Enterprise Architecture

The first-time ERP implementation project is like getting married for the first time. Over 50% of them are likely to end up in failure. Most savvy executives who have gone through multiple implementations share that it might take up to 6 implementations – to get tangible business results from ERP projects. But, unfortunately, just like marriages, by the time they are on their 4th or 5th, they would have retired. Or they would rather not touch ERP implementations again because of the previous nightmares.

Regardless of how hard you try, you will have challenges with your first marriage (or ERP implementation). The challenges exist mostly in the misalignment of expectations, how you envisioned your life (your expectations from technology) versus your partner’s expectations of life (your ERP vendors’ expectations of your data and processes). Also, just like marriages, the issues with ERP implementations aren’t very logical or technical. Most of them are likely to be highly irrational, emotional – and, at times, strange.

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There is only one way to save your first marriage (or ERP project): to marry someone who has been married at least once (hire very seasoned consultants with several years of implementation experience). Or do a ton of research before tying the knot (pre-selection phase). Most importantly, be mentally and financially prepared for the possibility of surprises. And you need to be super open-minded to be successful. So, what are the core reasons why the first ERP implementations fail?

10. Misunderstanding of Architecture. 

Architecture is like a blueprint for your house. Regardless of how small a house might be, architecture is still critical. The newer technologies and SAAS platforms are likely to mislead you into thinking that the technology is plug-and-play. Not true!

Issues:

• Thinking that Architecture is Not Important for Smaller Companies. A misunderstanding that APIs are supposed to integrate magically. Not to mention a belief that pre-baked integrations can cover any use cases.
• Ignoring the Interests of the Technical Teams Completely. Believing that technical folks can figure out any requirements thrown their way. 
• Misassumption that Technology is about Plug-and-Play. A belief that any number of SaaS apps can be meshed together to form an ERP. And an assumption that the only thing you need to integrate two or more apps is the credentials.

Recommendations:

• Don’t Ignore the Architecture. Have well-articulated business specifications, followed by technical. Also, vet pre-baked integrations with your use cases.
• Ignoring the Interests of the Technical Teams Completely. Don’t ignore the technical perspective. Additionally, pay close attention to technical teams, as not listening might result in withdrawal issues. They might code poorly to get short-term results. However, the code may not be scalable or may have downstream implications.
• Even the Plug-and-play Technologies Require an Architectural Mindset. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that “Ikea” assemblies can meet any needs. Most SMB data and processes are so ad-hoc that even the most custom furniture shop will fall short of their needs. So, streamline your business model to fit into “Ikea” assemblies or better have resources and funds for expensive “custom furniture.”

What may work for SAAS doesn’t work for ERP, and this misunderstanding is the leading reason for the failure of the first ERP implementation.

9. Internal Skillset. 

Regardless of how experienced consultants you hire, the experience of your internal team is still important. The first-time ERP implementation projects fail because going through a few cycles helps relate to the process and data re-engineering needed.

Issues:

• Team Misalignment. Teams disagreeing on the design? Data ownership? Process design? Also, disagreements on how the source of authority is supported to work. In general, the more inexperienced the team, the more misalignment.
• Lack of Experience with Similar Initiatives. No prior experience with similar initiatives? In fact, only experience as a user. Generally, only a few implementations are under their belt to be informed of the decision-making. The more limited the experience with similar initiatives, the more likely it is to fail the implementation.
• Power Struggle. Are teams not willing to give up on favorite processes or tools that might have a downstream impact? Few users too powerful and dragging the architecture in their direction? The more the power struggles, the higher the chances of failure.

Recommendations:

• Aligning Teams Require Cross-functional Visibility. Break those “walls” and increase visibility. Coach teams on cross-functional processes. So they can visualize the implications for other teams because of their decisions.
• Hire Experienced Team Members. Pair interns with experienced resources. But have experienced resources who are going to be making policy decisions.
• When Technology Falls Short, Compensation Wins. Don’t underestimate the power of compensation. When technology falls short, compensation wins. Align compensation with the right KPIs, with a tangible impact on the top and bottom lines. Trace back and identify the root cause of the barrier to hitting those KPIs.

First-time implementors are likely to have inexperienced resources, but their data and processes require a lot more work. And that is the reason why first-time ERP implementation projects fail.

8. Stakeholder Commitment. 

Most teams implementing an ERP for the first time are controlled significantly by founders. Due to the nature of how they started their business, it’s very hard for them to learn the art of delegation and collaboration, especially if they might not have as much experience working in larger corporations or teams.

Issues:

• Considering the Initiatives as IT Project. Thinking that the ERP project is all about technology. A belief that technology is the solution for any process or data-related issues.
• Not Able to Balance How Much to Get Involved. Monopolizing the conversation. Not setting the right communication framework to have a clear engagement model of when to get involved and when to back off.
• Not Able to Build Consensus Among Teams. There is not enough leadership experience to dig through details and help teams make decisions. Not enough experience going through similar projects to help teams make decisions.

Recommendations:

• Don’t Take Hand-Off Approach with Cross-functional Initiatives. Don’t execute the ERP projects in a hands-off fashion. Stay engaged, and ask clarifying questions. But don’t push, or they are likely to withdraw because of your power position. 
• Build Processes and Reporting Structure That Allow You to Have the Right Involvement. Make sure to let consultants set the framework. Save your commentary only for mission-critical issues; otherwise, listen and learn. Report, but don’t recommend it unless you are absolutely sure. 
• They Haven’t Seen it. They Can’t See It. So They Can’t Agree. Show Them to Build Consensus. Help consultants champion their ideas. Understand the underlying reasons for disconnect, propose solutions, and maybe draw visuals to help build consensus.

The first-time ERP implementation projects fail because of the founders’ lack of experience working with knowledge workers. It’s a skill set that takes a long time to master.

7. Process Re-engineering. 

90% of the smaller businesses feel that their businesses are unique, while only less than 1% when you talk to larger enterprises. The challenge is not the unique nature of their processes. But their lack of experience in standardizing their process. 

Issues:

• Not Documenting the Processes. Processes so ad-hoc that you can’t even draw them? Not enough appreciation of how documentation will help with the implementation? Not calling documentation the tangible work.
• Not Documenting the Right Amount of Details. A bunch of flow charts but not enough meaning for the technical teams to use? Leaving assumptions with processes that processes are subject to interpretation?
• Not Willing to Change Proprietary Processes. So, are you married to proprietary processes to be blindsided by them? Nonnegotiable position on the proprietary process and ignoring consultants’ position completely?

Recommendations:

• First Time Implementors Especially Struggle to Draw the Processes. Firm up the understanding of your processes by drawing them. 
• Not Enough Subject-matter Expertise to Provide the Right Details All Stakeholders Need. Hire experts with ERP implementation experience to draw the processes. Change management consultants with the same credentials as the ERP implementation teams or consultants, who can balance both perspectives of the business users, also of the technical teams.
• Analyze the Cost of Keeping Proprietary Processes and Tools in the Architecture. Build detailed functional and technical specs to analyze the cost of keeping the proprietary processes.

With limited experience seeing several organizations and their processes, first-time founders can’t differentiate when the process is broken vs. where it’s truly unique. This misunderstanding leads to ERP implementation failure.

6. Data Re-engineering. 

It takes a long time to master data modeling that drives business results from ERP systems. The incompatible datasets cause process over-engineering and customizations, leading to ERP implementation issues. 

Issues:

• No Experience with Data Modeling. No experience formalizing SKUs, BOMs, customers, and vendors compliant with the ERP dictionary.
• Not Able to Connect the Dots About Why Even Trivial Data Decisions Could Fire Back. Divisibility and modeling of the UoMs and SKUs. Using invoice objects to make decisions for warranty. Shipment line items are used as the sales order line items in the backend system. Decisions as trivial as this have the potential to kill your entire implementation.
• Not Understanding How the Source of Authority Works in Various Enterprise Datasets. No real experience with enterprise design or integration patterns? 

Recommendations:

• Take Baby Steps in Modeling Your Data. Don’t go hard on yourself if you don’t understand how the modeling would impact your core processes. Be ready to fail your first implementation. The ERP data modeling is more than 20-dimensional. It takes years to master.
• Try to Research As Much As Possible and Try to Compare Your Data Model with Other Industries. Try to visualize how other industries have modeled their SKUs and BOMs and be truly curious in probing into their model. Compare as many industries as possible and try to learn.
• Map Out the Data Flow at the Field Level Across System Boundaries. Map data at the field level. The more mapping you do, the clearer the data modeling will become.

