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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
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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 to 60 minute floor walk.

Watch how work actually flows. Note delays, rekeying, 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, customization, 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 to 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.

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