If this is your first ERP implementation, a professional coach is an invaluable mentor who has traveled this road many times before. Only a few hours of assistance each week can keep you on track. This can range from on-site visits to a few conference calls. With a professional coach you are still doing everything on your own however, the project coach can help you do it more effectively. This reduces the risks and works like an insurance policy for project stability. When implementing ERP software, each move is more and more critical, and a project coach provides the competitive edge.

A project coach:

· Focuses on the critical path and the decisions that are needed to move along it smoothly.

· Reduces one's understanding of a complex problem to the simplest terms.

· Has specialized knowledge of the application and business processes being implemented through formal training and hands-on experience.

· Gets things moving by setting short-range and long-range goals with milestones.

· Can distinguish between what is important and what is extraneous based on first hand knowledge, past experience and doing his homework.

· Feels assurance based on knowing he's done everything possible to prepare.

· Resolves issues and gets his message accepted based on the merits of the situation.

· Positions you to exploit good fortune and contain the effects of any accidents.

· Has no doubt  under pressure and stress because he has been there many times before.