The loose data model of systems such as QuickBooks or Excel has a tendency to promote bad data hygiene, misleading founders on data hierarchies and relationships, leading to ERP implementation issues.

5. Change Management.

Most first-time ERP implementors struggle to visualize the impact of technical decisions on the business processes, leading to ERP implementation issues.

Issues:

• Firing the Change Management Company Right After Selection. We do not understand that defining change is not the end of the change management process. It’s the start. Not appreciating the value of change management.
• Hiring the Change Management Company Without Subject Matter Expertise. I do not understand the difference between different change management consultants. Not able to vet the expertise of the change management company.
• Not Able to Make Personnel or Compensation Changes to Drive the Right Behavior. Thinking that technology is the solution to all problems. Don’t have control over personnel or compensation changes.

Recommendations:

• Change Management Requires Consistent Monitoring and Pivoting During the Implementation Phase. Have the change management company involved during the implementation phase. Hire ERP selection companies that are willing to manage the ERP implementation. Don’t hire companies that are not willing to be held accountable for the success of the implementation.
• Subject Matter Expertise Matter Even For Change Management Companies. Don’t hire change management companies specializing in other fields. Hire change management companies with related experience.
• Be Ready to Solve Issues by Making Personnel and Compensation Changes. Involve stakeholders that have the clout to make personnel or compensation changes. Don’t rely completely on technology to drive change.

Most first-time ERP implementation projects struggle with change management or in hiring the right experts, leading to implementation issues.

4. Pre-selection Phase.

The percentage of companies engaging directly with the technology vendors is much higher among the companies implementing an ERP for the first time. More seasoned companies, on the other hand, with a couple of implementations under their belt, will most certainly have a pre-selection phase, sometimes as long as a couple of years.

Issues:

• Thinking that Pre-selection is the Sunk Cost.  Underappreciating the value of the pre-selection phase. Taking a binary approach to ERP selection. Following the boilerplate checklist for the selection process.
• Not Involving Users During the Design Phase. Not building the as-is and to-be workflows and involving users during the design phase.
• Can’t Decide How Much to Invest in the Pre-selection Phase. Not able to decide the value of a selection phase. And how much discovery needs to be performed in the selection phase.

Recommendations:

• The pre-selection Phase is not Optional. Don’t shoot yourself in the foot by not having a pre-selection phase. Engaging directly with the technology vendors (OEMs or resellers) with a limited budget of less than $50K results in ERP projects not even going live. As well as a pure waste of money.
• Involve Users from Day One During the Pre-selection Phase. Make sure users agree to change the processes and have clear visibility into the cross-functional implications. Build a language that they have agreed on for as-is processes and replicate the to-be processes using the same.
• The More You Invest in the Pre-selection Phase, the Shorter would be the Implementation Phase. Have a shorter implementation phase by incorporating a pre-selection phase. Spend roughly the same but much easier transition and adoption without the risk of a failed implementation.

First-time implementors don’t appreciate the efforts involved in ERP implementation and want to take shortcuts with the discovery, leading to implementation issues.

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3. Internal Selection Process

Selecting an ERP requires mapping data and process models to the new ERP, performing gap analysis, and estimating transaction volume. And not to mention saving you from legal troubles by helping you with cryptic software contracts. 

Issues:

• Hiring interns to lead the selection process. Misunderstanding that ERP selection is all about researching a bunch of web pages and copying and pasting boilerplate requirements.
• Following the traditional selection process. A belief that the traditional selection process of looking at the demos will lead to a successful ERP selection and adopted solution. 
• Trusting an ERP reseller or a freelancer for the ERP selection guidance. A misunderstanding that a reseller and freelancers can provide unbiased recommendations without preferential- or incentive bias.

Recommendations:

• Don’t risk a million-dollar disaster by letting an intern lead the selection process. Don’t waste your money with interns as the work they might do in 6 months in designing processes that a professional ERP selection consultant might finish in weeks. And save your ERP implementation.
• Don’t let the traditional selection process fool you into an ERP system that might never work for your business. Don’t trust the traditional selection process, as you are at a disadvantage because of their information parity. Hire an industry insider on your side!
• Hire a professional ERP selection consultant who is living this on a daily basis. Hire professional independent ERP consultants who can save you tons of money and get you discounts by comparing quotes and saving with unused software that you will never get from a reseller as they are losing their own commission.

The internal resources don’t have enough resources under their belt to run a selection that will lead to a successful ERP implementation.

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2. Underestimating the Efforts

First-time implementors underestimate the efforts involved with an ERP implementation. They will intentionally look for shortcuts and discounts and understaff their internal resources in the hope of saving money. But they end up paying a lot more, including the risk as big as losing their investments completely.

Issues:

• Fixated on the Budget. Don’t have enough experience managing large projects. Negligent on the basic project management equation that changing budget means a reduction in scope or quality.
• Looking for Shortcuts. A misbelief that there is an easier way of doing ERP implementation projects. An attitude to ignore the warnings of consultants.
• Custom Software is the Answer to all Problems. A “binary” thinking that if ERP solutions are expensive and difficult and maybe custom-built solutions will be cheaper.

Recommendations:

• Budget Drives Quality. Try to understand the deeper implications of where the vendors are likely to cut corners if you reduce the budget. Be competitive while hiring vendors.
• Shortcuts Don’t Exist. Don’t be a kid who gets lured by candy, as there is no easy way of implementing an ERP. Be realistic to avoid a nightmare.
• Creating Custom Software is Way Harder than Documenting Your Processes. Don’t be fooled by the idea that custom software will be any easier than ERP. Try to document all your processes first, as that would be the first step in building custom software. Pat yourself on the back if you can document everything within a year.

First-time implementors have a tendency to underestimate the efforts involved with an ERP implementation, leading to ERP implementation disasters.

1. Coachability

Coachability is one of the biggest factors why first-time implementors fail their ERP implementations because of their limited experience working with consultants.

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Issues:

• Not Listening to the Consultants. Being completely ignorant about consultants’ advice. Making decisions with knee-jerk reactions without understanding the implications on the business.
• Not Willing to Provide the Right Details for Consultants to Work. Unwilling to provide the details to the consultants as they assume that the consultants are supposed to feed them cooked meals as they are getting paid. 
• Not Doing the Homework Required to be Successful. Ignoring the tasks assigned and not learning during the training or testing workshops.

Recommendations:

• Be a Good Student. Let them coach you. Be patient while working with them as they try to teach you multiple languages, all at the same time. It takes time, and you are the only one who can do it.
• Not providing them with the right details will only fire them back. Understand that if you don’t provide enough details, they are likely to build something that you may not want. Know that they have nothing to lose.
• Don’t Ignore the Homework or Testing to Avoid Issues Post-implementation. Understand that ERP implementations require a lot more practice to hit the ground running from day one. Follow homework religiously if you want to avoid any issues post-implementation.

Working with knowledge workers is a skill that takes years to master. The first-time implementors struggle to understand how to work with them, facing ERP implementation issues. 

Final Words

Some people have chosen to lead their lives without getting married, given the horror stories. And it’s their choice of life. But marriage (or ERP implementation) is a test of your ability to build rapport with other teammates. Your ability to lead and grow an organization.

What is critical with these two is to understand and appreciate the process. As in life, there are no shortcuts. Your tendency to look for shortcuts will only make your journey more challenging. So, if this is your first time, try to understand the “ERP” psychology rather than complaining that ERPs (or marriages) don’t work.

FAQs

Non-profit organizations face ERP challenges distinct from inventory-centric businesses. Their diverse models, incorporating complex features such as membership types, grants, and intricate workflows, vary across verticals. Educational and healthcare non-profits, for instance, may necessitate different processes than city governments. Associations and membership communities also differ from foundations and elderly care groups.

Vanilla ERP systems lack native support for grant and fund accounting, posing a challenge for non-profits. Similar to publicly traded companies, non-profits face public reporting requirements for each grant and fund, but with a crucial distinction. While publicly traded companies report at the macro level, non-profits must segment and report based on the fund structure.

