You retain IFS knowledge by documenting your processes and configuration decisions, and by giving every key user a deputy who already works alongside them. The Eqeep training plan supports this with customer-specific training, a quarterly refresher and a fixed place in onboarding.
You probably know the party game where a story is whispered from ear to ear down a line. By the end, the last person almost always tells a different story. Knowledge of your ERP system travels the same way when it only passes from colleague to colleague.
Where does IFS knowledge get lost when people change?
At every handover. Every organisation sees a regular changing of the guard. New people bring new knowledge, and the knowledge of those who leave goes with them. Knowledge is handed over, of course, but people tend to reshape it.
The new colleague then tells a different story from the one who left, including about the system they work in. As a process owner or application manager, you notice it in small signs.
- A new starter goes to the same colleague with every exception, because it is not written down anywhere.
- Nobody remembers why a field is mandatory, or why an order goes past purchasing first.
- After someone leaves, the only work instruction turns out to be on their own drive.
- Every case raised with IFS goes through one person, and that person is about to leave.
What this does to the way people use the system is covered by Erry de Boer in the five biggest barriers to ERP adoption.
What should you write down so knowledge does not depend on one person?
Three kinds of documentation, each answering a different question.
- Process descriptions: how the work flows, who takes each step and where IFS comes in.
- Configuration decisions: which choice was made in IFS, by whom, when and why. For example, why an approval only starts above a certain amount.
- Work instructions: the steps an employee takes in your own configuration. These go out of date fastest.
IFS Cloud holds part of the answer itself. IFS describes an Application Configuration Package as a container for page configurations, projection configurations and the custom entities and custom attributes behind them. Packages move between environments and include details such as a name, an author and an export date.
That tells you which page and projection configurations exist. Basic data and settings such as an approval limit are not in it. Why your organisation made a choice is something you record yourself, ideally when the decision is taken.
Keep these decisions in a simple log. For each one, add the problem it solved, the alternative you dropped and the package or case that carried the change. A successor then sees what is there and why it is there.
Support tickets are knowledge too. At Eqeep, every ticket goes into our service desk portal with its reporter, status and resolution. Over time, that becomes a knowledge base of your environment. See how the Eqeep service desk works.
How do you arrange succession for a key user?
Name a deputy for every key user before anyone hands in their notice.
Towards IFS you name one key user, even if you have several internally; organising application management in-house explains how.
Under the IFS support policy (version 2026-02), IFS only deals with named people, each with their own log-in details. If someone leaves without a registered deputy, your line to IFS Support goes with them. Succession comes down to four steps.
- Name a deputy for each process or module. Give IFS the names of everyone who deals with IFS Support on your behalf.
- Let the deputy sit in on cases, release update testing and change requests.
- Hand over open cases and change requests with their history and the configuration decisions behind them.
- When someone leaves, update the names held by IFS and by your support partner. Log-in details are personal and confidential, so the successor gets their own account.
You decide who becomes a key user and how much time they get alongside their day job.
What is the Eqeep training plan, and what does it do when people change?
Customer-specific training on the system your people work in, with the emphasis on why. Eqeep trains by role and in your own IFS configuration, with consultants who know the domain. The training returns every quarter as a refresher and is part of onboarding.
That matters at a handover. A successor or new key user learns the why from the same training as the rest of the team, not just from their predecessor. The story stays the same, even when the storyteller changes.
Erry de Boer, CEO of Eqeep, explains where it came from.
“In reality, I have seen that employees often do not make optimal use of the ERP solution they work in and with. In addition, I frequently see that they do not fully accept the solution. This is because people do not know in depth why a company is working with a particular solution.
“Why did the organization implement this solution? And why do I have to use the solution in this way? Eqeep has developed a training plan for this in which we give employees in-depth knowledge about the solution they are using. This is not a general talk but a deep dive.
“We think it is important that employees really understand why they are working with this solution, how the solution is put together and what they can get out of it.”
The aim is greater acceptance and understanding of the system.
Erry: “We know our customers and the solution they work with very well. Based on that, we create a customer-specific training so that employees understand all the benefits of the solution that supports their company’s business.
“We also see that the training makes employees think along much more: I do it this way, but can it be done differently? In this way, processes are improved and organizations stay ahead. Because when they design their processes to the maximum, they can serve their customers to the maximum.”
In March 2024 we wrote that the training plan had been launched the summer before. We had a lot of positive feedback, and employees were embracing the system much better.
How does the knowledge stay current after training?
By repeating the training and keeping the documentation up to date. The quarterly refresher keeps acceptance and use of the system from slipping. Because the training is part of onboarding, everyone has the same knowledge and tells the same story.
Meanwhile IFS Cloud itself changes, with two release updates a year. After each one, the process owner brings the work instructions and the decision log up to date. Keeping training material current and training around go-live are covered in IFS training and education.
Your data shows whether the story changes. Process Intelligence uses your transaction data to check whether actual operations match the defined processes. A deviation points to the place where a workaround has crept in.
What can a training plan not fix?
A training plan passes on knowledge that exists. Only your organisation knows the reason behind a business decision. If it was never written down and the person who made it has gone, Eqeep cannot bring it back.
Questions about retaining IFS knowledge
How do you retain IFS knowledge when a key user leaves?
Document your process descriptions, configuration decisions and work instructions, and give every key user a deputy who already works alongside them. Register that deputy with IFS, because the IFS support policy requires IFS to know the names of the people who carry out support tasks.
What is the Eqeep training plan?
Customer-specific training in which employees learn why their organisation uses the system and how it is put together. The training returns every quarter as a refresher and is part of onboarding for new employees.
What does IFS Cloud itself record about your configuration, and what not?
IFS groups page and projection configurations and the objects behind them in Application Configuration Packages. Each has a name, an author and an export date. Basic data and settings such as an approval limit are not in it, and neither is the reason behind a choice. You record that yourself.
When should you name a deputy key user?
Before anyone leaves, ideally as soon as the key user is named. Give IFS the names of everyone who deals with IFS Support for you. IFS only deals with named people who have their own log-in.
Tell us where you stand with IFS. You get one conversation and a clear next step. We will gladly show you the training plan for your organisation. Discuss your IFS question.
