Accelerating ERP Implementation: Best Practices for SMEs

ERP implementations that drag on for 12-18 months aren't inevitable. Most delays stem from three preventable mistakes: poor project governance, treating change management as an afterthought, and discovering data migration problems too late. The difference between a six-month rollout and an eighteen-month ordeal? Working with partners who've accelerated dozens of implementations using proven practices.

Why ERP Projects Take Twice as Long as They Should

Your six-month ERP implementation has stretched to month twelve. Go-live dates have slipped three times. The project budget is blown. Your finance team is exhausted from endless data validation and testing cycles whilst the business waits.

This scenario plays out across UK businesses every month. The UK government's SME Digital Adoption Taskforce identified the core issues: cost uncertainty, lack of internal expertise, and fear of disruption drive SMEs to avoid or delay ERP adoption. When businesses do proceed, they often resort to extended phased rollouts to mitigate operational risk.

The problems aren't technical. Your chosen ERP software works fine. The issue is implementation management. Businesses underestimate complexity, lack governance frameworks, and attempt DIY approaches without the experience to avoid expensive mistakes.

Grant UK migrated one million data records without downtime through phased implementation and expert guidance. It can be done differently.

What Slows Down ERP Implementation

Internal Teams Lack Implementation Experience

Your finance director knows your business inside out. What they don't know is how to implement an ERP system, because they've never done it before.

Most SMEs tackle ERP implementation once every ten to fifteen years. Your partner does this every month. That experience gap creates problems you can't anticipate:

• First-time implementers miss patterns that experienced consultants spot immediately
• They lack frameworks for making decisions under pressure
• They can't evaluate which customisation requests justify the cost

You can't DIY your way through this.

Change Management Requires Dedicated Expertise

Change management isn't training sessions the week before go-live. It's cultural transformation that starts in week one. Your team is already running the business - they don't have bandwidth to lead this properly whilst maintaining day jobs.

Done properly, change management is a full-time job for someone who knows what they're doing.

Data Migration Goes Wrong Without Expert Guidance

Six weeks before go-live, you finally audit your customer master data. You discover duplicate records, inconsistent naming conventions, fields nobody's maintained for five years. Your team scrambles whilst the launch date looms.

Experienced partners audit data quality six months before go-live, not six weeks. They test migration multiple times. They spot dependencies because they've migrated similar businesses before.

How Expert Partners Accelerate Implementation

Your partner brings governance frameworks, change management expertise, and data migration specialists refined through dozens of implementations. Here's what that looks like in practice.

Project Governance That Works

Strong governance starts with clear decision-making authority established in week one:

• Who approves scope changes?
• Who resolves disputes between departments?
• What goes to steering committee versus project team?

Every "wouldn't it be nice if" request goes through formal change control. Your partner evaluates each one against proven ROI frameworks using data from similar implementations.

Expert-Led Change Management

Your partner provides dedicated expertise from week one:

Champions programmes: Department representatives get identified early, trained properly, and coached through becoming peer trainers.

Training that sticks: Hands-on sessions happen four to six weeks before go-live. Role-based training focuses on what each department actually needs.

Cultural preparation: Your partner addresses "we've always done it this way" using techniques refined across multiple rollouts.

Partner-Managed Data Migration

Your team owns the data. Your partner owns the migration process.

Expert-led frameworks establish who owns financial data cleansing, who validates customer records, who signs off on master data. Migration gets tested at least three times before go-live.

International House London worked with TSG consultants who reviewed and cleansed data before migration started, avoiding the usual delays that first-time implementers face.

Standard Processes Over Customisation

Modern ERP systems embed best practices from thousands of implementations. The standard process probably handles 90% of your requirements.

Your partner helps you recognise when adoption makes more sense than customisation. Every request gets subjected to rigorous ROI analysis based on real data from similar businesses.

How TSG Accelerates ERP Implementation

TSG's structured approach addresses the three areas where most projects lose time:

Discovery workshops engage subject matter experts to map processes, identify inefficiencies, and define success. This prevents requirement changes that derail timelines later.

Phased delivery minimises disruption. Core finance goes live first, then operations modules follow. Testing happens multiple times with real users.

Data migration specialists audit quality six months before go-live, establish clear ownership frameworks, and test at least three times. The approach that kept Grant UK running without downtime.

