ERP Training: Tips, Tricks, and Best Practices

In this article we discuss:

• What Is ERP Training?
• Top 5 ERP Training Methods
• 7 ERP Training Best Practices
• Final Takeaways

Today’s businesses are shaped by big data and decentralized work, and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are meant to keep everything running smoothly. Yet Gartner predicts that by 2027, 70% of newly implemented ERP projects will fail to meet their original goals.

In many cases, that failure stems from ineffective training. When teams aren’t onboarded properly, they lack the knowledge to apply ERP capabilities intentionally. It doesn’t matter if you have the best ERP system on the market—a map is useless if no one knows how to read it.

As digital transformation and enterprise architecture introduce more interconnected systems and dependencies, staying aligned only gets harder. ERP training connects employees to the purpose behind adoption and gives them the confidence to use the system to its full potential, ensuring teams stop flying blind and start moving with intention.

What Is ERP Training?

ERP training teaches employees how to use an ERP system with confidence, covering navigation, specific module usage, integrations, and reporting. This training helps employees understand how new ERP-supported workflows will function and how their responsibilities connect to broader operations within the platform.

Committing to this type of training before implementation is crucial to long-term ROI of an ERP system. In fact, Panorama Consulting reports that insufficient training and support for employees is the top reason adoption suffers.

With strong ERP system training in place, tech leaders can help their teams:

• Interpret new processes with clarity: Understand the logic behind redesigned workflows and how those changes affect upstream and downstream work
• Adjust to new responsibilities with guidance: See how their roles shift within the system, including what decisions they’re accountable for and where handoffs look different
• Strengthen data discipline: See how shared data flows through the ERP, how individual actions shape the broader operational picture, and how consistent inputs support data governance automation
• Develop operational confidence before go‑live: Practice full scenarios end to end—closing a task, routing an approval, reconciling an error—so daily work isn’t interrupted
• Contribute to faster stabilization: Apply the system correctly from day one, helping the organization shorten the post‑launch adjustment period and reach steady-state performance sooner

Early, structured training sets the tone for a smoother rollout. When employees have time to learn, practice, and ask questions ahead of go-live, they're more prepared for the transition and willing to embrace the new system.

Top 5 ERP Training Methods

ERP training relies on a combination of approaches to align with the different ways employees absorb information and different scenarios where they will use the system. 

Some sessions need structure and expert guidance, while others work best when people can move at their own pace. There are five of the most commonly-used methods enterprises use today.

Method 1: Instructor-Led Training

Instructor-led training (ILT) provides structured, real-time guidance for workflows that need demonstration, context, and direct explanation. Instructor-led sessions are essential for complex processes that span multiple teams or require precise sequencing.

ILT typically includes:

• Demonstrating end-to-end workflows such as procure-to-pay, order-to-cash, or performance review cycles
• Walking through role-specific steps while explaining upstream and downstream impacts
• Live Q&A to clarify exceptions, approvals, routing logic, and error resolution
• Hands-on practice within a training tenant with expert supervision

Method 2: Virtual and Remote Training

Virtual ILT brings consistent instruction to distributed or shift-based teams without requiring travel or large in-person sessions. It ensures every location receives the same guidance, regardless of geography or team size.

Effective virtual training often involves:

• Interactive screen shares that model real transactions step by step
• Breakout rooms for practice scenarios by role or functional area
• Session recordings employees can revisit during go-live or process changes
• Chat-based Q&A that captures questions for future job aids or documentation

Method 3: Self-Paced Learning

Self-paced learning lets employees explore system features and practice tasks independently. Self-paced content supports new hires, teams onboarding after go-live, and employees who prefer repetition to build confidence.

Strong self-paced modules should include:

• Short, role-specific videos showing how to complete a single task
• Click-through simulations that mirror the ERP interface
• Quizzes or checkpoints to reinforce key process logic
• Reference guides employees can use when they forget a step or return after time away

Method 4: On-the-Job and Peer-Based Training

Real work cements ERP learning. Peer-based training—commonly led by super-users or local champions—helps employees connect system steps to daily responsibilities while they’re on-the-job.

Peer-based and on-the-job training often focuses on:

• Shadowing experienced users during common tasks like time entry, requisitions, or approvals
• Walking through exceptions that rarely appear in formal training sessions
• Reviewing how data entered in one area impacts reporting or downstream teams
• Reinforcing correct process routing, naming conventions, and data entry standards

Method 5: ERP Training Software and On-Demand Resources

In-app guidance and searchable digital resources support employees at the exact moment they need help. These tools reduce training bottlenecks and keep work moving without waiting for scheduled sessions.

On-demand tools often include:

• Step-by-step in-app checklists or tooltips for tasks performed infrequently
• Searchable knowledge bases with screenshots, examples, and troubleshooting steps
• Role-based hubs that centralize job aids, process maps, and recordings
• Embedded help links that align system actions with the organization’s approved process design

7 ERP Training Best Practices

ERP training methods need the right practices behind them to make them effective. These seven best practices ground training in the realities of day-to-day work and set teams up for success throughout the training and implementation process.

1. Start Training Early

Bring employees into the process as soon as key workflows and configurations are defined. Early exposure gives teams time to understand how their tasks will be executed in the ERP, practice those steps gradually, and absorb changes without pressure.

2. Customize Training to Business Processes

Use real transactions, approval paths, and data examples from your environment. Employees learn faster when training mirrors the actual sequence of events they’ll follow in the system, including where tasks pass between teams.

3. Prioritize User Adoption Through Change Management

Explain the reasoning behind new workflows and system‑driven steps. When employees understand the operational purpose behind the ERP system structure, they’re more likely to trust it and less likely to revert to old methods.

4. Provide a Consistent Training Program Structure

Organize training around clear project phases that stay aligned with the overall deployment timeline. This helps employees track their progress, understand what’s expected next, and feel anchored throughout the rollout.

5. Offer Multiple Learning Formats

Match formats to the nature of the work—for example, guided sessions for complex tasks and practice environments for hands-on roles. This keeps learning practical and tied to real responsibilities.

6. Reinforce Through Ongoing Support

After the launch, give employees ways to confirm they’re following the right processes, such as office hours, quick reference guides, and updated walkthroughs based on the scenarios they encounter most often. This support helps stabilize usage and reduces early disruptions.

7. Measure Training Effectiveness

Evaluate whether employees are completing tasks as intended inside the ERP. Look at workflow delays, rework requests, and areas where teams repeatedly ask for clarification. These signals highlight where training needs more depth or where processes might need refinement.

Final Takeaways

Good ERP training turns a well-intentioned system implementation into a reliable operational backbone. When employees understand why workflows are structured the way they are and how their inputs affect downstream work, the entire organization sees steadier performance.

Training that reflects real processes—using actual transactions, routing logic, and business scenarios—helps teams work accurately from the start. Pairing this with structured learning, hands-on practice, and accessible support after go-live gives employees the reinforcement they need as they encounter new situations.

The organizations that see the strongest ROI treat ERP training as a continuous discipline. As processes evolve and updates roll out, ongoing training keeps teams aligned to how the ERP system is meant to function and supports continuous planning. This strengthens adoption and helps the business operate with confidence in the system it depends on every day.

Employee support for organizational change is in huge decline. Empower your managers to take decisive action and lead transformation at every level of your business with the findings from this Workday report.