ERP Go-Live Checklist: 30 Things to Verify Before Launch

 

A new ERP system will cost businesses more if they do not follow a Go-live checklist. Businesses that avoid it will pay the price through delays, disruptions, financial chaos, and customer frustration.

Therefore, I am offering a 30-point checklist to help you avoid these issues and save you from problems later. We will cover every step, from migration to support.

The good thing is that the checklist is not for Dynamics or Business Central implementation but for Oracle, NetSuite, SAP HANA, etc. So, it is for all.

Whether you need Dynamics 365 Business Central development or ERP for the automotive industry, the fundamental principles remain the same.

The steps to follow include proper execution of workflows and proper change management.

Explore this guide to help you implement the system as a project manager, business leader, CEO, technical team, or anyone who likes to learn more about ERP systems and how they work.

What Should Be on Your ERP Go-Live List?

First things first, what does the list offer?

The checklist will contain a detailed introduction to the following.

• Data migration
• Integration
• Training
• Configuration
• Compliance
• Support

Before diving into the checklist let’s see why it is important. The moment you understand its importance is when you will actually work on it and try to follow it.

You must be thinking why you need the checklist when you go through phased implementation with the help of a Dynamics 365 Partner.

The answer is that many loopholes lead you to failure.

What goes wrong in the implementation journey is the assumption that causes failure. It could be a lack of training or a tax rule that was assumed but not applied. Also, sometimes you need Business Central Reimplementation to optimize your processes.

Mostly, the project’s failure is due to unrealistic terms, including the project deviating from the actual timeline, exceeding the budget, and, heartbreakingly, failing to deliver what was promised.

The ERP checklist matters most so that people working on the implementation know what they need to do, rather than shifting blame to other teams or individuals. The Finance, operations, IT, and change management teams will know their roles and what they need to do.

This will lead to discipline, alignment, and a structured way of doing things.

The outcome would be proper tracing, as it can be traced earlier. It becomes easier to chase down the issue and identify who was responsible for it rather than shift the blame to anyone else.

This checklist will benefit you for ERP Go-live assessment. It allows you to track the task and mark the task status as complete/incomplete or at risk.

If numerous tasks are incomplete or in the testing phase, you must not consider launching the system.

Also Read: What is an ERP System

Data Migration

Let’s start with data migration, as it’s an integral part of the implementation and needs to be accurate for the project’s success. Messy data migrated to the ERP system leads to failure, and it is very hard to fix the issue.

For instance, if the inventory count doesn’t match the actual inventory or there are duplicate customer records, then you get into trouble.

So, no matter how good the system is, it is still not worth it if the data is not accurate.

1.    Migrating Master Data

The first step is to fully migrate the customer, employee, inventory, and vendor data. The biggest mistake is migrating everything that exists. This increases the likelihood of failure. It leads to clutter, and it becomes hard for you to find the right information.

It also leads to the use of outdated data that is no longer required.

A successful Business Central implementation requires proper data assessment, cleansing, and migration planning before moving information into the new system.

Moreover, discover the exact steps to migrate messy data to Business Central without breaking Finance.

2.    Historical Data Retention

It’s time to decide how much data needs to be migrated from a legacy system. You can create a read-only archive of the remaining data in the legacy system.

For this, you need the help of the finance and audit teams. The most common approach is to transfer data from the past 12 months while keeping the rest archived for review or analysis.

3.    Transactional Data Cutover

All the transactions must be matched to the system. These transactions include sales, purchases, and unpaid invoices. All transactions must be checked to avoid any issues later.

4.    Open Balances

All balance details, such as ledger accounts and fixed assets, must be checked for the last period in the previous system. This must be done after an agreement with the finance department. It should also happen after the final cutoff.

5.    Testing Data Validation Rules

So now you need to test the validation rules to see if they are actually working. The validation script helps identify issues in formatting or missing fields.

Make sure you utilize the entire database. It will allow you to find information about any records that lack proper linking or don’t match the others.

One thing to consider is testing the records that need attention, which are mostly unusual. These include international addresses, old records, and unit conversions.

So identifying these issues saves from disruption.

Configuration and Testing

This involves the practical application of the system and how it should work. All the things mentioned in the paper must be implemented in practice as described in the document. Any misalignment between the theory and practice will lead to issues. Configuration testing is used to get this work done.

6.    System Configuration

To ensure system readiness, the documented UAT sign-off must be taken into account. The actual user of the system must be involved in the testing. If the technical team tests it, it is not worth it.

The IT team may verify it, but the HR person who will use the system can reject it later if they find any flaw.

7.    Testing of the Edge Cases

You may face operational bottlenecks if you don’t test uncommon scenarios that could disrupt the system later. These include partial shipments, backorders, manual price changes, customer returns, and payments in different currencies.

These uncommon situations will be countered after going live. So beware of them. Neglecting them, thinking of a rare case, will cost you in the long run. So it’s better to test them before going live.

This will lead to fewer support tickets, while ensuring smooth business operations.

For example, Dynamics 365 for Manufacturing is designed for manufacturing businesses that require advanced features, and testing of production delays and material shortages needs to be done before going live.

8.    Testing business processes with UAT

Now comes user acceptance testing; this is the step where the system is tested by the actual user rather than the implementation team. The people who will use the system every day need to test the system. The system must not be approved until the real users use the system.

9.    System Performance Load Testing

Testing the system’s data load is important for assessing how well it performs under load. The activities that you need to test include handling increased orders, running financial reports, large numbers of invoices, and entering many orders simultaneously.

Systems tend to work better in the early days after launch but can crash instantly under high load. Load testing is used to identify performance issues well before the crash.

Performance load testing is significant for businesses using ERP in the 3PL industry where warehouse operations and transaction volume are high.

