to a page where their upcoming job role awaits. It is a fully customized onboarding template that assists employee throughout their onboarding process. Basically, these personalized templates come for each department, job type, office location, company headquarters, and more. An individual feels inclusive in a branded 3D environment and conforms to the entire company culture. 

By personalizing the onboarding experience, your HR and other administrative departments ease themselves off the burden to accommodate new hires. They can create a more inviting and exciting experience to formally introduce new bees to their organization.

Live or Recorded Webinar Options  

Remember how the new hires were bound to attend day-long orientation sessions? Well, there is no need to get stuck in old methods of onboarding when your company can easily acquire automated software solutions. The company representatives can hold live presentations and orientation sessions or set up pre-recorded webinars to engage the new hires on their first day at work. The employees become familiar with the company’s mission, goals, and agendas for the year. These webinar sessions help each employee realize their role within the system and act upon their duties from day one. A set of team instructions are also put in line for the employees to work effectively as a team. 

The webinar sessions also allow employees to engage in Q&A sessions to address their reservations before moving forward. Also, the employees can request on-demand webinars to have an insight into their job roles.

Formal Employee Training

Interestingly, an employee onboarding software features a training program for fresh employees. A comprehensive automated training program is attached to the software. It helps new employees take step-by-step training and equip themselves for the job role. In addition, the software allows your company to keep track of each employee’s progress. For instance, if an employee misses out on a particular training session, you can send individual reminders to keep the individual on track. Also, if the training goes for a week or so, the employees easily access the software with personal login credentials. 

However, the online training may be of the following types:

• Group training 
• Individual training 
• Blended training 
• On-demand training 

Thus, pre-scheduled automated training sessions help each employee learn about their company and the job roles. 

Employee Retention Program

In times like Covid 19, organizations face a hard time recruiting and hiring new employees. The process was either conducted online with mismanaged systems or the physical onboarding spread over a time span of months. The procedure was not safe or easier for the in-house HR teams as well as the employee base. Therefore, new reforms were needed. At this point, the online hiring procedure required upgraded employee onboarding processes. For instance, the potential remote employees are selected online after a lengthy screening process. In order to integrate the new employees within the organization, a seamless onboarding process was necessary. In most cases, employees decide on their long-term service to the organization during their recruitment and onboarding stages. 

Thus, an effective onboarding software solution is essential that automatically attends to the individual needs and reservations of the employees. The software allows all the initial documentation and live webinars to familiarize employees with their job roles and company culture. A swift process makes your company look good in the eyes of new employees who agreeably commit to the organization. As a result, organizations secure an employee retention program through upgraded software.

Global Remote Employee Base

Fortunately, a digital employee onboarding program expands the arena of recruitment for your organization. It attracts a global potential candidate base and swiftly recruits them through an elaborate online procedure. Once the recruitment process is streamlined, the onboarding software enables employees to access the software from anywhere at any time. After a lengthy screening process, the selected candidates pass through the onboarding and training phase. It is indeed a solution from the future.  

Today, the world’s large enterprises or businesses prefer to hunt top talents around the world rather than hiring on-site candidates. In contrast to the traditional methods for onboarding employees, a digital onboarding process is cost-effective and most efficient in narrowing distances. 

In Conclusion

An employee onboarding software is the ultimate lifesaver for organizations worldwide. It expands the scope of hiring by onboarding a remote team of talented resources. In short, the software automates the process of volume hiring for organizations aiming to tap on remote resources. It is an elaborate process where the new employees learn about the organization and their job roles and receive formal training on their tasks. But, all this process goes on automatically. An individual only has to sign in to the network and go through an automated process of documentation, filings, and training. 

Sourcing Square extends its employee onboarding software for organizations operating worldwide and aims to onboard remote employees. So, offer a personalized onboarding experience to your audiences and watch them get committed to the jobs you hired for. 

What is Agile Development in Software Engineering?

Businesses need software competency to make a strong digital presence for their consumer market. Every organization or enterprise now adopts advanced software development methodologies. However, most IT service provider companies practice agile development methodologies. So, if you are looking for expert software engineering solutions for your IT projects, then agile development is the answer. 

Generally, project management strategies have evolved over time. Several project management tools and software support the cause. But, technology alone is not involved. Software engineering methodology plays a crucial role as well. Now, agile, Scrum, and Kanban are the most popular methods of software engineering. 

Why Do We Need Software Development? 

Software development is a multifaceted field that extends beyond agile methodology. Numerous traditional project management tools govern the software development lifecycle (SDLC). However, the process is lengthy and time-consuming at each design, development, maintenance, and testing stage. Previously, the waterfall model was in practice. It goes through each phase of specific deliverables, and documentation comes following the reviews process. These methodologies work well in industries like architecture or construction. However, the other software development methodologies (waterfall, iterative, v-shaped) are not successful in complex projects like IT.

Today, businesses demand real-time methodologies to get their software up and running. Their needs are well defined and therefore expect advanced software development solutions. Likewise, your clients expect changes and modifications throughout the process of project development. So, how would you attend to their needs in real-time? The answer is Agile development in software engineering.

