ERP programs move faster when the organization resolves a small set of foundational decisions before configuration begins.
1. What business outcome defines success?
Translate broad goals such as “better visibility” into operating measures: close time, inventory accuracy, order cycle time, forecast quality, project margin, or intercompany effort.
2. Which processes should be standardized?
Identify where consistency creates control and scale, and where local or business-model differences genuinely need separate treatment.
3. What data is authoritative?
Agree on ownership, definitions, cleansing, migration, validation, and ongoing maintenance for customers, vendors, items, accounts, entities, and opening balances.
4. Who can make cross-functional decisions?
ERP design crosses departmental boundaries. A clear governance model prevents unresolved tradeoffs from becoming configuration, testing, and adoption problems.
5. How will people learn the new operating model?
Training should explain responsibilities, decisions, controls, and exceptions—not only which buttons to click.
Making these decisions early reduces rework and gives the implementation team a stronger basis for design.