Top 10 things to think about implementing a new ERP

Thinking about implementing a new ERP system? Prepare yourself—it’s a big move. Done right, it can streamline your operations, sharpen decision-making, and bring visibility to every corner of your business. Done wrong, it can drain your budget, frustrate your team, and slow everything to a crawl.

ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems serve as the technological core of modern enterprises. They tie together finance, operations, HR, supply chain, and more. But switching to a new ERP is like doing open-heart surgery on your organization—you don’t want to wing it.

In this article, we’ll break down the top 10 things you need to think about before and during your ERP implementation. From stakeholder buy-in and data migration to integration with bank accounts (yes, Cobase can help here!), we’ve got you covered with insights, practical advice, and plenty of “aha” moments.

Let’s dive in.

1. Start with the big “why”

Implementing a new ERP system isn’t something you do just because everyone else is doing it. It’s not a fashion trend. It’s a foundational change—a reimagining of how your business operates from the inside out. So before you even look at vendors or demos, you need to take a step back and ask the most important question of all: Why are we doing this in the first place?

Define your business goals

Are you slowed down by spreadsheets and manual processes that waste hours every week? Maybe your finance team is juggling dozens of bank portals just to figure out how much cash you actually have across accounts. Or perhaps your supply chain feels more like a guessing game than a well-oiled machine.

Whatever the reason, don’t just assume the ERP itself will solve your problems. It’s not magic. You need to be crystal clear about what you want to achieve. Are you aiming to:

• Automate and streamline operations?

• Get timely visibility into cash flows and liquidity?

• Improve customer satisfaction with faster, more accurate deliveries?

• Strengthen compliance and audit readiness?

• Support expansion into new markets with multi-currency capabilities?

Document these objectives. Make them specific. And—this is key—align them with measurable outcomes. For example, instead of just saying “improve reporting,” say “reduce month-end close from 10 days to 3.” These goals will become your compass, helping you evaluate ERP features, measure success, and avoid getting distracted by bells and whistles you don’t need.

Align ERP with your strategic vision

Every business has a bigger picture—a long-term vision that guides decisions across departments and time zones. Your ERP should be in sync with that vision, not working against it.

Let’s say your company plans to expand into new international markets within the next 12–18 months. If your ERP can’t handle multi-currency transactions, global tax requirements, or integrations with international banks, that’s going to be a problem. A big one. You’ll find yourself patching together workaround after workaround, burning time and money.

This is where platforms like Cobase come into play. Cobase integrates directly with your ERP to provide seamless global bank connectivity, centralized cash management, and timely visibility across multiple accounts and currencies. So if scaling globally is part of your strategy, integrating Cobase early can future-proof your finance operations and keep everything flowing smoothly.

Think of it this way: implementing an ERP without a strategic fit is like building a house on the wrong plot of land. Sure, it might look nice at first—but eventually, you’ll realize it doesn’t support the life you’re trying to build.

So take the time now to zoom out. Where do you want your company to be in 3, 5, even 10 years? What capabilities will you need to get there? Your ERP should be more than just a system—it should be a strategic enabler that helps turn your vision into reality.

2. Get stakeholders on board early

Build a cross-functional team

ERP isn’t just an IT thing—it touches everything. Finance, HR, procurement, logistics—you name it. Bring representatives from every department into the fold early so you don’t end up optimizing for one area at the expense of another.

Secure executive buy-in

No executive sponsorship? Big red flag. Your CFO and COO must champion the project, allocate resources, and keep the organizational willpower strong when challenges arise (and they will).

3. Don’t underestimate change management

Expect resistance

Humans love comfort zones. ERP implementations disrupt routines, and not everyone will clap for it. You’ll face skepticism, fear, and resistance.

Train, communicate, repeat

Change management is like brushing your teeth: not exciting, but non-negotiable. Train users early, communicate often, and repeat both until the new system feels like second nature.

4. Choose the right ERP system

Once you’ve nailed down the "why," it’s time to explore the “what.” As in—what ERP system should we actually choose? And let’s be honest: this part can feel overwhelming fast. With dozens of vendors claiming to be the “best,” how do you cut through the noise and make the right call?

It starts with understanding your options, but more importantly, understanding yourself—your business model, goals, team, and future plans.

Cloud vs on-premise vs hybrid

Let’s break this down.

