All Posts
Life sciences ERP software selection - 2026 buyer’s guide (GxP‑ready)
Choosing ERP in a validated environment is different. This 2026 buyer’s guide shows how to evaluate life sciences ERP through a GxP lens—Part 11 e‑signatures, audit trails, QA release, lot/expiry traceability, and LIMS/QMS/EDMS integrations. Get selection criteria, a weighted scorecard, and five scripted demos to run with your data so your shortlist is CSV‑ready before contracts.
John Hannan
4 min read
Software Selection - A Practical Playbook for Confident, Defensible Decisions
Software selection becomes risky when decisions hinge on demos instead of evidence. This guide shows how to structure selection with clear criteria, weighted scorecards, scripted day-in-the-life demos, integration and data checks, and TCO analysis. Built from 25+ years of running selections across manufacturing, distribution, and life sciences, it’s a vendor-neutral playbook for confident and defensible decisions that hold up on go-live day.
John Hannan
4 min read
Steel & Metal Service Center ERP Training That Actually Works
Training that moves the needle in a service center is built on the realities of coil and sheet. This playbook outlines a role‑based curriculum and hands‑on labs—actual vs theoretical weight, attribute‑driven quoting, label regeneration, intercompany and milk‑run flows, outside processing, COD, and credit/rebill—and shows how to tie that training to ERP selection and implementation so Day One runs clean.
John Hannan
4 min read
Distribution ERP Selection - A Playbook for Real‑World Distributors
Choosing a distribution ERP means testing real workflows—pricing, rebates, transfers, WMS/TMS, drop-ship, EDI—not just features. This playbook walks distributors through process-based evaluation, weighted scorecards, data migration pitfalls, demo scripts, and KPIs that expose the real differences between platforms. A practical guide for multi-branch and value-add distributors selecting their next ERP.
John Hannan
5 min read
FDA ERP Validation (21 CFR Part 11): Practical Checklist & Templates
Learn how to validate an ERP system for FDA 21 CFR Part 11 and GxP without bloating scope. This guide shows a risk‑based path through IQ/OQ/PQ, the exact Part 11 controls to prove (e‑signatures, audit trails, timeouts, lockouts), and the evidence auditors expect for backup and restore. Includes concise test snippets you can copy and a downloadable checklist, risk traceability matrix, and test‑case template to accelerate your project. Useful for NetSuite, SAP, and D365 in regu
John Hannan
5 min read
Why Outsourcing the “Internal” ERP Project Manager Often Saves the Program
ERP projects rarely fail because the software doesn’t work—they fail because no one owns the whole picture. When multiple vendors, ISVs, and integration partners are involved, coordination gaps multiply. An outsourced internal ERP project manager acts as the owner’s representative, bridging systems, timelines, and decisions across teams. This post explores why neutrality, structure, and focus often make the difference between drift and delivery.
John Hannan
4 min read
Capacity Planning for Radiopharmaceutical Therapy - Making the Clock an Ally
Radiopharmaceutical therapy capacity isn’t just headcount and rooms—it’s physics. Activity decays by the hour; QC and licensing gates sit on the critical path; hot cells, operators and courier cut‑offs throttle throughput. This post outlines a practical playbook: anchor schedules on patient time, make bottlenecks explicit, separate strategic/tactical/operational horizons, and use finite‑capacity slotting tied to potency windows. Not a sales pitch—just a starting point you can
John Hannan
4 min read
Tracking RAM Licensing Limits - Why “Good Enough” Software Isn’t Good Enough for Radiopharmaceutical Therapy Manufacturing
Radiopharmaceutical therapy manufacturers must track radioactive material (RAM) possession in real time—by nuclide, form, location, and time—to stay within NRC/Agreement State license limits. This post shows where generic ERP fails, what purpose-built RAM tracking must do (decay math, location gates, Part 37 aggregation, 10 CFR 30.51 records), and how to evaluate software and partners.
John Hannan
6 min read
How to Select the Best ERP for Your Small Business
ERP systems can significantly increase your small business's chances of success. However, this also depends on you choosing the suitable one. But suppose you haven't worked much with ERPs. Then selecting one for your supply chain systems and other elements of your small business may be challenging. We've explained what to look out for in small business ERPs below.
John Hannan
4 min read
ERP Selection for Make-to-Order manufacturers - What actually matters
As a make-to-order leader, you can’t buy ERP by brochure. I outline the essentials I test in every selection: a clean CPQ→ERP handshake that explodes a manufacturable variant BOM/routing, revision control and ECOs from CAD/PLM, finite capacity scheduling, long-lead pegging, real job costing, and quality/traceability. Many systems fit; the right partner with industry IP and a scripted, hands-on selection makes the difference.
John Hannan
4 min read
ERP Selection for Industrial Distribution - How to choose well (and why your partner matters)
Industrial distributors live on inventory accuracy, margin control and speed. This post shares the checklist I use to choose ERP—WMS/picking, stock vs. direct, pricing/SPAs & rebates, planning/EDI, returns, credit & cash, analytics. Several ERPs can fit; the partner’s industry IP and delivery playbook make the difference. Script demos around your flows, prove the hard parts, and phase the rollout.
John Hannan
4 min read
ERP Selection Considerations for a Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO)
Choosing ERP for a CDMO is more than features—it’s compliance and project fit. Prioritize cGMP/21 CFR Part 11 controls, ASC 606 project accounting and WBS, sponsor visibility via portals, and integrations to LIMS, MES, and 3PL. Use these points to script demos, compare vendors, and run a realistic pilot so you can select, validate, and implement with less risk and faster time to value.
John Hannan
3 min read