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Each fund and grant often brings unique constraints, prohibiting resource sharing between competing funds or specifying usage for particular purposes, such as community or religious benefits. Compliance requirements, like The Patriot Act, may stipulate data residency, narrowing choices to US- or UK-hosted solutions. Non-profit-specific HCM and CRM packages are crucial for managing distinctive recruiting, training, and enablement workflows. However, custom development capabilities may be necessary to address unique needs within each micro-vertical of the non-profit sector, given its ever-changing business models. Curious about the leading non-profit ERP software in 2024? Let’s delve into the options.

Criteria

• Definition of a non-profit company. These are companies of any size in the non-profit ecosystem, such as cities, governments, schools, associations, foundations, charities, churches, charitable subsidiaries of large corporations, etc.
• Overall market share/# of customers. The higher the market share among non-profit companies, the higher it ranks on our list.
• Ownership/funding. The more committed the management to the product roadmap for the non-profit companies, the higher it ranks on our list.
• Quality of development. The more cloud-native capabilities, the higher it ranks on our list.
• Community/Ecosystem. The larger the community with a heavy presence from non-profit companies, the higher it ranks on our list.
• Depth of native functionality for specific industries. The deeper the publisher-owned out-of-the-box functionality, the higher it ranks on our list.
• Quality of publicly available product documentation. The poorer the product documentation, the lower it ranks on our list. 
• Non-profit company market share. The higher the focus on non-profit companies, the higher the ERP system ranks on our list.
• Ability to natively support diversified business models. The more diverse the product, the higher it ranks on our list.
• Acquisition strategy aligned with non-profit companies. The more aligned the acquisitions are with the non-profit companies, the higher it ranks on our list.
• User Reviews. The deeper the reviews from non-profit companies, the higher the score for a specific product.
• Must be an ERP product. It can’t be an edge product such as QuickBooks, Freshbooks, Xero, Zendesk, HubSpot, or Salesforce. It also can’t be an add-on owned by ISVs or VARs that sits on top of other accounting platforms.

10. Workday

Workday focuses on large non-profit organizations with substantial HCM requirements, making it an ideal choice for those already using or contemplating Workday as their HCM solution. However, it may not be the best fit for companies seeking suite-centric offerings with deep operational capabilities, particularly for managing workflows for members, students, and donors. Workday retains its position as a compelling option as a non-profit ERP, securing the #10 spot.

Strengths

• Strong HCM and CPM Capabilities. Pre-integrated and Pre-baked. Workday has one of the strongest HCM products in the market, with deep workflows for hire-to-retire, training, and talent forecasting. The CPM capabilities are also tailored for service-centric organizations.
• Non-profit Accounting and PSA Capabilities Offered Out of the Box. Expect out-of-the-box capabilities for the fund and grant accounting along with PSA capabilities. The most important capabilities required for non-profit verticals.
• Designed to Handle Enterprise Workloads. Workday has been proven with installations where the HCM and financial ledger might process millions of journal entries per hour, often a requirement for Fortune 500 accounts.

Weaknesses

• Weak Financial Capabilities. Workday’s financial capabilities might not be as robust as SAP, Oracle, or Sage Intacct as of today in the areas of ASC606 compliance, subscription-based revenue recognition, or multi-element allocations.
• Limited Install Base for the Finance Module. Most of the Workday installations are still limited to HCM and Adaptive planning. So it might not be the best fit for deeper finance capabilities.
• Might not Have Operational Capabilities for Niche Non-profit Sectors. The operational capabilities for niche non-profit sectors such as membership organizations or cities requiring integration with specific databases or CRM might be limiting.

9. FinancialForce/Certinia

FinancialForce caters to mid-to-large non-profit organizations, making it an excellent choice for those using or contemplating Salesforce as their CRM solution. However, it may not be the optimal fit for companies seeking suite-centric offerings with pre-integrated P2P and HCM capabilities. It maintains its position at #9, with a consistent ranking from the previous year, reflecting limited momentum in its portfolio as a non-profit ERP.

Strengths

• Salesforce Look and Feel. The biggest advantage of FinancialForce is the Salesforce look and feel throughout the suite. The same developers that can support Salesforce must be able to support FinancialForce as well.
• Deeply Integrated with Other Salesforce Products Such as Communities and CRM. The integration with the Salesforce offerings and the ecosystem is one of the biggest pluses for FinancialForce.
• Non-profit Accounting and PSA Capabilities Offered Out of the Box. Expect non-profit accounting capabilities and one of the strongest PSA modules with skillset-based scheduling and forecasting out of the box.

Weaknesses

• Limited Install Base. The install base for FinancialForce is significantly limiting. Not even close to other systems on this list.
• Ecosystem and Community. The community and ecosystem are not as prolific. While the Salesforce talent can support the technical needs, they would lack the business consulting and financial expertise required to be successful with the product.
• The Financial Workflows Might not be as Intuitive for Financial Leaders. The Salesforce look and feel might not be intuitive for finance leaders, who might not be comfortable seeing things such as the edit or delete button right by the posted journal entries.

8. Blackbaud

Blackbaud focuses on SMB non-profit organizations seeking suite-centric solutions. It’s perfect for those outgrowing QuickBooks and desiring suite-centric offerings with minimal expertise needed for data mapping. However, it may not be suitable for medium-to-large companies aiming to streamline operations for inorganic growth or consolidate disparate datasets. Despite its technology lagging behind in cloud adoption, Blackbaud maintains its #8 ranking as a non-profit ERP on this list.

Strengths

• Deep Operational Functionality with Tailored Capabilities for Specific Non-profit Micro-verticals. Expect capabilities such as pre-integrated and pre-configured student and teacher workflows tailored for specific micro-verticals, generally requiring significant development effort on other solutions.
• Non-profit Accounting Provided Out of the Box. While the accounting capabilities might not be as deep with ASC606 compliance or multi-element accounting, grant, and fund accounting capabilities are offered out of the box.
• Might not Require As Much Customization and Configuration as Other Larger Offerings. The data and workflows may be tailored to your micro-industry, not requiring as much consulting expertise as with other vanilla solutions.

Weaknesses

• The Reliability of the Infrastructure for Larger Workloads. Blackbaud has recently experienced an outage with its infrastructure, making it less reliable than other solutions running mission-critical and larger workloads than Blackbaud.
• Not Designed for Larger Companies with Multiple Entities. Consolidations, multi-entity accounting, and dimensional reporting might be a challenge for larger non-profits.
• Ability to Handle larger workloads. Blackbaud is great for companies outgrowing QuickBooks but may not be the best fit for companies with thousands of employees, members, etc., requiring financial control and financially integrated processes.

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This is an in-depth guide with over 80 pages and covers every topic as it pertains to ERP selection in sufficient detail to help you make an informed decision.

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7. SAP S/4 HANA

SAP S/4 HANA is designed for large non-profit organizations requiring the processing of millions of transactions and the capability to host multiple countries and business models with significant collaboration. It may not be the ideal choice for companies outgrowing smaller ERP systems or QuickBooks due to the IT maturity required for implementation. If you’re a large non-profit organization or a publicly traded entity aiming to consolidate global subsidiaries in one system, SAP S/4 HANA is the perfect solution. Thus, securing the #7 position on our list of non-profit ERP systems.

Strengths

• Non-profit Accounting and PSA Capabilities Provided Out of the Box. Expect a non-profit accounting package including grant and fund reporting with a PSA tailored for non-profit-centric organizations and skill-based scheduling.
• Best of Breed Capabilities Pre-integrated. The best-of-breed software, such as Concur, SuccessFactors, and CRM, are pre-integrated with SAP S/4 HANA, a pre-baked integration with the potential to save millions of dollars.
• HANA and Financial Traceability for Large, Global Organizations. Because of the power of HANA, SAP S/4 HANA can process very complex transactions with visual traceability across entities, along with end-to-end traceability, auditability, and approvals of SOX compliance workflows.

Weaknesses

• Non-profit CRM and Membership Capabilities. It might require extensive customization or configuration to enable non-profit workflows.
• Best-of-breed Pre-built Integration Options May be Limited. The marketplace options are limited for non-profits, with the best-of-breed options requiring substantial translations to be successful with the product, driving consulting dollars and experienced internal IT resources with several ERP implementations under their belt.
• Overwhelming for Smaller Organizations. The data model is designed for large, complex organizations, overwhelming for smaller non-profit organizations, outgrowing QuickBooks, or smaller ERP systems.

