A Complete Guide To Build The Best ERP Software App From Scratch

What Is An ERP Software App Solution?

ERP software apps are used by various organizations for automation purposes of the business operations of their company. ERP solutions are mainly used for resource management in companies. In simpler terms, all the received data is stored in one database so that everyone working in the organization irrespective of the department, can make use of the data for organization, analysis and reporting.

There are two types of ERP software apps – out of the box ERP and custom ERP. The out of the box ERP can be described as the software apps that offer little or no customization (already built). It can also be simply described as that each company will have to adjust their own ERP software app including its processes and devote time and money to train their employees.

Custom ERP software apps are the solutions that are developed from scratch by the engineers or developers of the company. The purpose of customization is so that the ERP solution fits the processes of the company and the employees can make use of it conveniently. 

The pros of getting an ERP software app developed for your organization are:

• Dedicated Modules: With instituting a custom ERP software app, you will have the privilege to use the modules that your organization requires. The minimum privilege for the employees is that they can use a specific set of modules that they require for their work.
• Simple Maintenance: The ERP solutions built internally in the organization can be easily maintained and supported.
• Same Workflow: The company will not have to change the operational processes while introducing a custom ERP software app.

Why Do You Need An ERP Software App?

The companies that develop ERP software apps not only serve as service providers but also your partners. One of the main prerequisites that you must consider while choosing the right ERP developer is the willingness and commitment they show while hearing your requirements. 

The major reasons why you should get an ERP software app developed for your company are as follows:

• ERP solution allows the processes of the business like financial management, resource management, etc. to process on autopilot.
• ERP solutions offer real-time data that is proven to be profitable for marketing, accounting, etc.
• You can customize the app according to the advanced solutions you want to include. This would also determine the cost.
• The specialization needs of your business can be easily addressed.
• The custom ERP solution will help to work in the most efficient way. Therefore, it will increase productivity.
• Building an advanced ERP solution will sync your business with the market.

Development Process Of An ERP Software App Solution

The development process of the ERP system should be simple and basic. The steps that you should follow for the development of an ERP software app are as follows:

1. Define your Goals and Requirements

In order to get a useful product with the best quality, you must keep your idea and perspective clear. Your idea and goals regarding the product should be transparent with the team members irrespective of the department. This will allow the team members to solve the problems if any occurs, with the same mindset.
An ERP software app that has a good quality should be able to automate daily processes and manage the data between sales, planning, etc.
The enterprises that usually require an ERP solution for their business activities include sales, financing, delivery, HR, etc. 

2. FUI/UX Design

Design plays a crucial role in the development of any project. When we speak of an ERP software app, its UI/UX design should be simple, straight-forward and user-friendly. It should prove to be convenient for users to use. An ERP software app generally consists of many navigation buttons, charts and various other elements.
The most important part of making a design is the wireframe. A wireframe can be defined as the systematic/schematic interface representation of the elements that may be included in the app in the future. The design team should make sure that the designs are built on the grounds of simplicity. 

3. Consider Tech Stack

The crucial part of keeping an ERP software app stable and efficient is choosing a robust tech stack. The platform chosen for the app demonstrates the tech stack.
For desktop platforms, developers will use C++ or C# and Swift or Objective-C. For web platforms, engineers would use Angular, Javascript, Bootstrap or Node.js.

4. Integrating ERP Modules

It is a common practice to integrate third parties at the time of development. Software engineers can use distinctive APIs from the services of the third party to access the data and display it into the ERP software app. The hired developers can integrate various services including Office 365, G Suite, FreshBooks, SAP, Salesforce, Jira and many others. 

5. The Final Product

When you get an ERP software app built from scratch, testing the working of each part is equally necessary. The mobile application company you hire for the development of your app should also have QA engineers for testing the system to find the bugs.