Post-implementation support focuses on the first 90 days when it matters most. System Care provides ongoing support as your business evolves.

Choosing Your Implementation Partner

Partner choice determines timeline more than software choice. A skilled partner accelerates Business Central, Sage Intacct, or any ERP system.

Meet the Actual Implementation Team

Don't just speak with salespeople. Meet the project manager, lead consultant, and support person who'll work on your project.

Ask about their experience:

• How many implementations have you personally led?
• What's your typical timeline for businesses our size?
• Can you show examples of projects that delivered faster than planned?

Chemistry matters. You're working together under pressure for months.

Demand Proven Process

The traditional approach (wrong): Specify everything endlessly before starting. Your team defines requirements based on existing systems you're trying to replace. This adds months.

The proven approach (right): Get hands-on with the platform early. Adopt standard processes where they work. Subject customisation to high ROI bars.

If your partner proposes the traditional approach, look elsewhere.

Verify Their Track Record

Ask for their Net Promoter Score. Industry average sits around 30. Good is 40+. Great is 60+. TSG's NPS is 86.

Ask about experience with your specific situation:

• How many implementations for businesses your size?
• What's their typical timeline?
• Can you speak with three recent clients?

Understand Post-Implementation Support

The first three months after go-live determine whether your investment pays off. Hypercare should be standard, not an add-on. Training shouldn't stop at go-live.

The Expertise Investment

Experienced partners cost more than inexperienced ones. But speed matters more than hourly rates.

Consider two scenarios:

Partner A: Experienced team delivers in 4 months with 80 consulting days. Your business starts realising benefits in month five.

Partner B: Less experienced team takes 9 months with 150 consulting days. Problems surface after go-live. Your business waits five additional months for benefits.

The cheaper partner costs more. Not just in consulting fees, but in opportunity cost. What's five months of delayed benefits worth to your business?

Put your best person on the project. Their time matters more than saving money on consulting fees.

What This Means for Your Project

ERP implementation speed comes from partner expertise, not software features. Strong project governance, expert change management, and proven data migration processes separate six-month implementations from eighteen-month ordeals.

Your ERP implementation doesn't have to drag on for eighteen months. The practices outlined here - proven governance frameworks, expert-led change management, specialist data migration - aren't theoretical. They're how TSG accelerates rollouts for mid-market businesses every month.

Stop comparing software features. Start evaluating implementation teams. Meet the actual project manager, lead consultant, and support person who'll work on your project. Ask about their track record. Check their NPS score. Demand to see their process.

The difference between a six-month implementation and an eighteen-month ordeal comes down to one decision: which partner you choose to work with.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an ERP system?

ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems integrate your business operations into one platform: finance, inventory, sales, purchasing, and reporting all share the same data. This eliminates spreadsheets, duplicate entry, and disconnected systems. Modern cloud ERP systems like Business Central and Sage Intacct provide real-time visibility across your entire operation.

Can we implement ERP software ourselves to save money?

Most SMEs lack the implementation experience to avoid expensive mistakes. Partners who've done this dozens of times spot issues early, follow proven processes, and typically deliver faster than internal teams attempting their first rollout. DIY implementations consistently stretch to 18+ months versus 6 months with experienced partners.

How long should ERP implementation take for SMEs?

Three to six months with experienced partners using proven practices. Projects stretch to twelve to eighteen months when businesses underestimate complexity, lack governance frameworks, or attempt DIY approaches. Timeline depends on business complexity, willingness to adopt standard processes, and extent of necessary customisations.

What's the difference between a good and great implementation partner?

Track record with similar businesses, proven process over traditional approaches, NPS score above 60, and team depth. Great partners show you exactly who's working on your project and have data from dozens of similar implementations. They get you hands-on with the platform early rather than spending months writing requirements documents.

Should we customise our ERP or use standard processes?

Experienced partners subject customisations to high ROI bars based on data from similar implementations. Most requirements are habits, not necessities. Standard processes accelerate rollout and reduce ongoing maintenance costs. Modern ERP systems embed best practices from thousands of implementations.

What's included in post-implementation support?

Hypercare period for the initial weeks after go-live, ongoing system optimisation as you discover usage patterns, regular training for new users, and twice-yearly update management. Quality post-implementation support determines whether your ERP investment delivers expected ROI. The first 90 days after launch determine long-term success.