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6. Oracle Cloud ERP

Oracle Cloud ERP is designed to meet the needs of large non-profit organizations seeking extensive global financial capabilities. However, it may not be the optimal choice for smaller non-profits that are outgrowing compact ERP or accounting systems and require suite-centric offerings but lack substantial internal IT expertise. If you are a sizable, global non-profit organization focused on financial and procurement functionalities, along with an integrated and customizable HCM tailored for service-centric industries, Oracle Cloud ERP is the perfect solution. Thus, it holds the #6 position on our list of non-profit ERP systems.

Strengths

• Designed for Large Non-profit Organizations. The embedded HCM and CRM processes are suitable for large non-profit organizations. The P2P workflows are friendlier for the indirect procurement needs of non-profit organizations.
• Native Capabilities for Grant and Fund Accounting. Expect native capabilities for grant and fund accounting provided as part of the package with very robust budget planning tools pre-integrated and pre-populated, easily merged with external datasets.
• Embedded HCM and PSA Processes. Expect HCM and PSA to be fully immersed with the ERP, as well as grant and fund compliance processes.

Weaknesses

• Non-profit CRM and Membership Capabilities. While Oracle Cloud ERP might support the needs of membership from the perspective of finance and ASC606, the operational capabilities would require translation of data and process model, requiring expensive consulting and internal IT expertise.
• Best-of-breed Pre-built Integrated Options May be Limited. Expect substantial efforts in integrating non-profit-specific CRMs and tools, as options may be limited for specific non-profit organizations.
• Overwhelming for Smaller Organizations. The data model and translations required to be successful with the product may be too overwhelming for companies outgrowing QuickBooks or other smaller ERP systems.

5. NetSuite

NetSuite caters to SMB non-profit organizations with operations spanning multiple countries, making it an ideal choice for those with diverse business models, such as schools with campus stores or healthcare organizations with warehouses. Additionally, NetSuite can serve as an excellent tier 2 solution for non-profit subsidiaries of larger corporations. Given these strengths, NetSuite holds the #5 spot on our list of non-profit ERP systems.

Strengths

• In-built Package with Fund and Grant Accounting Capabilities Offered out of the box. Expect native capabilities for grant and fund accounting provided as part of the package with very robust budget planning tools for SMB non-profit companies pre-integrated and pre-populated, easily merged with external datasets.
• Marketplace and Ecosystem. Vibrant marketplaces and ecosystems, with tons of pre-baked integrations and add-ons available for diverse business models.
• Ideal for Global Companies Growing Through M&A. Supports several diverse and global business models out of the box, making it ideal for companies part of the private equity portfolio and growing through M&A. 

Weaknesses

• Experience Not as Intuitive for Finance Leaders. While financial auditability and multi-dimensional reporting are built as part of the system, the experience may not be as intuitive as other solutions tailored for non-profit finance users.
• Multi-entity Accounting Not as Straight Forward for Finance Leaders. While multi-entity accounting is supported by the ability to host multiple entries in hundreds of countries in one database, the multi-entity capabilities are not as intuitive for finance users.
• Unnecessary Bloatedness of the Product-centric Capabilities Not as Relevant for the Non-profit. While the product-centric capabilities could be a huge plus for large organizations, the data model may have unnecessary layers that might not be relevant for nonprofit organizations.

4. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is tailored for SMB non-profit organizations with specialized capabilities in grant and fund accounting, along with a PSA module designed for professional services. It’s perfect for global non-profit SMBs operating in multiple countries. However, it may not be the ideal choice for mid-to-large companies dealing with extensive journal entries and long-standing transactions. If you seek global financial capabilities and can invest in consultants for data translation, change management, and workflow customization, consider Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. Given its strength, it ranks at #4 on our list of non-profit ERP systems.

Strengths

• Designed for Global Companies. Natively supports global regions and localizations. Ideal fit for countries where the other suite-centric solutions, such as Blackbaud, Unit4, or FinancialForce, might not be present.
• Non-profit Accounting and PSA Capabilities Provided Out of the Box. Expect a non-profit accounting package including grant and fund reporting with a PSA tailored for non-profit-centric organizations and skill-based scheduling.
• Marketplace and Ecosystem. Augments core capabilities with a very vibrant marketplace, supporting diverse business models such as rental, membership, or church-specific operations management software.

Weaknesses

• Financial Traceability and SOX Compliance. It might not be the most Intuitive for finance leaders. The financial traceability may not be as intuitive as SAP for global, publicly traded non-profit companies.
• Technical Focus and Limited Business Consulting Expertise in the Microsoft Ecosystem. The ecosystem has technical companies but with limited business consulting experience, which might drive over-customization and overengineering of Microsoft products, ultimately leading to implementation failure.
• Limited Microsoft Support for Smaller Partners. Unlike other ERP companies, Microsoft doesn’t offer any support or control to its smaller partners, leading to implementation issues because of the limited control over its channel.

3. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations stands out as one of the most comprehensive cloud solutions, offering built-in support for various business models through its non-profit accounting package and pre-configured PSA module. It is well-suited for global non-profits operating in multiple countries. However, it may not be the best fit for smaller companies with revenue under $250 million, outgrowing QuickBooks or other compact ERP systems. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations is a strong non-profit ERP solution, securing the #3 spot on our list.

Strengths

• Designed for Large Organizations. Ideal for large, global companies with complex business models operating in multiple countries.
• Non-profit Accounting Package Capabilities Offered Out of the Box. Embedded non-profit accounting capabilities offered out of the box, supporting complex fund allocations, reporting, budgeting, and scheduling.
• Data Center Options and Data Locations of Choice Might be Available in Most Countries. With the backing of Azure, complying with regulations such as the Patriots act may be easier.

Weaknesses

• It may not be the best fit for publicly traded companies. The traceability requirements for publicly traded companies might not be as intuitive as the other ERP solutions designed from the CFO’s perspective.
• The CRM Might Not be the Most Friendly for Non-profit Organizations. The Microsoft CRM might not be the most fluid for non-profit organizations, with the tightness of the data model designed primarily to support product-centric organizations. Extending existing business objects would require developer support or an add-on.
• Overwhelming for Smaller Organizations. Companies under $250M in revenue or outgrowing smaller ERP or accounting systems such as QuickBooks might struggle because of the data modeling and translation expertise required.

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2. Sage Intacct

Sage Intacct commands a significant market share in the non-profit sector, offering marketplaces and pre-baked integrations tailored to various micro-verticals. It excels for service-centric SMB organizations in non-profit, SaaS, healthcare, and financial services. However, it may not be the ideal choice for diverse organizations or those undergoing M&A, where evolving business models could pose challenges. Additionally, non-profit subsidiaries of large corporations may find Sage Intacct struggling to accommodate the parent entity’s diverse business model. Sage Intacct is a strong choice for specific non-profit scenarios, particularly within service-centric SMBs. Thus, securing its rank at #2 on this list of non-profit ERP systems.

Strengths

• Deep Non-profit specific last-mile capabilities. Sage Intacct has one of the strongest non-profit-centric capabilities, including fund and grants accounting, pre-populated KPIs, and reports.
• Globalized and Localized in over 120 countries. Sage Intacct can natively support multi-entity collaboration features of over 120 countries.
• Salesforce, HR, and Marketplace Integrations for the Non-profit Sector. Salesforce and payroll integrations are owned and maintained by Sage, ensuring the quality of development.

Weaknesses

• May Require Subscriptions for Best-of-breed CRMs. Primarily an accounting solution. So the solution doesn’t have any CRM capabilities at all. As well as limited supply chain capabilities, even for indirect procurement.  Non-profit and healthcare organizations needing inventory and warehouse capabilities might struggle with the solution.
• Will Require Consulting Expertise Compared to Other Smaller Systems. While Sage Intacct is designed for maximum audibility and compliance, the added layers would require consulting expertise and internal IT maturity to be successful with the product.
• Too Many Moving Pieces During Implementation. While the integration required for Brightpearl, ADP, and Salesforce is supported by Sage, there will be multiple parties involved during the implementation, with all of them pulling architecture and design decisions in their direction, increasing the implementation failure risk.

