Most ERP projects that struggle do not fail on the software. They fail in the last few weeks, when data, people and processes all have to be ready on the same day. After many implementations across Tanzania and East Africa, these are the things our consultants insist on before we switch a client over.
Settle the data before the date
Your opening balances are the foundation of everything the system reports afterwards. If they are wrong, every report built on them is wrong too, and confidence in the new system drops in the first week.
- Clean the masters first. Remove duplicate customers, suppliers and items, and agree one naming convention before anything is imported.
- Reconcile opening balances. Trial balance, receivables, payables, stock and fixed assets should tie back to signed-off figures from the old system.
- Do a trial migration. Load the data at least once into a test company and have finance check the reports before the real load.
- Freeze changes. Agree a cut-off after which new masters are created only in the new system.
Give every user the right role
Roles decide who can see, create and approve what. Getting them right protects the business and stops the flood of "I cannot see this screen" calls on day one.
- Map each person to a role based on what they do, not their job title.
- Separate duties where money moves: the person who creates a supplier should not be the one who approves payments to them.
- Set approval limits for purchase orders, expenses and discounts before go-live, not after the first surprise.
Our rule of thumb
If a step cannot be done by a real user, on their own login, in the test system, it is not ready for go-live.
Train on real scenarios, not menus
People remember tasks, not screens. Build training around the jobs each team does every week: raising a purchase order, receiving stock, issuing an invoice, closing a job card. Use your own items, customers and branches so the training feels like real work.
Identify one or two champions in each department. They get deeper training, help colleagues in the first weeks and become the first line of support.
Plan the cut-over weekend
- Agree the exact date and time the old system stops taking transactions.
- Count stock and confirm cash and bank balances at that point.
- Load final opening balances and have finance sign them off.
- Run a short smoke test: one sale, one purchase, one receipt and one payment.
- Open the new system to users, with consultants on site or on call.
Get through the first month-end
The first month-end close is the real test. Plan for it from the start: keep consultants available, reconcile bank and stock early in the month rather than at the end, and review reports with management so issues surface while they are still small.
A smooth go-live is rarely luck. It is the result of a few weeks of disciplined preparation and a clear plan for the first month.
Need a second pair of eyes?
Our ERP consultants run readiness reviews before go-live, whichever system you use. Talk to our team about a review for your project.