Why ERP rollouts stall
A half-finished ERP is not rare. The system is bought, installed, a few departments start using it - and then everything drifts back to spreadsheets. The cause is usually not the software but the order of the work.
Five typical mistakes
1. Discovery is skipped
A project that starts with "let's install it first and see" is rebuilding document forms in the third month. The workflow, the document forms and the roles must be written down - a verbal agreement is forgotten.
2. Data migration is left until last
It is the stage that takes the most time: duplicate item names, counterparty TINs, balances, the opening trial balance. Leave it until the end and the go-live date slips, taking the team's momentum with it.
3. Balances are not reconciled
If a difference against the old system remains after migration, you cannot go live. The difference survives the switch and resurfaces in every report - and from that moment trust in the system is gone.
4. Training is generic instead of per role
Showing a storekeeper the financial reports is pointless. Each role should learn only its own screen: stage and downtime for the shop floor, receiving and stocktake for the warehouse, month-end close for the accountant.
5. No parallel month
Running both systems for a month looks expensive, but it is the cheapest insurance a switch can have. Differences are found that month - not in production.
Stages and checks
| Stage | What is checked at the end |
|---|---|
| Discovery | Workflow and roles written down, document forms approved |
| Installation | Profile installed, company details entered, chart of accounts applied |
| Data migration | Balances reconciled against the old system, difference is zero |
| Training | Every role has performed a real operation on its own screen |
| Go live | Parallel month closed, backups and monitoring working |
The rule is simple: a stage is not started before the previous one is signed off.
Two technical notes
- Backups must take both the database and the file store. Save only the database and every document attachment is gone after a restore - which is usually discovered on the day of the restore.
- Restores must be tested. An untested backup is not a backup, it is a hope.
ERPONA's rollout stages are listed on the home page; the guide for every screen is at docs.erpona.app.