1. Unit4

Unit4 focuses on medium-to-large non-profit organizations seeking suite-centric capabilities, making it an ideal choice for large universities and schools with deep operational workflows supported out of the box. Organizations outgrowing QuickBooks or planning inorganic growth through M&A don’t find it the best fit. If you are a mid-to-large non-profit in search of a tailored, suite-centric alternative to SAP S/4 HANA or Oracle Cloud ERP, Unit4 is a great solution, claiming the #1 position on our list.

Strengths

• Strong HCM and Indirect Procurement Capabilities Pre-integrated and Pre-baked. Tailored to educational institutes and non-profits. 
• Non-profit Accounting and PSA Capabilities Offered Out of the Box. The non-profit package includes native capabilities for the fund and grant capabilities with a strong PSA module to manage resources and projects.
• Designed to Handle Global Enterprise Workloads. The unit4 solution has two versions, one for large enterprises and another for mid-market. It has been proven with one of the largest non-profit institutes looking for a tailored replacement for SAP S/4 HANA or Oracle Cloud ERP.

Weaknesses

• Legacy Solution. While the solution has been rearchitected for the cloud, it’s a legacy solution. So, the user and mobile experience might not be as great as other options born in the cloud.
• Limited Install Base in North America. Primarily a European solution with a very limited presence and ecosystem in North America. So, you might struggle to find consulting companies and marketplace add-ons focused on the North American market.
• It might be too overwhelming for smaller organizations. Due to the data translation and mapping required for the enterprises, smaller companies outgrowing Quickbooks or smaller ERP systems might find it to be overwhelming.

Final Words

Non-profit organizations have unique needs, encompassing specialized accounting requirements that accommodate the constraints of funds and grants, as well as custom workflows demanding flexibility through custom development. Stringent data privacy requirements further limit options to those compliant with specific country or state mandates.

Implementing a vanilla ERP for non-profits can be risky and costly, involving custom development and error-prone add-ons. When evaluating ERP systems, avoid being overwhelmed by generalized features. This list is designed to simplify your options for non-profit ERP systems. For success, consult with an independent ERP consultant who can offer tailored insights based on your organization’s distinct requirements.

FAQs

Cloud ERP systems exhibit a broad spectrum, ranging from those disguising outdated backends as cloud-based to extreme cases deploying on-prem code bases in data centers, asserting a ‘web link’ qualifies as the cloud. Untangling this complexity requires an understanding of diverse layers and factors that define the cloud, encompassing both technical and financial aspects. In easier terms, think of it as renting (cloud) versus buying (on-premises). However, similar to renting, diverse cloud business models exist, varying in roles and responsibilities of each party involved.

Particularly in a standard cloud solution, the provider handles infrastructure upkeep, and your responsibility is to consume services for a periodic rent, facilitating the conversion of CapEx spending into OpEx. However, this analogy has a significant limitation. Vendors can hire specialized firms for financial translation and infrastructure management, also allowing them to claim their offerings as cloud overnight. This mirrors the practice of legacy ERP vendors selling repainted cars as new—potentially fraud in the automotive sector but perfectly legal in the ERP industry.

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Thus to discern between repainted cars and new ones from the lenses of cloud-native technologies, a profound understanding of their nuances is imperative. Unlike on-prem technologies, which target a singular interface, cloud technologies must adeptly serve numerous interfaces, introducing exponential complexity with a greater number of variables. Seemingly minor issues like enterprise search or font rendering can dramatically impede operations, contrary to ERP vendors’ claims of the cloud as a “universal answer” to all business performance issues. While these drawbacks may not be immediately apparent during the selection phase, users frequently encounter frustration upon implementation. Seeking truly groundbreaking cloud ERP systems? Explore our curated list for reliable recommendations.

Criteria

• Definition of a Cloud ERP System. The richness of functionality in the cloud. How cloudy is the experience? Financial? Operational? Technical? All? Replaced only the front end? Or the whole stack? User experience modernized for the cloud interfaces?
• Overall market share/# of customers. A higher market share in the cloud ranks higher on our list.
• Ownership/funding. The more committed management to the product roadmap in the cloud ranks higher on our list.
• Quality of development. More cloud-native capabilities rank higher on our list.
• Community/Ecosystem. Communities with a heavy presence from cloud users rank higher on our list.
• Depth of native functionality for specific industries. The deeper the publisher-owned out-of-the-box cloud-native functionality, the higher it ranks on our list.
• Quality of publicly available product documentation. The poorer the product documentation, the lower it ranks on our list.
• Cloud market share (and documented commitment of the publisher through financial statements). The higher the focus on the cloud, the higher the cloud ERP system ranks on our list.
• Ability to natively support diversified business models. The more diverse the product, the higher it ranks on our list.
• Acquisition strategy aligned with the cloud-native strategy. Acquiring legacy products to wrap in a fancy marketing package? The lower it ranks on our list.
• User Reviews. The deeper the reviews from cloud-native users, the higher the score for a specific product.
• Must be an ERP product. It can’t be an edge product such as QuickBooks, Freshbooks, Xero, Zendesk, HubSpot, or Salesforce. It also can’t be an add-on owned by ISVs or VARs that sits on top of other accounting platforms.

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10. Plex

Plex, born in the cloud, specializes in automotive, F&B, and industrial manufacturing. Ideal if MES expertise is paramount but less suitable for those emphasizing deep ERP layers and mixed-mode manufacturing. A top choice for pure-play companies within the Toyota and Ford ecosystems, generating up to $1B in revenue from $50M. This is particularly fitting for businesses with traceability and supply chain integrations, like F&B enterprises. However, not the optimal choice for companies with diverse business models. Therefore, Plex secured the #10 spot on our list, a slight downgrade from previous rankings.

Strengths:

• Born in the Cloud. Built from the ground up for the cloud-native experience. Consistent design and architecture across screens and modules.
• Manufacturing and MES. Designed from the perspective of automotive OEMs. Also contains supply chain and quality processes tailored for specific micro-verticals.
• Automotive Capabilities. Built out of the box are the Toyota and Ford compliance and quality capabilities. Expect substantial efforts to enable similar capabilities with other similar products not tailored for automotive.

Weaknesses:

• Ecosystem. Plex approaches its ERP implementations in the hand-off mode. And the consulting options might not be as prevalent due to the limited install base.
• Limited Focus on the Solution. Great for pure-play automotive companies. However, it might not work for diverse business models, even within manufacturing.
• Not the best fit for Companies Growing Through M&A. Not the best fit for companies in the M&A cycle, whether planning for carve-outs, mergers, or acquisitions. Primarily due to the uncertainty of the to-be business model.

9. Odoo

Odoo stands out as a cloud-native system particularly tailored for small to medium-sized businesses. As a born-in-the-cloud product, it maintains a cohesive design across screens and modules. If a cloud-native experience is your top priority, then Odoo deserves a spot on your list. However, success with Odoo hinges on engaging a seasoned business consultant experienced in ERP implementations and integrations. Caution is advised against excessive customization, generally resulting in derailed ERP implementations. We have upgraded Odoo a little bit this year due to the lack of momentum in Plex’s portfolio, jumping to the rank of #9 on this list.

Strengths:

• Designed for Global Companies. Fit for smaller companies that might have entities in many different countries. Regions such as Europe and South America are likely to benefit from Odoo, generally consisting of multiple entities in many countries.
• User Experience and Consistent Design. Expect one of the best UX and consistent design patterns across screens and modules.
• Open Source. Despite the perception of savings with licensing, don’t forget to consider the overall costs, sometimes exceeding more than commercial options.

Weaknesses:

• Out-of-the-box Capabilities to Support Larger Organizations. The open-source nature leads to a tendency to over-customize, resulting in an inferior product experience despite its cutting-edge UX.
• Limited Business Consulting Expertise. Consisting primarily of developers, the ecosystem particularly doesn’t have a seasoned program, change management, and business consultants to keep the large programs on track.
• Limited Last Mile Capabilities. The last-mile capabilities for specific micro-verticals are limited, requiring significant customization for their work with specific industries.

