ERP project management: implement SAP & Business Central safely.
An ERP implementation is one of the biggest projects a mid-sized company takes on – and it runs alongside day-to-day business. We take over project management on your side: from requirements and system selection through managing the implementation partner to data migration, go-live and hypercare. Vendor-neutral, technically grounded, with one clear goal: a system that carries your processes – on time and on budget.
On the client side
The implementation partner’s project manager represents their interests. We represent yours – on estimates, change requests and deadlines.
SAP & Business Central
Experience with SAP S/4HANA and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central – and with the question of which system fits which company size.
Legacy in view
We know the Excel and VBA island solutions around the old ERP – and make sure they are replaced in an orderly way instead of dragged along.
Why ERP implementations fail.
ERP projects rarely fail because of the system – they fail in the implementation. The typical patterns:
The partner manages itself
Without a strong counterpart on the client side, the implementation partner sets pace, scope and effort. Every additional consulting day is revenue for them – cost for you.
Requirements stay in people’s heads
What isn’t captured and prioritised properly is missing from the design – and comes back after go-live as an expensive add-on.
Data quality is underestimated
Master data from the legacy system is incomplete, duplicated or outdated. Migration becomes a permanent construction site if nobody plans and owns it early.
Scope creep in customisation
“But the old system did it this way” – rebuilding every special case means paying twice: first for the customisation, then for every future upgrade and maintenance cycle.
Departments on top of the day job
Key users are supposed to test, clean data and sign off processes – in addition to a full job. Without realistic capacity planning, this is exactly where the schedule tips over.
Island solutions survive
The Excel and Access tools around the old system stay in operation because nobody scoped them into the project. The new ERP starts with the same system gaps as the old one.
What our ERP project management covers.
We accompany the implementation end to end or join for individual phases – depending on where your project stands:
- Requirements & specification – Capture, prioritise and document departmental processes and requirements so vendors can quote reliably.
- System selection & contracts – Tendering, vendor comparison (including SAP S/4HANA vs. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central), proposal evaluation and support on contract and licensing questions.
- Managing the implementation partner – Consistently manage deadlines, effort, change requests and quality – at eye level, because we can judge estimates on substance.
- Data migration & interfaces – Migration strategy, data cleansing and integration of existing systems – including replacing Excel/VBA island solutions around the legacy ERP.
- Test & acceptance management – Organise test plans, key user tests and acceptance – defects are found before go-live, not after.
- Cutover, go-live & hypercare – Detailed cutover plan, go-live support and stabilising care during the first weeks.
- Reporting to management – Honest status reports on progress, budget and risks – decision papers instead of traffic-light cosmetics.
The ERP implementation in phases.
A clear phase plan with milestones – managed as a hybrid, so structure and flexibility work together.
Preliminary study & requirements
Capture processes, define goals and scope, check the business case – the basis of every good decision.
System selection
Compare vendors and systems, evaluate proposals, negotiate contracts – vendor-neutral and traceable.
Design & fit-gap
Map target processes to the standard, evaluate gaps: adapt, rethink or deliberately drop.
Implementation & migration
Manage the partner’s delivery while driving data migration and interfaces in parallel.
Testing, training & go-live
Key user tests, training and a cutover plan that doesn’t interrupt daily business.
Hypercare & optimisation
Stabilisation after go-live, working off open items, fine-tuning processes – and an orderly handover to your organisation.
Frequently asked questions about ERP project management.
The implementation partner already provides a project manager – why another one?
Their project manager steers the project from the partner’s perspective: their resources, their margin, their contract. On your side you need someone who challenges estimates, evaluates change requests, organises your departments and reports honestly to management. That is exactly the role we take.
SAP or Microsoft Business Central – which fits us?
There is no blanket answer: Business Central typically plays to its strengths in small and mid-sized companies, S/4HANA in complex group structures with deep process integration. We evaluate this against your processes, IT landscape and budget – vendor-neutral, because we don’t earn on any licence.
How long does an ERP implementation take?
In the mid-market realistically 9–24 months, depending on scope, data quality and the capacity your departments can free up. More important than total duration is a phase plan with reliable milestones – which we create at the start.
How much capacity does our own team need?
More than most vendors admit at project start: key users for testing, data cleansing and process sign-off are the bottleneck of almost every implementation. We plan these capacities realistically – uncomfortable, but it prevents the typical schedule slip in the last third.
Can you join an ERP project that is already running?
Yes. We start with a project review (plans, contracts, open items, data status) and an honest assessment of where things stand – then you decide whether and how we take over the steering.
What happens to our Excel and Access tools around the old ERP?
We scope them in from day one: which island solution is replaced by the ERP standard, which is rebuilt as a clean interface solution, which is retired. Details on our VBA legacy modernization page.
Related services.
You should run your ERP project – not your implementation partner.
Whether before system selection or mid-project: you’ll get an honest assessment of where your initiative stands and what it needs now.
Request ERP project management.
Briefly describe your starting point, the system (if already chosen) and your timeline – we’ll get back to you with an assessment.
Address
Vincubate Ventures
Friesenstraße 21
02681 Schirgiswalde-Kirschau