ERP implementation – a tango for two.
Not “the integrator came and did it”, but “the integrator did it together with us”. Departing from this principle is the reason most projects fail.
How we launch Odoo
A company can be moved to a new system in different ways. In practice only one of them works well.
Big bang
Everything is configured to a specification, training is held, and from the new week everyone works only in the new system. On Monday everybody has a pile of questions and work stops for a long time.
Parallel adoption
The old and the new systems run side by side for a while. In practice this means double entry: staff use two interfaces for months, get tired and go back. No process is ever completed and the real effect is postponed.
Phased rollout
We take one area – preparing quotations, taking orders, shift assignments – bring it to a working state, connect it to the old system and move on to the next one. This is how we usually work.
Which way suits you?
We will decide at the first meeting. It depends on the size of the company and the current accounting system, not on what is more profitable to sell. We will find a compromise between your wishes and a realistic launch date for the new ERP.
When a big bang is possible
If you have five to ten people and you are moving from spreadsheets rather than another accounting system, a one-day switch is realistic. But the conditions are strict: master data prepared in advance, no historical data migrated, staff trained before the switch day.
How we run a project
Introduction
A 60–90 minute conversation. We ask questions about the business instead of showing slides. The outcome is a written summary: what we saw, what Odoo covers, and a rough range for timeline and budget.
Priorities
We sort the tasks with MoSCoW: what is a must for the first launch, what is desirable, what is possible and what we deliberately leave out for now. The fixed price rests on this list.
Configuration
We deploy the system, configure it for your processes and migrate the data. In short iterations: each area is tested on real tasks before we take on the next one.
Training
We show your staff how to work in Odoo. We walk through everyday tasks in a training demo. Then we hand out step-by-step printed guides for every role in the company.
Support
We answer day-to-day questions and improve the ERP as you grow. We add new features and integrations. We aim to stay in touch and resolve urgent problems quickly.
We start with the management model, not the buttons. First questions about how your business works, then configuration. An ERP implementation is not an IT project but a management one.
What we need from you
Who is needed
- Project sponsor. The owner or the director. Takes part in key decisions and aligns the departments. Without an active sponsor the project stalls at every hard question.
- Project manager. One person with the authority to decide for the company – someone who understands the business.
- Key users. The accountant, the warehouse manager, the head of sales, the shop foreman. Without them we would have to decide ourselves, from our own understanding of your business.
How much time it takes
- Sponsor – a few hours a month, but at the right moment. Usually these are decisions nobody but the owner will make.
- Project manager – one day a week for the whole project. Not “when free”, but a day blocked in the calendar.
- Key users – one day a week for their department. While we configure the warehouse, we need the warehouse manager.
- And above all – an hour a week on a call is not participation, it is a waste of time.
The more complex the project, the more time it needs. If there is none, it is more honest to postpone at the first meeting than after the start.
When not to start
Sometimes at the meeting we conclude “not now”. And that is fine when the project is clearly headed for failure.
- Nobody can spare the time. The most common reason. An implementation without the people who know your business turns into our guesswork.
- It is unclear who is in charge on the customer side. When decisions are made “by committee”, open questions hang for weeks, and there can be many of them.
- Tidying up without changing the processes. An ERP records a process but does not optimise it. If the warehouse is a mess, that has to be fixed before the implementation.
None of these is a verdict. But they need to be talked through at the start.
Shall we discuss your project?
An hour-long conversation, no obligations. We will look at your processes and tell you whether it is worth starting now and how to make the project succeed.