• Cloud-based ERP systems are hosted by the vendor and accessed through the internet. These are typically subscription-based, quick to deploy, and easily scalable. For companies that want flexibility, rapid implementation, and lower upfront costs, cloud is often a no-brainer. You don’t need a huge IT team to manage infrastructure or worry about servers overheating on a Friday afternoon.

• On-premise ERPs, on the other hand, are installed locally on your servers and maintained by your internal IT team. They offer more control, tighter security (for some industries), and the ability to customize extensively. But they come with higher upfront costs and a heavier maintenance burden. They’re ideal for businesses with strict data regulations or unique operational needs.

• Hybrid ERP systems combine the best of both worlds. You keep core functions in-house while leveraging the cloud for specific modules or integrations. This gives you flexibility while still retaining some control.

So, what’s the “right” answer? That depends on your risk tolerance, internal IT capabilities, industry compliance requirements, and growth plans. A lean startup with aggressive growth targets might thrive on the agility of cloud ERP. A multinational manufacturing company with legacy systems and strict data governance might need the robustness of an on-premise solution—or a hybrid blend.

And remember: the ERP landscape is shifting. Even traditionally on-prem vendors are now prioritizing cloud solutions, especially as remote work, real-time analytics, and SaaS ecosystems become the new normal.

Look beyond features—think fit

ERP vendors love to show off shiny features. Dashboards that look like they belong in a sci-fi movie. Built-in chatbots. It’s easy to get wowed.

But let’s be clear—features don’t equal value if they don’t actually serve your business.

What really matters is fit:

• Does the system mirror how your organization operates? If your finance team handles multi-entity, multi-currency transactions, does the ERP support that natively—or will it require workarounds?

• Can it grow with you? Today you might have 50 employees in 2 countries. But what about in 3 years? Choose an ERP that can scale as you expand without forcing a costly migration.

• Is it intuitive for your team? The fanciest software in the world is useless if nobody wants to use it. Ask yourself: Can a non-technical user complete core tasks without hours of training? Is the UI friendly or frustrating?

• How well does it integrate? This is a huge one. Your ERP won’t exist in a vacuum. It needs to sync with your CRM, HR system, bank accounts (hint: Cobase can help here), tax platform, and more. A great fit means it can plug into your ecosystem like a missing puzzle piece—not an awkward wedge that needs constant babysitting.

Think of choosing an ERP like choosing a life partner. Sure, charm (aka UI) is great. But long-term compatibility, shared goals, and good communication (read: integration) are what make the relationship work.

Don’t make a decision based on a checklist of features. Talk to real users. Ask the vendor for case studies in your industry. Take your time. Because when it comes to ERP, getting the right fit is everything.

Case study: How S4 integrated its acquisitions with Cobase and Netsuite

S4 Capital, a global leader in digital advertising and technology services, faced the daunting task of unifying treasury operations across 96 entities, 29 banks, and 450 bank accounts—challenges that emerged from its fast-paced growth through over 30 acquisitions. The lack of cash visibility and the burden of manual, error-prone processes posed significant operational risks. By implementing Cobase’s multi-banking platform and integrating it seamlessly with NetSuite and their TMS, S4 Capital achieved real-time cash visibility, automated payment workflows, and streamlined banking connectivity. As Group Treasurer Christof Nelischer explains, “Cobase has proved to be a game changer, because a lot of manual work has fallen away.” This transformation not only enhanced compliance and control but also empowered the company to scale efficiently, setting the foundation for even smoother future acquisitions.

Read more click the link below:

5. Map out your current processes first

Before you dive headfirst into configuring a shiny new ERP system, hit the brakes. Don’t start building the new until you fully understand the old. Why? Because if you automate a flawed process, you’re not solving a problem—you’re just making a broken process faster.

Think of it like remodeling a house: you wouldn’t install brand-new marble countertops without first checking for cracks in the foundation. The same principle applies here. Mapping your current processes is the blueprint that guides your ERP success.

Identify gaps and inefficiencies

Start by taking a good, honest look at how your business currently runs—warts and all. Where are things falling apart? What’s taking too long? Where do errors happen most often?

Maybe your finance team spends hours each week manually reconciling bank accounts, toggling between systems and emails just to confirm balances. Maybe purchase orders bounce between inboxes for approval, with zero visibility or accountability. Or maybe your inventory tracking is more wishful thinking than actual data.

These inefficiencies might have been “good enough” to get by up until now—but an ERP isn’t about getting by. It’s about building a system that helps you thrive. So take the time to identify the friction points, the redundancies, and the painkillers your team has been silently relying on.