8. Sage Intacct

Sage Intacct focuses on service-centric sectors like non-profit, healthcare, financial services, software, and technology. Perfect for those particularly prioritizing contract compliance, ASC606, and subscription-based features. However, less suitable for inventory-centric businesses. If you operate in service-centric fields like non-profit, SaaS, healthcare, or financial services, then Sage Intacct could be a solid choice. It received a notable downgrade in this year’s ranking due to lacking core operational cloud functionality found in other ERP solutions, securing the #8 position on our list.

Strengths:

• Deep Subscription-centric Capabilities. Sage Intacct has one of the strongest subscription-centric capabilities, particularly including ASC606, revenue recognition, payment terms at the contract line item level, intercompany accounting, and multi-element allocation.
• Globalized and Localized in over 120 countries. Sage Intacct can natively support multi-entity collaboration features of over 120 countries.
• Brightpearl, Procore, and Salesforce Integrations are built and Owned by Sage. Also Brightpearl, Procore, and Salesforce integrations are owned and maintained by Sage, ensuring the quality of development.

Weaknesses:

• Manufacturing and Industrial Distribution Capabilities. Companies with diverse business models, such as tech companies with manufacturing or distribution needs, might struggle with the solution.
• Limited Supply Chain and CRM Capabilities. Primarily an accounting solution. So the solution doesn’t have any CRM capabilities at all. As well as limited supply chain capabilities, even for indirect procurement. But non-profit and healthcare organizations needing inventory and warehouse capabilities might struggle with the solution.
• Too Many Moving Pieces During Implementation. While the integration required for Brightpearl, Procore, and Salesforce is supported by Sage, there will be multiple parties involved during the implementation, increasing the implementation failure risk.

7. IFS

Positioned uniquely, IFS targets mid-to-large project and field-service-centric organizations with substantial assets. It excels when best-of-breed field service and asset management capabilities are needed, even as standalone offerings atop SAP or Oracle. However, it may not be the best fit for mixed-mode manufacturing or companies with diverse business models or those undergoing M&A cycles. Particularly suitable for companies in the MRO and airline ecosystem seeking a cloud ERP system. Thus, IFS secures the 7th position on our list as a robust cloud ERP solution for specific industries.

Strengths:

• User Experience and Interface. One of the most consistent user experiences that have been rearchitected and modernized, similar to born-in-the-cloud products.
• Best of Breed Field Service Capabilities. Abilities to manage the field service scheduling of over 50K field service technicians particularly with substantial R&D investments in resource optimization capabilities.
• Best of Breed Asset Management Capabilities. One of the strongest asset-management capabilities for organizations with very thick asset and predictive maintenance needs, such as MRO organizations.

Weaknesses:

• Ecosystem. Expect a limited presence in North America and also a lean partner ecosystem.
• Limited Focus. Companies with a diverse business model, such as manufacturing or expecting changes with the model, might outgrow or struggle with the solution. 
• May not be the best fit for Companies Growing Through M&A. Companies involved with the M&A or the ones part of the PE portfolio might not be the best fit for IFS.

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6. Acumatica

Established in the cloud, Acumatica caters to distribution, construction, field services, and manufacturing-centric organizations, primarily suitable for companies with operations in select countries like the US and UK, with deeper operational capabilities and less emphasis on global financial requirements. It is an ideal choice for companies with revenue ranging from $10 million to $100 million but may not be as suitable for large global enterprises. Therefore, Acumatica is recommended if prioritizing a cloud-native experience is crucial over extensive operational and global capabilities. Thus, positioned as a robust cloud ERP solution, Acumatica secures the 6th position on our list.

Strengths:

• One Product, Multiple Business Model. Supports several complex business models as part of the same package, ranging from construction, manufacturing, and distribution.
• Consumption-based Pricing. The consumption-based pricing model might be friendlier particularly for companies with low transaction volume or seasonal labor requirements.
• Marketplace and Ecosystem. Vibrant marketplaces and ecosystems with controlled procedures enforced by Acumatica for quality development.

Weaknesses:

• Globalization Capabilities. Acumatica would require hosting multiple countries in different instances with an external consolidation add-on, also limiting collaboration capabilities between those entities. Not the best fit for global companies with significant collaboration needs.
• Ability to Handle Larger Workloads. Primarily an SMB product and not designed to handle the workload of larger organizations.
• Not a Fit for Companies Growing Through M&A.  Such companies require global collaboration among entities such as those with private equity structure or part of holding companies. 

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5. SAP S/4 HANA Cloud

SAP S/4 HANA is tailored for large, public-centric product organizations particularly with intricate product models and demanding MRP runs. It excels as an ideal choice for large global companies seeking consolidated management for all entities within a single system. However, it may not be the optimal solution for companies outgrowing smaller ERP systems or QuickBooks, requiring a certain level of IT maturity for successful implementation. Thus as a robust cloud ERP solution, SAP S/4 HANA secures the 5th position on our list.

Strengths:

• HANA. Because of the power of HANA, SAP S/4 HANA can process very complex MRP runs with product models containing millions of serial numbers and SKUs and the ability to process millions of costing and scheduling entries much faster than most ERP systems.
• Best of Breed Capabilities Pre-integrated. The best-of-breed software, such as SAP Commerce Cloud, Hybris, Concur, SuccessFactors, and EWM, is pre-integrated with the SAP S/4 HANA, potentially saving millions of dollars with integration.
• Financial Traceability for Large, Global Organizations. Large complex financial organizations require end-to-end traceability of SOX compliance workflows, also built with each document and transaction with SAP S/4 HANA.

Weaknesses:

• Limited Last-mile Capabilities. The pre-baked last-mile capabilities specific to micro-industries might be limited, requiring either development or add-ons on top of the core solution.
• Limited Capabilities of the Cloud Version and Marketplace Options. The cloud version is behind with development in comparison to the on-prem variant. Equally limited are the marketplace options compared to other competing solutions.
• Overwhelming for Smaller Organizations. The data model is designed for large, complex organizations, and also overwhelming for smaller organizations outgrowing QuickBooks or smaller ERP systems.

4. Oracle Cloud ERP

Oracle Cloud ERP is designed for large publicly traded organizations seeking comprehensive global financial capabilities. However, it may not be the most suitable option for smaller product-centric companies that are outgrowing their ERP or accounting systems. Thus positioned as a robust cloud ERP solution, Oracle Cloud ERP secures the 4th spot on our list.

Strengths:

• Designed for Large Service Organizations. The embedded HCM, CRM, and CPQ processes are suitable for large service-centric organizations with leaner inventory and operational needs. Also the P2P workflows are friendlier for indirect procurement organizations.
• Embedded WMS and TMS Processes. The embedded WMS and TMS processes are particularly suitable for logistics and healthcare-centric organizations. As well as any other services-centric organizations leaner on their inventory management needs.
• Designed to Support Financial Processes of Large, Regulated Industries. The product architecture supports the needs of large complex financial organizations with deep sub-ledger hierarchies, the ability to close books at the subsidiary level, and also keeping user-defined books for complex branch, fund, partnership accounting, etc.

Weaknesses:

• Limited Capabilities for Product-centric Companies. The P2P processes, CPQ, and manufacturing capabilities may not be the friendliest for product-centric organizations particularly with the needs for MES, PLM, and S&OP-centric processes.
• Ability to Handle MRP Runs of Fortune 500. Might struggle with the complex MRP runs hitting millions and millions of costing, scheduling, and also WIP industries.
• Overwhelming for Smaller Organizations. The data model and translations required to be successful with the product may be too overwhelming for companies outgrowing QuickBooks or other smaller ERP systems.

3. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations stands out as one of the most comprehensive cloud solutions, also capable of accommodating various business models within a single software platform. It is particularly well-suited for large global companies seeking integrated WMS and TMS capabilities without the need for additional add-ons. Particularly tailored for global operations spanning multiple countries, it may not be the optimal choice for smaller companies with revenue under $250 million that are outgrowing platforms like QuickBooks or other compact ERP systems. Thus, boasting substantial upgrade this year, it secures the 3rd position on our list.

Strengths:

• Designed for Large Organizations. Ideal for large, global companies with complex business models operating in multiple countries, requiring one system for the entire operations.
• Embedded WMS and TMS Processes. Embedded WMS and TMS processes help companies requiring end-to-end traceability including external supply chain.
• Mixed-mode Manufacturing Capabilities, including Process, Discrete, and PSA. Microsoft Dynamics 365 F&O can accommodate several business models as part of the same solution, such as PSA, process, and discrete manufacturing.

