ERP FAQs
The Questions People Actually Ask
Including the awkward ones about cost, about what happens when a project goes wrong, and about what you can take with you if you decide to leave. If an answer here is uncomfortable, that is usually a sign it is the honest one.
50+ ERP and software projects. Zero failed projects since 2021.
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Cost and timelines
3 questions
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Migration and data
3 questions
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Build and support
3 questions
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The awkward ones
3 questions
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Cost and timelines
How much does an ERP implementation cost?
It depends on scope and on the state of your data, and anyone quoting before seeing both is guessing. A focused first phase for a mid-sized business is a different order of cost from a multi-company rollout. We scope phase one in writing with a fixed price before any build starts, so you are not committing to an open-ended number.
How long does an ERP project take?
A focused first phase covering finance, stock and sales usually runs 8 to 16 weeks. Adding manufacturing, multi-company or heavy customization extends that. Legacy migrations run longer because recovering undocumented rules cannot be rushed safely.
Is open source ERP actually free?
The software is, the project is not. You remove per-user licence fees and you still pay for implementation, hosting, support and any custom development. It is often cheaper over three years, particularly at higher user counts, but it is not free and we would not present it that way.
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Migration and data
Do we have to migrate all our old data?
No, and you usually should not. Most businesses migrate masters, opening balances and open documents, and keep closed history in a read-only archive. Every extra year carried adds testing time and cost for records almost nobody queries.
How do we know the new system is giving correct numbers?
By running both systems for a full cycle and comparing the outputs, not by reviewing a specification. Where the numbers differ, the difference gets investigated on both sides, because the old system is not always the one that was right.
Should we go live all at once or in phases?
Phases, in almost every case. A smaller first go-live that works is worth far more than a full rollout nobody has been trained on. The exception is where processes are so interlinked that a partial cutover would need more interfacing effort than it saves.
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Build and support
Will customization break our upgrades?
Only if it is built the wrong way. Changes kept in a separate custom app using framework hooks survive upgrades and need adjusting rather than rebuilding. Edits made directly to core files are what leave businesses stranded on old versions.
What is a realistic response time to expect from support?
For a critical issue that stops invoicing or dispatch, one hour is a reasonable commitment on a standard plan and 30 minutes on a dedicated one. Be careful of contracts that promise response times without defining priority, because an undefined critical is not a commitment.
Can we run our ERP ourselves after go-live?
Routine work, yes, if training covered it. Adding users, adjusting permissions, editing a print format and building a report should all be within reach of an internal administrator. Version upgrades and custom development usually still need help.
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The awkward ones
What is the most common reason ERP projects fail?
Scope agreed before anyone checked the data. The configuration gets built on assumptions about what the records contain, and the gap only appears at the first month-end, by which point the budget is spent. Profiling the data early is the cheapest risk reduction available.
What happens if we want to leave you partway through?
You take everything with you. The code sits in your repository, the instance is on your infrastructure, and the documentation is written to be handed to someone else. We would rather lose a client than hold one through lock-in, and we have handed over projects on those terms.
What should we do before contacting an ERP partner?
Write down the three things that cost you the most time each week and who does them. That is more useful than a feature list, because it lets any competent partner tell you quickly whether software is the answer or whether it is a process problem.
Ask Something That Is Not Here
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