Business Central

Implementing Business Central without rebuilding your processes

You have chosen Business Central, or are about to. What you want is a system your people can work with from day one, figures that reconcile at the first month-end close, and no pile of customisation that has to be retested with every update.

An implementation succeeds or fails on three things: how well the current way of working has been mapped, how clean the data is that moves across, and how seriously it is tested with real scenarios. The software itself is rarely the problem. Those three points are where I start, whether I run the implementation end to end myself or sit on your side next to a partner.

When this fits

The question usually starts with one of these situations.

You are replacing an ageing accounting or ERP package and want to prepare the move properly.
You want one consultant to run the whole implementation, with no hand-offs between sales, project lead and consultant.
You already have a partner and want someone on your side who keeps an eye on setup, scope and planning.
An earlier implementation is live, but people work around the system rather than with it.
You are adding a new legal entity, site or business unit.

What the engagement covers

Configuration is only part of the work. This is the whole of it.

Fit-gap: for each process, what the standard does, what needs a setting, and where customisation is genuinely required.
Setup of finance, purchasing, sales and inventory, and where relevant manufacturing and warehousing.
Data migration: master data, open entries and opening balances, reconciled against the old system.
Test scenarios written with your own people and your own exceptions.
Roles and permissions, so everyone sees what they need and no more.
Training per role, and support through the first period closes after go-live.

What you get

A working system, and the knowledge to run it yourselves.

A configured Business Central environment that matches the agreed processes.
A fit-gap document in which every departure from the standard is justified.
A migration report reconciling balances and open entries.
Work instructions per role, in the language of your organisation.
A handover to your key users or your support partner.

What it is not

Not a setup that copies an outdated process one to one. Where the standard works better, I say so.
Not an implementation without time from your own people. Key users are essential, and we plan for them up front.
Not a go-live on a fixed date if testing is not finished. A postponed go-live costs less than a failed one.
Not an ongoing helpdesk with on-call cover, unless we agree that separately.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a Business Central implementation take?

For a trading company with one legal entity and a limited number of integrations, a few months is realistic. Several entities, manufacturing or a lot of customisation make it longer. The biggest factor is not the software but the availability of your key users and the quality of the data that has to move across.

Which licence do you need: Essentials or Premium?

Essentials covers finance, purchasing, sales, inventory and warehousing. Premium is needed for manufacturing and service management. Staff who only look things up or approve can often use a Team Members licence. I advise on the basis of the roles in your organisation, not the maximum.

Do you implement yourself, or work with a partner?

Either. I can run an implementation end to end: setup, data migration, testing, training and go-live. If you already have a partner, I work on your side next to them and keep an eye on the setup, the scope and the planning. Which shape fits is something we settle in the first conversation.

Which data do we take across?

Master data, open entries and opening balances, almost always. Historical transactions, usually not: they stay available in the old system or an archive. Every year of history you migrate costs testing time and rarely pays for itself.

Can we go live in the middle of a financial year?

Yes. The start of a financial year makes reconciliation simplest, but going live on the first day of a month or quarter works well too. You then take over the opening balance and open entries as at that date.

More within this service

Implementing Business Central?

Tell me where you are: still exploring, talking to partners, or already under way. In a first conversation we go through the main risks and which role suits me.

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