The Supremacy of Agile Software Development Methodology 

Agile is the umbrella concept describing project management methods breaking down a complex project into manageable chunks. For instance, IT industries use agile project development methodologies to serve in engineering. Not just that, the said practices are being employed in different industries. Agile is a widely accepted practice, developed in 2001. It works as a collection of guiding principles called the Agile Manifesto. 

Nowadays, agile software development methodology has come into practice for good reasons. Primarily, it extends its two methods known as Scrum and Kanban. So, Scrum and Kanban would be your go-to services when it comes to agile methodologies. It focuses on the clean delivery of individual pieces of the software and not the entire application at once. Agile’s unmatched benefits have allowed businesses to evolve their practices as a team and focus on efficient delivery of the project at hand. 

Nowadays, businesses parallelly use Scrum and Kanban methods as they share a set of similarities. The two methods either rely on physical boards or digital replication, going into three categories; ongoing projects, in-progress projects, and completed products. 

The Functionality of Scrum and Kanban 

Scrum

Scrum is efficient in providing high visibility and transparency with more room for change. It helps define roles and responsibilities clearly with better collaboration throughout the project completion phase. Businesses use Scrum, especially with pure strategy projects, allowing technology, operations, and marketing stakeholders to share information more frequently and make decisions collaboratively.

Kanban

The kanban model presents change with additional improvements. For example, it offers constant visuals of the process of project management. Further, the kanban board plays a major role in workflow displays, assisting by optimizing tasks within different teams onboard. Thus, Kanban gives a heads up throughout the software engineering process. 

The Principles of Agile Methodology

The development processes for agile methodologies cover a set of principles. It primarily ensures active functionality and scalability for the product development process. Thus, software developers at Sourcing Square follow a set of strict principles to not compromise on the quality of their end product delivery. 

Planning: There are formal meetings and discussions concerning the software engineering of the product. Also, we finalize the agile methodology we’ll use. 

Continuous Delivery: Our developers tirelessly satisfy clients with early or constant delivery. By breaking down the tasks into smaller chunks, our team ensures the scalability of product development at each step. 

Work Culture: We keep a healthy work culture by encouraging self-organized teamwork. Moreover, we create a sustainable work environment and equip them to accomplish the tasks. 

Constant Revision: In case the clients demand some changes in the product development, Sourcing Square experts attend to the changes while on the go. 

Self-organized Team: Our project teams report on their routine tasks and take the essential feedback from the clients. Also, a progress report is generated by the amount of work completed within the set time frame. 

The Agile Development Process

Designing: Firstly, the main activities of the software development process usually occur in the designing phase. 

Implication: It is necessary to constantly elicit requirements and test the software during the development process. Basically, agile is an iterative process, so designs and requirements go hand in hand.  

Allocation: We use a careful procedure with the allocation of requirements. Usually, this process runs alongside design and development processes. The agile methodology offers flexibility and agility compared to the conventional software engineering models. 

Code Development: Agile software development focuses on code development instead of documentation and it defines the process for software engineering. However, agile does not promise to resolve all the software problems existing in the IT industry. But, it sure presents an environment for updated solutions to come to light. 

Despite this, many software developers confuse themselves with the application of Scrum or Kanban. Therefore, here’s a heads up on how to decide on the development methodology in software engineering. 

How do you choose between the two? 

In order to decide between the two agile methodologies or whether to use the agile software development method at all, determine which methodology is most suitable for your business requirements. 

Let’s take, for instance: Do you want the web browsing software up and running in no time? Do you wish to improve the overall process of your project management? Scrum works best with a fast-paced production, whereas Kanban increases the production efficiency. Other methodologies do not fit in with a fast-paced agile environment. 

How beneficial are Agile Methodologies?

As of today, agile software development is considered the best practice for project development. Let us consider some major benefits that help our software engineers trust the agile development process. Agile methodologies:

• Easily adapts to changing industry standards, customer behavior, and fast-track technology changes. 
• Offers constant results with new software versions to satisfy the stakeholders
• Developers meet the demands of stakeholders to guarantee better user satisfaction and a controlled delivery process.
• Pair with quality assurance and testing processes to reduce human labor and increase quality. 
• A cost-effective approach to producing competitive market products

In Conclusion

Agile is the collection of various methods and practices used in software engineering. However, it works best when the project manager has considerable knowledge and expertise on the agile development lifecycle. Therefore, the team should be available to invest time in developing the best version of the software. Plus, the hands-on experience of the entire development team comes into practice throughout the agile software development process. 

Therefore, sourcing square extends its agile software development processes for businesses wanting to make a standing in the marketplace. So, get in touch with us today and outsource your software development projects to a company hoarding the top IT resources. 

The Top 6 UI UX Trends to Follow in 2022

Trends in UI UX design sure took a huge leap forward in 2021. However, the progress has not stopped and is still ongoing. Precisely, it is the demands of the growing world of tech, applications and devices. In fact, a company’s online presence is considered most important with sales and marketing. How the user interacts with your products and services or how it secures sales determines the usability and user experience of the website. High quality and seamless user interactions with the website or the application are vital to the user experience. So, when it is time for the online market to rise, why not tap on the upcoming UI UX trends for overall clientele’s experience.

