Custom ERP or an off-the-shelf platform?

A software demonstration shows what a platform can do. Your implementation has to show what it can do with your records, exceptions and existing systems.

Give both options the same examples

Prepare a short evaluation pack: a normal order, an amended order, a partial delivery and a record with missing information. Choose cases from your own operation and remove sensitive data as needed.

Ask each supplier to walk through them. Record the difference between the following answers:

• Available as standard: Does the demonstrated behavior match your rule?
• Configurable: Who configures it, and is that work included?
• Requires development: Who maintains the extension when the platform changes?
• Unsupported: Can the business accept a different process?

Compare the implementation work

Both options need data preparation, migration, testing, training and support. Include the systems that stay, the integrations they require and the way a failed update will be investigated. A license price and a custom development quote rarely describe the same boundary.

For ZMatic, interconnected spreadsheets contained rules that had to become ERP behavior. That is a reason to investigate fit carefully; it does not establish that every spreadsheet-based operation needs a custom system.

Look at ownership after launch

Ask who can change the system, export the data and support the integrations. Include recurring fees and the changes you already expect, such as a new approval rule or business unit. Record the contractual limits that affect a future move.

A packaged platform may fit. A custom system or a combination may fit better. The recommendation should explain that choice using your examples. Explore our ERP approach.