Weaknesses:

• May not be the Best Fit for Publically-traded Companies. The traceability requirements for publicly traded companies might not be as intuitive as the other ERP solutions designed from the perspective of the CFO.
• Ability to Handle MRP Runs of Fortune 500. Might not be the most suitable for the transactional workload and the MRP run of the fortune 500 due to the heavy lifting required.
• Overwhelming for Smaller Organizations. Companies under $250M in revenue or outgrowing smaller ERP or accounting systems such as QuickBooks might struggle, with limited data modeling and translation expertise.

2. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, fully re-engineered for the cloud, is designed for SMBs with extensive financial requirements, PSA, and FMCG distribution needs. Also advantageous for global SMBs with a presence in multiple countries. However, it may not be the optimal choice for companies in the industrial distribution and manufacturing sectors seeking intricate operational capabilities, necessitating add-ons atop MS Dynamics 365 BC. In summary, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is recommended for those seeking global financial capabilities coupled with a dynamic marketplace of developers. With noteworthy enhancements this year, it secures the 2nd position on our list.

Strengths:

• Designed for Global Companies. Natively supports global regions and localizations where Acumatica, Epicor, or Infor might have limited support.
• Deep Supply Chain Capabilities for Complex Distribution and Retail Organizations. The data model is friendlier for FMCG and distribution companies requiring native support for complex features such as bin tracking or license plate support.
• Ideal for Diverse Companies Growing Through M&A. The global nature and the available options through the marketplace make it ideal for companies growing through M&A, regardless of whether they might be vertically integrated or globally expanding.

Weaknesses:

• Limited Last Mile Capabilities. The native last-mile capabilities might be limited for industries such as industrial manufacturing or distribution. 
• Technical Focus and Limited Business Consulting Expertise of the Microsoft Ecosystem. The ecosystem has technical companies with limited business consulting experience, generally resulting in over-customization and overengineering of Microsoft products.
• Limited Microsoft Support for Smaller Partners. Unlike other ERP companies, Microsoft doesn’t offer any support or control to its smaller products, leading to ERP implementation issues because of the lack of control over the channel.

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1. NetSuite

NetSuite is tailored for SMBs with a global footprint, particularly those in service or commerce sectors. It excels for organizations with varied business models seeking a global financial ledger and robust CRM workflows. However, it may not be the optimal choice for industrial distribution or manufacturing needs. Overall, NetSuite is recommended for service-centric or commerce-oriented SMBs, especially those undergoing growth via acquisitions or under private equity ownership. With slight enhancements this year, it claims the top spot on our list.

Strengths:

• Supports both Product and Service-centric Companies. Along with the robust financial ledger, CRM, and PSA, NetSuite can support the inventory needs of commerce-centric organizations.
• Marketplace and Ecosystem. NetSuite has one of the most vibrant marketplaces and ecosystems, with tons of pre-baked integrations and add-ons available.
• Ideal for Global Companies Growing Through M&A. NetSuite can support several diverse and global business models out of the box, making it ideal for companies part of the private equity portfolio and growing through M&A. 

Weaknesses:

• Patchy User Experience. Although NetSuite was born in the cloud, the user experience is not as modern as Acumatica or Sage Intacct, making it slightly inferior for companies looking for a solution known for its user experience and cloud-nativeness.
• Not friendly for B2C, Unified Commerce, and Omnichannel Experience. You might run into performance issues in storing millions of B2C customer records and transactions that should be part of the commerce or OMS layer.
• Limited Manufacturing Capabilities. The BOMs and MRP capabilities are extremely limited and not really designed for the complex workflows of industrial manufacturing with busy shop floors.

Final Words

Whether or not the cloud is a priority, discerning the authenticity of cloud systems is crucial. When evaluating the cloud as a factor, carefully assess each variable based on your specific requirements. If prioritizing the cloud experience, this list can serve as a valuable starting point. However, recognizing genuine cloud solutions from fake ones demands expertise. Consider seeking advice from independent ERP consultants to ensure informed decisions.

FAQs

Buying a house is easy. Anyone with common knowledge can buy. Anyone can figure out how many rooms or bathrooms they might need. Most people know how to select a color or texture on their own ( or maybe by making a few calls to their trusted friends). So why do we hire real estate agents (or independent ERP consultants)? Dumb move? Pure waste of money? No? By the way, the problem could be much more involved when you might have some construction or modification component to your house. Then, most likely, you are going to hire an architect as well. 

Do you need a real estate agent? 90% of people would agree that you are better off hiring a real estate agent than buying on your own. With architects, you might not even have a choice as the city regulates it. They are doing this to ensure the interest of both buyers and sellers are protected. Sure real estate buying is a leveraged procurement, so you have a much higher risk. And sometimes, your bank might mandate a licensed agent to protect their investments. 

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When you buy an ERP, the total cost of an ERP might be anywhere from 5-20x more in price, depending on the size of the organization, with a lot more complexity. With an ERP, sure your purchase might be completely based on cash. But wouldn’t it be in your best interest to take the same approach as an expensive procurement, just like a bank or an insurance company would? While the ERP procurement process may not be as regulated, the role of independent ERP consultants is very similar to real estate agents, architects, real estate lawyers, and a lot more. So, what are the top reasons why independent ERP consultants are like real estate agents?

10. Ability to Expedite the Process

Try buying a home on your own. Here is how the process goes. It might start with taking everyone’s opinion. Mommy is most likely to fight for the best kitchen – with the same status symbol as her friends. Kayla, the daughter, is likely to fight for the personal washroom. George, the son, might fight for the swimming pool or backyard. Daddy is probably praying that he will be more than happy if the process finishes in the allocated time and budget (with a house in one piece).

You might make several rounds of open houses – with thousands of dollars of gas poured in driving around, with family lunches. Sure, you could account for this as family bonding and time. I get it. But you are burning time and cash (and opportunity cost, if you care for that, most smart people do). 

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Here is how a real estate agent would manage the process. First question. Do you guys have bank approval? No. Do you know what you can afford? Maybe $400K, based on Daddy’s income. Sorry, mommy, you might not get the best appliances. Sorry, Kayla, the personal washroom is not an option. George, let’s keep the swimming pool for the next home once you figure out how to make money on your own. You get the point! The real estate agent has saved six months (and a ton of money) – without making a single trip. The bigger the family, the more challenging it will be to manage it internally. 

ERP procurement process isn’t different, except everyone struggles to articulate why you need to hire professionals to manage the process, including independent ERP consultants, even though they do this for a living. Their experience and structured approach help expedite the process exponentially.

9. Offer a Structured Framework

When buying a house or ERP, a structured framework is essential for successful procurement and adoption. Sure, you might argue that real estate agents don’t add a ton of value. What’s a big deal in creating a few listings and driving around to check a bunch of houses? Can’t you do it on your own? Is it worth paying them 3-6% of the transaction? Most of us underestimate how much thought and work goes into that process.  

Think of decisions such as putting an offer on the house without knowing whether you will get approved or not. What if the seller’s agent has a clause for non-approval penalties? OK, this might be intuitive for you as you probably know how to read contracts. But there are just so many things that could fire back when you are dealing with such expensive investments. Also, just because you may be an expert at buying and negotiating another category, that doesn’t make you a qualified real estate agent. They go through years of training, certifications, and experience to develop a structured framework that makes them successful with a similar customer like you.

The more structured you are with your process, starting from developing criteria, defining success, building consensus, and narrowing down options, as well as reviewing only the options that might be relevant for you – not to overwhelm George or Kayla. Or the buying decision might be put on hold forever without making any progress for the family. A structured framework that independent ERP consultants provide is more than a bunch of spreadsheets and checklists. Creating a similar framework requires you to go through many rounds of buying and selling similar houses (or ERP), as well as incorporating lessons learned on an ongoing basis.

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8. Help Building Consensus

The ability to build consensus is more than just voting and a bunch of surveys. It requires a deeper understanding of everyone’s motivations and overall implications on the technical and financial model. What if Kayla hasn’t figured out how to understand the financial model and her demand for the personal washroom is non-negotiable? What if the addition of the washroom might throw off the financial stability of the model? And she might not listen to Daddy as she feels that Daddy never thinks twice before spending on beer. When the decision came to her preference for a washroom, everyone had a problem. 

