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Don’t Rip-and-Replace Your ERP — Diagnose It First

November 17, 2025 by
Don’t Rip-and-Replace Your ERP — Diagnose It First
Fateh AlNaeb

When an ERP system starts causing delays, errors, or growing frustrations, many organisations jump straight to the most expensive conclusion:

“We need a new ERP.”

In reality, most ERP failures are not technology failures — they’re governance, process, data, and adoption failures. Before spending another pound, dollar, or hour on replacing your system, run a focused 10-day diagnostic to understand what’s actually broken.

This ERP Health Check (Stakeholder Edition) gives you a complete view of the real issues across leadership, process, data, technology, and operations — in just 10 items over 10 days.

Day 1 — Executive Sponsor

Define a one-page charter with:

  • Three measurable outcomes

  • Clear decision rights

  • A named benefits owner

A strong executive foundation prevents misalignment later.

Day 2 — Process Owners

Map your top two end-to-end processes (e.g., Order-to-Cash, Procure-to-Pay).

Identify the five biggest breakdowns and quantify their impact in time, cost, and error rates.

This exposes where the real friction lives.

Day 3 — Finance Lead

Review:

  • Posting groups

  • Dimensions

  • Period-close steps

Capture recurring exceptions and manual workarounds that slow down month-end or create reconciliation headaches.

Day 4 — Data Stewards

Evaluate master data quality across items, vendors, and customers:

completeness, duplication, correctness.

Log the top 20 defects and define simple validation rules to stop re-contamination.

Day 5 — Operations Lead

Conduct a 30–60 minute floor walk.

Watch how work actually flows. Note delays, re-keying, unclear handoffs, and operational pain points.

Prioritise the top three fixes.

Day 6 — IT / Platform Owner

Document:

  • Versions

  • Extensions

  • Integrations

  • Environments

Baseline technical performance: login times, posting times, picking times, key reports.

This reveals whether the issue is configuration, customisation, or infrastructure.

Day 7 — PMO & Governance

Set up a RAID log (Risks, Assumptions, Issues, Dependencies).

Create a Go/No-Go checklist that can be scored objectively.

Begin a benefits log aligned with Day-1 outcomes.

Day 8 — Security & Controls

Review:

  • Role-based access

  • Segregation of Duties (SoD)

  • Approval flows

  • Audit trails

List the top five risks and propose quick fixes.

Day 9 — Training & Adoption

Identify the five user tasks responsible for 80% of service tickets.

Create micro-guides—2–3 slides or a 90-second screen recording—for each.

Small training interventions dramatically reduce friction.

Day 10 — Hypercare Metrics

Measure and publish five weekly truth-metrics:

  • Order-cycle time

  • Pick accuracy

  • Posting errors

  • Backorders

  • Ticket SLA

These act as an early-warning system for operational health.

What You’ll Have in 2 Weeks

This diagnostic produces everything needed to stabilise operations and plan the next 60–90 days:

  • A one-page executive charter

  • Two process flow maps

  • A defects log

  • A scored Go/No-Go checklist

  • A simple KPI dashboard

All without buying a new ERP or starting a multi-million-dollar project.


Want the Full ERP Health Check Kit? Contact us for more details and support.