And here's the golden rule: don’t carry broken processes into your new ERP. Fix them now, while you're still in the planning stage. Once the system goes live, those flaws become much harder—and costlier—to untangle.

Use process mapping tools

You don’t need to overcomplicate it—just start by visualizing your current workflows. Use simple tools like Lucidchart or even a whiteboard to map out how tasks like payments, approvals, or reconciliations actually flow.

This is especially useful when preparing to integrate solutions like Cobase into your ERP. By clearly understanding where manual steps or banking bottlenecks exist, you can pinpoint exactly where Cobase can automate tasks—such as consolidating bank data, streamlining payments, or improving real-time cash visibility.

When your processes are clearly mapped, your ERP implementation becomes not just a software upgrade—but a smarter, more connected way of working.

6. Prioritize data migration

Cleanse, map, and validate your data

Garbage in = garbage out. You cannot skip data cleansing. Standardize formats, remove duplicates, and map fields carefully between systems. Run validations to make sure what goes in comes out clean.

Assign data ownership

Who owns customer data? What about financial data? Assign responsibility so nothing falls through the cracks. Otherwise, you’ll end up with finger-pointing sessions instead of solutions.

7. Integration is everything

Here’s a hard truth: even the most powerful ERP won’t live up to its potential if it operates in a silo. In today’s fast-moving business world, integration isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s mission-critical. Your ERP should be the central nervous system of your organization, seamlessly connected to every key function, system, and financial touchpoint.

Connect with bank accounts via Cobase

Bank connectivity is often treated as an afterthought during ERP planning—but it shouldn’t be. Think about it: nearly every core process in your ERP touches your bank accounts. Payments, cash positioning, reconciliations, liquidity forecasting—they all depend on reliable, up-to-date banking data.

That’s where Cobase comes in.

Cobase acts as a smart layer between your ERP and all your banks, whether you’re working with two or twenty. It provides centralized access to global bank accounts, automates payment execution, and delivers real-time visibility into cash positions—directly from within your ERP. No more juggling passwords or logging into ten separate banking portals before your morning coffee.

With Cobase, you don’t just plug your ERP into the financial system—you plug it into a smarter, more secure, and much more scalable treasury workflow. It’s bank integration done right, and it removes one of the biggest blind spots in traditional ERP setups.

Link ERPs with CRMs, HR systems, and more

Of course, banking isn’t the only thing your ERP needs to play nicely with.

Your CRM holds customer insights, your HR system manages payroll and benefits, your tax software ensures compliance, and your supply chain platform keeps your logistics on track. If your ERP doesn’t connect to these tools, you’ll end up duplicating work, risking data inconsistencies, and slowing everything down.

Integration keeps information flowing smoothly between systems. It ensures your sales team sees accurate credit limits, your finance team has clean data for month-end, and your HR team doesn’t have to manually re-enter payroll figures.

So, when choosing or configuring your ERP, ask the tough questions:

• Can it integrate with the platforms we already use?

• Does it support APIs or pre-built connectors?

• How easily can we add platforms like Cobase to our tech stack?

The more connected your ERP is, the more powerful and future-proof it becomes. Integration isn’t just about systems—it’s about unlocking your team’s full potential.

8. Keep an eye on the budget

Account for hidden costs

Licensing is just the beginning. You’ll also need to budget for training, data migration, consulting, system integrations, customizations, and post-launch support. ERP is a marathon, not a sprint.

Plan for ongoing maintenance

ERP systems need love too. Updates, user support, bug fixes—all ongoing costs you’ll need to forecast. Don’t let post-go-live support become an afterthought.

9. Test like your job depends on it

Simulate real scenarios

Test your ERP using real-world use cases. Can you process a supplier payment across borders? Can you close the books in less than 3 days? Realistic testing ensures you're not flying blind on go-live day.

Validate with end-users

Don’t just involve IT in testing. Let real users do it. Only they can catch oddities like “Why does it take five clicks to approve an invoice now?”

10. Plan for go-live and beyond

Phase rollout vs big bang

You can go all-in on Day 1 (big bang) or take it slow with a phased approach. The latter is safer and allows for tweaks along the way. Decide based on your risk tolerance and complexity.

Monitor, support, optimize

After go-live, track KPIs religiously: processing time, errors, cash visibility, etc. Offer help desks, internal champions, and continuous improvement cycles. ERP success isn’t a destination—it’s a journey.