Key Features Of An ERP Software App

There are a lot of features that can be incorporated into an ERP Software app to make its working user-friendly and efficient. Some of the best features that can be included are:

1. Integration

ERP offers an integrated and intuitive platform that allows us to monitor, analyze and conduct major data-centric tasks. An ERP software app plays the role of collecting, storing and analyzing data in all departments. This ensures communication in all departments.
Working from a single source (ERP), reduces the lack of compatibility within the departments. The data analyzed helps in predicting future tasks based on market trends. Thus, increasing efficiency and ensuring the smooth working of operations in the organization.

2. Automation

The functionality of ERP software apps automates tasks like reporting, accounting, invoicing, order entry, etc. Introducing automation reduces the amount of time spent on these minor tasks so that the staff could focus on the major assignments.
Automation also reduces the probability of human error. When the employees are spending a lot of time repeating the same tasks over and over again, it is natural that they make a few mistakes. Automation facilitates separating one task from another respective to their system. Therefore, fewer chances of error.

3. Data Analysis

Data analysis is used to analyze the trends and patterns in your business. This allows the users to think about the tasks that will prove to be effective in the future and will help take business decisions effectively.
ERP software apps help in analyzing all the data irrespective of the process operation. It can also help you in predicting the demand, creating the budget or analyzing the HR operations. 

4. Reporting

One of the best functionalities of the ERP software app is that it gives descriptive reports that are relevant, actionable and intuitive. These reports are traceable, error-free, corrected and that prevent any inconsistent and questionable action.
These ERP solutions help you in finding the weakness of your business and make sure that you perform stronger every time. 

5. Relationship Management

Having a CRM is beneficial for companies that have a large customer base that is too big for spreadsheets. Instituting CRM within an ERP software app will enable centralized customer information. The employees can access the data at one play while simultaneously working in other departments.
CRM tools are mainly popular in sales, marketing automation and lead management departments. Having CRM incorporated in the ERP solution takes care of the customers. Therefore, it is proven to be very helpful in the long-term retention of customers. 

6. Accounting

An ERP software app should have strong and powerful accounting functionality. ERP systems help in managing various processes including receivable accounts, payable accounts, risk management, tax management, fixed-asset management and others. A strong ERP software app will allow you to manage sales and revenue with its strong tools that will also enable efficient processing of payments, expenses, etc.

7. Tracking and Visibility

ERP solutions provide visibility with efficient comprehensiveness. For example, the supply chain.
Talking about the functionality of tracking, an ERP software app tracks information for the users about staff productivity, sales, etc. Various ERP solutions have the feature to track the finished products from their source to their destination. The tracking process gets even simpler when the sending and receiving of information is transparent. This is also known as visibility. The visibility level demonstrates the users about the issues that may occur in the future.
ERP solutions provide users with various tools to track different types of processes. Sales can be tracked using CRM tools, staff productivity can be tracked using HR module tools, production statistics can be tracked using analysis tools.

Cost Of Development Of An ERP Software App

The companies in business industries including large corporations, medium-sized enterprises or small startups, all are looking forward to adopting ERP software apps. The cost of the development of an ERP system for your business depends on the size of the company of the scope of its requirements.

One of the many factors affecting the cost of the development of an ERP software app is the expertise level of the team hired. The mobile application development company you hire for developing your app would have a great team of developers. Usually, the team that has a good amount of experience tends to charge more. You can expect the app to go from a range of 7000 US dollars to 50000 US dollars that are totally dependant on your requirement and technical functionalities.

The major factor that affects the cost of development apart from the platform to be integrated, is the features. The features determine the major portion of the cost. More advanced features will cost you much higher as compared to incorporating basic features in the app.

Wrap Up

It becomes a burden for the companies when their operations are not properly managed. The best way to address this problem is by introducing an ERP software app in their business. The enterprise software solution helps to boost your company’s performance in the best way possible.  Although at the beginning of the development phase it may seem costly choosing the right mobile application development company will help you reduce the cost at various steps and build a perfect ERP system for your business.