An ERP project has hundreds of tasks, but a short list of items decides whether go-live is calm or chaotic. Use this checklist at each phase to make sure nothing important is skipped.
Planning
- Project sponsor and decision-maker named
- Scope agreed by module, branch and company
- Implementation partner's team and plan received
- Internal key users released from part of their daily work
- Go-live date set around business calendar (avoid month-end, Ramadan peaks, year-end)
Design
- Chart of accounts, cost centres and dimensions agreed
- Item, customer and supplier coding rules defined
- Approval workflows and user roles signed off
- Reports and KPIs listed with owners
- Integrations specified (POS, e-commerce, payroll, banks)
Data migration
Data problems are the most common cause of go-live delays. Start cleansing early.
- Duplicate items and customers removed
- Opening stock counted and valued
- Open receivables and payables reconciled to the old system
- At least two trial migrations completed and checked
Testing
- Test scripts written from real business scenarios
- Integration tests with POS, banks and e-invoicing
- User acceptance testing signed by each department
- Known issues logged with agreed workarounds
Training
- Role-based training close to go-live
- Short user guides or videos for daily tasks
- Super-users named in each department
Go-live and hypercare
- Cut-over plan with hour-by-hour tasks
- Fallback plan agreed
- Support desk staffed for the first weeks
- Daily issue review until the system is stable
- First month-end closed and reviewed
Key takeaway
If you only do three things: clean your data early, test with real scenarios, and keep vendor support in place for several weeks after go-live.
