Changing Your ERP System: Lessons from Hard-Earned Experience

Changing your ERP system is never fun and can cause major disruptions to your business. However, not changing your ERP when it’s clear your current setup isn’t working can cost you even more. Employees often get stuck in familiar, though inefficient, ways of working. There’s a certain comfort in the familiar, even when it’s clearly slowing the business down. On top of that, your team already has a full workload. The thought of overhauling your ERP system while still doing their jobs can feel overwhelming.

It Doesn’t Have to Be That Way

But I’m here to tell you: it doesn’t have to be that way.

Before joining Versa, I found myself in this exact situation more than once, stuck with systems that didn’t scale or support our growth plans. Finding a new ERP and implementing it was daunting, and while it was never fun, I learned valuable lessons over years of doing these switchovers.

I won’t lie to you, there is no truly pain-free way to change your ERP. But with some careful planning early on, you can make the transition smoother and reduce your team’s anxiety when moving to a new system.

Lesson One: Involve the Right People Early in ERP Implementation

One of the biggest mistakes I made was thinking I had all the answers. I had built these companies, knew the processes inside and out, and assumed I knew exactly what we needed.

What I didn’t do was seek enough input from the broader team. Rolling out changes without involving those who use the system every day made the transition much harder than it needed to be.

Getting your leadership team, and key users, involved early is absolutely critical. Their input and buy-in will make a huge difference. When change feels collaborative rather than dictated, it becomes a lot less intimidating.

Lesson Two: Every Business Is Unique in ERP Implementation

The second mistake I made was assuming that the way I ran my businesses was the way everyone else did too.

Now, working on the ERP side of things, I see how differently companies operate, even ones in similar industries.

Although fundamentals are generally the same, everyone has slightly different workflows, reporting needs, and financial arrangements.

When implementing a new ERP, you may find some of your workflows don’t fit perfectly with the system as designed. In those cases, you can adapt your workflow and processes to fit the new ERP, which may take longer initially but could lead to better efficiency over time.

Sometimes your workflow is not able to be adapted. That’s OK — you can customize the ERP to better align with your businesss’ workflows.

A good ERP provider will work with you to make the necessary adjustments and fit the system to better mirror your workflow.

If a change is needed to the system, it’s vital to clearly define and communicate your workflow and processes early on. Your way of doing things may be very different from what the ERP provider expects, so the clearer you are, the smoother the implementation will be, and the easier it will be for your team to adopt the new system.

Biggest Takeaway

Believe me, I’ve made more mistakes than I can count when it comes to ERP transitions. But these two — failing to seek input and assuming every business operates the same way — were by far the biggest. Once I corrected those, future ERP changes went much smoother.