Thus, expert designers are using modern and sophisticated design trends to stay ahead in the business industry. There is no reason to lay back when we can keep digging and exploring the possibilities of design trends. So, let’s first understand UI and UX design.

What is UI UX Design? 

The expression UX refers to the user experience, while UI refers to the user interface. The UI UX engineering of designs aims to create user interfaces for software and machines such as mobile devices, other electronic devices, namely computers or home appliances. User Interface is the graphical layout of any application or device focusing on the style and looks. Basically, the designers work on how the user would navigate and interact with the digital product. 

Precisely, UI is a digital product design that focuses on visual touchpoints, allowing users to interact with the product. It uses a combination of colour pallets, typography, animations, buttons and imagery that delivers an aesthetically delightful experience for the users. On the contrary, UX applies to physical and digital products that cater to a user’s overall experience from first contact with the product to the last. As a result, the swift experience delights users with its effectiveness. 

UI UX Trends to Follow in 2022 

3D Animations and Designs

2022 has brought in some innovative approaches to UI UX design trends. The three-dimensional use of designs and art will spice up the user interface of UI and UX trends. In a competitive market, this is exactly what your business demands. Interestingly, 3D wallpapers would make it to windows 11 by 2022 onwards. As a result, some magnificent new themes would emerge. However, it is recommended that 3D animation designs come into regular practice for designers and developers. Though these artistic 3D designs might become a hurdle in the fast loading of the websites. 

Without a doubt, the addition of 3D animation and designs in UI UX trends would help businesses present their product with much significance. Moreover, it also aids in a global market by ensuring 40% traffic in conversion.

Dark Mode for Apps and Websites

Previously, everything was entirely designed on the white space background of applicants and websites. Who likes it anymore? 2022 called for innovations in design and compelled designers and developers to create a dark mode for each website. In fact, this is now considered a top trend in UI UX design trends. It allows users to shift from light mode to dark mode easily. 

However, it is not something new; 2021 has also seen an immense number of businesses turning their products in dark mode. 

Wondering why the users prefer dark mode? Primarily, a dark theme with slightly contrasting colours ensures improved visibility for people using their devices in low lights. It also ensures defined visibility for individuals with visual impairment. Moreover, it helps save the power battery of devices. If your mobile application or website is not introduced to the dark mode, then now is the time to get started. 

Compatibility with Different Screen Sizes and Pixels 

UI UX designers engage in intricate processes to design an entire application or website. The process is so much more than just designing buttons or icons. Ideally, designers should create UI interfaces compatible with different pixels and screen sizes. Be it mobile devices, tablets, wearable devices, small or large screens, laptops, desktops, foldable devices, extra-large screens or TVs, designers thoroughly create interfaces with 480px to 1280px.

However, 2022 has urged designers to work on even more compatible screen sizes or pixels. This efficient UI trend has come into practice with more devices and products spread against AR to VR devices. 

UI UX Design in Metaverse 

The UX and UI design interface also support metaverse. It combines different areas such as virtual reality, augmented reality and 3D animation videos where individuals interact live. It intends to engage users around the world through digital instruments sifting through the virtual environment, wearing VR devices. In the wake of creating a metaverse environment, Facebook has recently introduced a VR remote work application that creates a metaverse environment for the users. 

Facebook has also decided to hold the next meetings virtually, with company representative avatars. In addition, the metaverse project has made facebook decide on hiring 10,000 more people to take over the job in the EU. 

Augmented Reality in Web and App Design

Nowadays, AR plays a crucial role in the web and app designing process. The AR technology layer is used in relation with the real world. For instance, the IKEA furniture application UI UX design allows its users to see if the product they are interested in fits their house’s real space. However, the application or device compatibility is considered the main issue when employing augmented reality to website and applications UI UX designs. 

Now, designers and developers aim to connect the digital world with the real world. A remarkable UX is delivered to the users by applying augmented reality in web and app designing. Let’s consider another example of GPS applications where the application calculates the time and duration for you to reach the destination and guides you ahead of time. 

 Unique Illustrations for Business Branding 

An interface is carefully designed and adorned with digital or sketched 3D personalized illustrations. Designers opt for company-specific branding in the form of elements, components and symmetrical graphics, which helps create customized websites and apps. This offers a better user experience when compared to other platforms. Moreover, motion graphics are employed to make these branding illustrations stand out.  

These attractive illustrations hook the viewers and focus on the company’s products and services. These custom branded illustrations make a business stand out from other brands. Also, it offers websites and mobile applications to win at its business branding. 

In Conclusion

Last year has shown immense growth in UI UX trends. It is safe to say that 2022 comes all decked up to advance in these trends and offer a great user interface and user experience. The elements such as dark mode, unique illustrations, and AR/VR installation have been on the radar. However, new technologies and software are also coming into the practice to change the way people interact with their devices. This year brings in new opportunities and advancements for designers and developers for which we cannot wait. So get in touch with us today and onboard our graphic designers’ team to help you through business websites and applications. 

Sourcing Square is the leading resource provider company serving businesses worldwide. So, let’s get started!