The only difference between building consensus for a house and ERP is that with ERP, you are probably building the consensus for the whole city. And not just one family or one house. There might be religious and political factors that might throw off the entire technical and financial model. What if the technical constraint of your city requires you to build a canal through the city? However, the local population would not allow it because of their religious beliefs. What if the alternate model is more expensive than what the city may be able to afford? 

Once you have dealt with thousands of Kaylas and Georges, you kind of know how to negotiate with them. This expertise would not be possible internally unless you deal with them on a daily basis. Independent ERP consultants are not only your “real estate agents,” but they are also your “marriage counselors.” Unless you have gone through multiple ERP implementations yourself, it’s hard to understand why building consensus across all parties, including internal stakeholders, consultants, and vendors, is so hard with ERP implementations.

7. Ability to Negotiate Contracts 

Negotiation is not about asking for discounts. It’s about reading the room and understanding everyone’s motivations. Understanding what you are going to lose by gaining something. Think of how easy you are making for the seller’s real estate agent if there is no buyer’s agent present on the other side. The ERP salespeople are professionally trained negotiators. ERP companies have hired “real estate agents” as they know how “uninformed” an average buyer is. 

The seller’s real estate agents have done deep research on every one of you: how you think, what you feel, and what your weakest spot is. They are likely to hit the weakest person the hardest. The only way to counter the seller’s real estate agent is to have a “real estate agent” on your side. They need to be able to predict every move they are going to make and have a counter strategy in place. That’s where independent ERP consultants come in. Not that they are smarter than any of you. However, only a real estate agent would understand how to work and think like another real estate agent.

They know every single ERP ecosystem in and out, researching pricing and discounting on a daily basis. They also keep track of macro and micro developments with most ERP vendors. In addition to having access to thousands of quotes, they can dig to discover the discrepancies in the contract, help you save with unused software, and compare the prices at the line level. Not hiring a real estate agent on your side is the best thing you can do to help a seller’s real estate win. The worst part is that they will make you feel that you have WON – when you might have clearly lost.

6. Ability to Architect and Design

Imagine if buying a house requires a real estate agent; how hard would it be to make modifications to a house or construct from the ground up? What if Kayla’s imagination about the personal washroom does not come out to be as interesting as she thought? What if you go through the process of constructing, only to demolish and construct again? And what are the odds that you will be successful with construction if you haven’t figured out how to first design on a piece of paper before laying down the bricks? You might go through several rounds of construction and demolition by the time you realize that you are already over budget – or worse yet, bankrupt.

This is how any ERP development, customization, or integration process goes. Just because you might get the washroom that Kayla wanted, Mommy might not be happy. The color that she has chosen may not look as well as she thought. With architecture and design, it’s not just about the technical components that need to work together. Everything needs to line up: financial, technical, processes, licensing, or legal. The process of construction and demolition might go on regardless of whether the disconnect is likely to be between Kayla’s as-is and to-be misexpectations, misalignment between the process and technical model,  or disconnect between the financial and technical model.

Just like construction or real estate, ERP implementation requires multi-disciplinary skills. Depth in every skill that you can possibly imagine. Your independent ERP consultant is not only your real estate agent. They also help with the architecture and design. Most importantly, I want to figure out what Kayla wants when she grows up. And that you can’t do unless you deal with thousands of Kaylas on a daily basis.

5. Ability to Uncover Your Needs By Analyzing Your Current House

What are the odds that you will be able to remember every single feature of your current house? What if the features you took for granted in your current house might not exist in the new one? Most companies would struggle to articulate 40% of their processes. Sometimes, they might reside inside a spreadsheet and other times in someone’s head. The articulation of the current house is critical as it helps Kayla and George understand how their life is going to change in the new house. However, it also helps perform the fit-gap analysis to understand the efforts required to build the to-be model. 

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Unfortunately, the internal teams would always struggle with how much they might be keeping in their heads. The independent ERP consultants help you articulate the as-is model as they deal with similar Kaylas on a daily basis. Also, they do not rely on Kayla to provide input. However, you can also connect dots through multiple sources by deeply studying your processes, analyzing your data, process mining, and doing the rinse and repeat with the interviews and analysis until they get the as-is model that can stand on its feet.

4. Ability to Blueprint Your To-be House

If articulating your current needs is harder, who can forecast which house you will need in the next 5-10 years? What if you get an unexpected baby that you didn’t plan, and you might need a bigger house? What if your aunt decided to stay permanently in your house because she didn’t have a place to stay? 

Articulating your to-be state requires working with similar businesses at various stages of their life cycle and having a deep understanding of how the processes evolve at each stage of growth. If your family members don’t have experience in living in a larger house, the upkeep that will be required from their side, most likely their expectation of the to-be state, will be very different. And they might not like it once they start living in the new house. 

This is where independent ERP consultants help visualize how the needs change at every stage of the company’s lifecycle. As well as helping them understand the key decisions they need to keep in mind as they plan their to-be state. They have already seen the odds of unexpected babies or aunts. So they can coach you on the possibilities that you need to plan to ensure that your model has some legs and is not going to break even if the context changes substantially.

3. Ability to Manage Change

Who would remember that you are supposed to write “fragile” on the box that is likely to break during the move? Your grandmother could keep track of every single detail as moving is probably the most exciting thing she has done in her life. Let’s face it. Most of us don’t even remember 10% of what we did yesterday.

Changing an ERP is like moving the whole city. You have a lot at stake. Even a minor disruption with one process could mean millions of dollars in loss. The challenge with ERP implementation is that things are so invisible that even experts struggle to keep track of the change process. 

Also, technical teams are extremely poor at documentation, as documenting a puzzle is not as mentally stimulating as solving and playing with the puzzle. The change process requires a methodical approach to managing a good state of requirements, which leads to quality tests and release plans.  Unfortunately, unless moving cities on a daily basis, you are likely to forget the critical steps, causing unexpected disruptions.

2. Ability to Uncover Financial and Technical Risks 

Good real estate agents have a deep understanding of their neighborhoods. They understand where the foundation issues are likely to be there in an area. They have intelligence about houses with cases of murder or suicide, which might substantially impact the financial value due to desirability issues. And they can tell you where you might need to hire a professional inspector, where the mold is likely to develop, and that it might require a very expensive repair.

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Without a real estate agent, you are likely to be concerned about getting the best deal but miss the big picture. What if you got a house that has a value of $100K because of a suicide in the house? But they sold as if you were getting a 50% discount on a house worth $400K? Only a real estate agent who is an insider would be able to uncover these deeply rooted financial and technical risks that you may not uncover even after living in the new house for a very long time. 

The only difference between an ERP and a house is that the mold is so deeply spread with some of the ERP systems that you might not understand how bad it might fire back in unexpected ways, getting sick for no reason. 

1. Access to Proprietary Intelligence

Real estate agents not only have access to proprietary databases such as MLS. However, they might maintain their own databases of different successes and failures based on their recent successes and failures. If you decide to do this on your own, you are never likely to have access to this intelligence. They keep track of other real estate agents, how they negotiate, and the compensation structure of different companies.

The ERP consultant keeps track of every vendor, whether reseller or OEMs, as well as consultants and their experiences with any specific ERP systems. They keep track of the vendors that are likely to white-label the consultants, increasing the scheduling risks. Or the ones that might deploy junior resources and the industries in which each vendor might specialize. Also, keeping track of any technology and data model changes. This proprietary intelligence is not possible without them. Independent ERP consultants can offer insights that you may have never had.

Final Words

The procurement cycle for each category is substantially different. The more expensive and disruptive the purchase, the more subject matter expertise you might need. It’s hard to describe why a particular real estate agent is better than the other. But if you pay attention, they have gone through years of training and cycles to master their craft.

It’s in the best interest of ERP companies not to see an independent ERP consultant on the other side, as it makes their job harder. But you are hurting yourself by not hiring one. Just like a real estate agent, the job of an independent ERP consultant is to make sure the interests of both buyers and sellers are protected. So don’t try to undertake an ERP selection by yourself when you barely understand the space.

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