Most ERP decisions go wrong for the same reason: the software is chosen from a feature list instead of from the way the business actually works. This guide gives you a practical way to evaluate any ERP, including ours.
Start from your workflow, not a feature list
Write down how one typical order moves through your business today: who takes it, how stock is checked, how and when goods leave, when the invoice is raised, how payment is followed up and how it reaches the books. Then do the same for a purchase.
Every place where someone re-types information, or keeps a separate spreadsheet, is a place an ERP should help. That list becomes your evaluation checklist.
Questions to ask every vendor
- Can an invoice be created from a delivery, and a delivery from an order, without re-typing?
- Can an order be delivered in parts, and does the system show what is still pending?
- Do invoices and payments post to the accounts automatically?
- Are GST reports built from the same invoices, or exported and rebuilt elsewhere?
- Can I limit what each person sees and changes, per screen and per action?
- Which of the features you showed me are live today, and which are planned?
Test with your own transactions
A demo with sample data shows that a screen exists. A trial with your own items, a real customer order delivered in two parts, a return and a part payment shows whether the system fits. Ask for that.
Check the controls and the company
- Security: how are users, passwords and permissions handled? What is not confirmed yet?
- Data: can you export your reports and documents? What happens to your data if you leave?
- Support and documentation: is there written help you can read before you buy?
- Company: is there a real organisation behind the product, with contact details you can verify?