What good ERP implementation feels like

This article looks at what good ERP implementation feels like, and what to look for when deciding who to work with. 

• ERP success isn’t just about choosing the right system for your business. It depends just as much on choosing the right partner and understanding how that system will be implemented. 
• How do they approach project scope, timelines and budget? How collaborative is the process? Are responsibilities clear? And how well did you gel during those early conversations?  These things matter more than you might expect.  
• Because when software, implementation and working relationships are aligned, ERP projects feel structured, collaborative and purposeful. 

Good implementation is shaped by structured processes and people 

An ERP implementation isn’t just a project plan. It’s a working relationship that plays out over months of decisions, trade-offs and change. It requires a structured way of working, and close collaboration with the people delivering it, over a sustained period of time. 

ERP implementation is sometimes treated as something to complete, rather than something that shapes what comes next. 

In reality, how your system is implemented sets the tone for everything that follows: how confident your team feels, how much value you get from the software, and how often you need to rely on external help to adapt as your business changes. 

A good ERP implementation should give you: 

• Clarity about what’s included, what isn’t, and why 

• Confidence that your business has been properly understood 

• Control over how the system evolves after you go live on it 
  

It’s this…. 

“Our initial, close work with our Intact consultant really helped us to understand our business needs better.” 
Sam Herd, IT Manager, Specialist Tiling Supplies 

That sense of understanding is what turns implementation from a transaction into a partnership - and it’s something you should expect from the outset. 

Who you work with matters just as much as how your ERP is implemented

When you start an ERP implementation, you’re not just agreeing a scope and timeline. You’re committing to work closely with a delivery team over a sustained period of change. 

What’s important is that you have clarity on how that team is structured, how responsibilities are shared, and how decisions are made as the project progresses. 

In a well-run ERP implementation, you should expect to see clearly defined roles, including: 

• A Project Manager responsible for coordination, risks and communication 

• A Lead Business Consultant who understands your industry and day-to-day operations 

• A Finance Consultant who treats financials as core to the system, not an afterthought 

• Migration and integration specialists focused on data quality and continuity 

• Access to a wider centre of expertise to validate decisions and apply best practice 

What matters isn’t simply that these roles exist. It’s that they work alongside your team - asking the right questions, challenging assumptions where needed, and translating real-world processes into a system that genuinely supports how you operate. 

A phased approach isn’t about slowing things down - it’s about reducing risk  

Implementing a new ERP is a significant step forward for your business. A phased approach to implementation can really help you manage that change - breaking it into clear, manageable stages so your team can build confidence and progress without overload.  

In practice, this means structuring the implementation around a small number of clearly defined phases - each with a specific purpose, clear ownership, and the right level of support.

1. Project direction and oversight

From the outset, there should be a named project manager responsible for coordination, communication and governance - not just scheduling tasks, but ensuring decisions are made at the right time and risks are managed early.

2. Solution delivery

This is where the system is shaped around how the business actually works. 

It typically includes: 

• Discovery and process workshops 

• Guided configuration rather than heavy customisation 

• Early data familiarisation and migration 

• Training for system administrators and key users 

• Preparation for user acceptance testing 

This phase should be clearly scoped and priced, giving you certainty and protecting budgets. 

If genuinely bespoke requirements emerge - complex legacy data, specialist integrations, advanced reporting - they should be identified early, scoped clearly, and agreed transparently.

3. Operational readiness

This is where confidence is built. 

Your team get to begin working with real data, testing real processes, and identifying gaps while there is still time to address them. 

“The customer always has a period to test the system properly. It’s not configure and go-live - they get time to take ownership and make sure it works for them.” 
Dena Cermak, Lead Business Consultant, Intact 
 

4. Go-live assurance and hypercare

Go-live should feel supported, not abrupt. 

A well-run ERP implementation includes structured readiness checks, hands-on support at launch, and a dedicated hypercare period immediately after go-live. This phase focuses on helping your team settle into the system, resolve early questions quickly, and ensure everything is running smoothly in day-to-day use. 

5. Ongoing support and continued improvement

Once the system is up and running, the focus naturally shifts from implementation to getting the most out of your software over time. 

At this point, responsibility moves to a dedicated customer success team who look after ongoing support, account management, and the improvements you want to continue making as your business evolves. 

The people you work with may change, but the relationship doesn’t. The aim is long-term value, continuity, and a system that continues to support you well beyond go-live. 

Cost clarity is part of good implementation 

One of the biggest sources of ERP frustration isn’t the headline cost - it’s the unpredictability. 

Traditional day-rate models can quickly lead to: 

• Scope creep 

• Budget uncertainty 

• Change requests that feel unavoidable rather than valuable 

A more transparent approach combines fixed-fee delivery phases with clearly defined optional services. Businesses know what they’re paying for, can plan confidently, and stay in control when priorities change. 

That transparency matters not just during implementation, but long after go-live - when the real cost of ownership begins to take shape. 

Common warning signs in ERP implementation include: 

• Vague timelines or open-ended day rates 

• Bespoke work only identified late in the project 

• Go-live treated as the finish line 

• No clear ownership once hypercare ends 

Long-term value is built through autonomy 

Many ERP systems require vendor involvement for even minor changes - new fields, workflow tweaks, validation rules or reports. 

What should be a small adjustment can quickly turn into a formal change request, weeks or months of waiting, and additional cost. Over time, that dependency adds friction, slows decision-making, and significantly increases your total cost of ownership. 

Platforms such as GenetiQ are designed to give you more autonomy after go-live. With the right training, internal teams can: 

• Adjust layouts and screens 

• Add fields and logic 

• Create business rules 

• Build reports and data views 

• Adapt workflows as the business evolves 
  

As our product director explains: 

“Personalisation runs right through GenetiQ. Whether it’s layouts, rules or views, the system is designed so your team can flex it - without development.” 
Gary Brookshaw, Product Director, Intact 
 
That autonomy doesn’t just reduce cost. It makes your business more agile - able to respond quickly to changes in customer behaviour, market conditions, and internal priorities, without waiting on a vendor to catch up. That’s gold! 

Good implementation feels human - not transactional 

ERP projects are complex. They involve change, uncertainty and pressure across teams. 

What often makes the difference is how supported people feel throughout the process. 

“From the outset, all the way through and even after go-live, our implementation was nothing short of exceptional.” 
Tom Skevington, Company Accountant, Clarke’s of Walsham 
 
Good implementation partners don’t just configure software. They challenge legacy processes, slow things down when it matters, and stop you from spending money simply to recreate old problems in a new system. 

As one of our consultant puts it: 

“Why would you pay for new software just to keep doing things the old way? The benefit is removing the dust - not buying a better broom.” 
Leigh Matthews, Senior Consultant, Intact

There isn’t one “right” way - but there are clear expectations 

Before implementation even begins, the most important step is making sure the software itself is right for your business. No implementation approach can compensate for a system that isn’t a good fit. Taking the time to do that due diligence is what makes everything that follows - the journey, the investment, and the outcomes - worthwhile. 

Once that foundation is in place, what matters most is that you: 

• Understand how the implementation will unfold 

• Have clear visibility of where time and money are being spent 

• End up with a system you can adapt and take ownership of 

When implementation is handled well, it doesn’t feel chaotic or stressful. It feels considered, well-supported, and purposeful - giving your team confidence not just at go-live, but long after. 

That’s the standard you should expect.