Moving from Excel to ERP: a 90-day plan
ERP projects fail when they try to change everything at once. A phased plan keeps the business running while the new system earns trust.
Days 1–30: foundations
- Choose one pain point to fix first, such as billing and stock.
- Clean and import masters: customers, suppliers, items, opening balances.
- Define roles: who creates, who approves, who views.
- Train a small core team on a trial site.
Days 31–60: parallel run
- Enter real transactions in the ERP while continuing the old process.
- Reconcile daily or weekly: stock, outstanding, cash.
- Fix mismatches in masters and rules.
- Collect feedback from the people doing the work.
Days 61–90: cut over
- Switch the first process fully to the ERP after a clean month-end.
- Retire the old spreadsheets for that process but archive them.
- Plan the next module: purchase, payroll, projects or CRM.
What to leave for later
Complex reports, rarely used workflows and integrations can wait. Win on the basics first.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a consultant?
Not always. A clear owner on your side, clean masters and a vendor who supports onboarding matter more than the size of the project team.
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