10. Print Layouts and Document Templates

The documentation must be properly generated, with the correct logo, information layout, legal notices, and disclaimers. All the tax details must be correct.

Customer invoices, packing slips, employee pay stubs, and purchase orders must be recorded correctly. There must be no essential information missing, such as tax or registration numbers. The accuracy of the documents has to be maintained.

11.  Regression Testing

The final testing has to be done to ensure nothing has been missed. What leads to issues is fixing one issue, which then causes leakage in another part of the system.

So while you are fixing an inventory issue, it may lead to a problem in the sales order. Regression testing is held here to check the working of the new changes.

The Go-live will become smooth with the help of regression testing to avoid delays and last-minute issues.

12. Verification of Roles and Approval Workflows

Users need to have access according to their roles. They should also have all the relevant permissions for their role.

Here you need to verify whether the user can access the information they need; that sensitive information is not accessible to everyone; that approvals are set for tasks; and that approval requests are transferred to the relevant authority.

For instance, the person creating the order must not be the same person who is approving it.

This is why it is important to set the validation rules right to avoid fraud, risks, compliance issues, and mistakes.

Integration & Technical Infrastructure

It is common for businesses to use multiple systems in addition to their ERP system. These include CRM, ERP platforms, banking systems, accounting tools, etc. The issue arises when it’s time to connect these systems for seamless data sharing.

This is a very important step, as systems need to communicate easily to ensure smooth operations.

Businesses that use the Dynamics 365 Shopify or D365 Amazon integration require transaction validation. A single mistake in the payment, inventory, or order can lead to delays.

13.  Testing of All Integrations

This requires you to test all the integrations considering real-world scenarios. The main part is not just testing the connection but ensuring that the information shared is correct.

For example, the ERP system processes an order from Shopify, but it is not guaranteed that the tax and payment details or the customer’s address are correct. This is why it is significant to validate the data to avoid operational bottlenecks during WMS ERP integration.

End-to-end testing leads to creating transactions and their complete flow across systems.

The hierarchy is like:

Customer places an order on an online store → Order moves into ERP → Inventory is updated → Payment is recorded → Shipping details are generated → Customer receives confirmation.

There is complete tracking of all these steps.

One more thing to remember is that a successful connection status does not guarantee proper system operation.

While 15 orders may be processed correctly, the remaining 5 can have issues due to incorrect data mapping.

Therefore, testing of all the integrations helps avoid such issues.

14.  Review of Security Configuration and Data Encryption

Protecting the system from unauthorized access and phishing attacks is essential for safeguarding sensitive data. Protecting sensitive data is very important to meet the security standards.

It is important to maintain data confidentiality before launch to avoid issues such as financial loss or compliance issues. So you need to go through the security checks that include single-factor authentication, multi-factor authentication, and data encryption.

Single Sign-On (SSO)

Employees should access the ERP system using company credentials.

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

An additional layer used to identify users through mobile verification.

15. Data Encryption

The data must be encrypted to prevent unauthorized access.

Keeping the rest of the business safe is the utmost priority for businesses, especially those in sensitive industries like healthcare and finance.

This should be done in the early stages before going live to avoid delays or disruptions.

16.  Remote and Mobile Access Verified

Users have become more digital and need to use the system beyond the office desktop. They are now using mobile devices and iPads to access the system.

It is significant to test these systems, and the access must be set up to allow the users to log in to the system smoothly.

Testing the system only for the desktop version is not enough; mobile applications have a different layout and connection setup. So it is essential to set up the system in that way.

For example, the picking process looks smooth, and the worker completes the task using the desktop application. But the same issue occurs with barcode scanners, where the item-scanning process is slow, and there are loading issues.

Other examples include using VPN to access the system through mobile.

• Using mobile devices to access customer data instantly while interacting with them .
• Using handheld scanners to update inventory.
• The crux is to test all the devices before going live.

17. Infrastructure Capacity and Backup Systems

To keep daily operations running, businesses need a robust technical infrastructure. This is why it is essential to track and check the servers, storage, backups, and disaster management.

This is to maintain the system under heavy load.

Backup Schedule: Regular data backup for storing essential information.

Server Capacity: The system can handle the current load and scale to increased load.

Disaster Recovery Plan: A proper recovery plan in case of any issue.

Cloud Resources: The proper configuration of the system for efficient usage.

The successful status indicating backup completion should not be trusted, and the system should be tested with a restore. This will demonstrate the system’s reliability.

This leads to backing up the system just in time, as you know how long it will take to restore. The recovery time objective is known to the business.

18. API and Middleware Error Handling

Data exchange occurs between systems through APIs and middleware. The API facilitates information sharing, while middleware assists in managing connections.

Now, the important part is to set up alerts in case of a problem. This means that problem detection has to be spot on. The right teams must be notified to ensure timely resolution of the issue.

To understand it, you are using an ERP system, and the system fails to process the customer order in case of a middleware failure; the outcomes should be:

Record the failure and notify the relevant team immediately. Frequently retrying to fix the issue.

A retail business assumes orders come in seamlessly, but issues arise when they don’t reach the ERP system. It happens because of an integration failure, and if the business isn’t notified, they will miss many errors.

Eventually, it will lead to customer complaints.

Training & Change Management

This is a highly important category that reflects an organization’s success. The real success comes when the people using the system can easily use it and are satisfied with its performance.

It is common in human nature to feel uneasy with any new change. But the real challenge is to make them feel comfortable while helping them adopt the new change.

The proper training and support system help accelerate adoption.

19. Role-Based Training

The first step is to provide role-based training to help them learn the system.

The training starts with the actual role, as it is difficult for them to learn to use everything at once, which may become overwhelming. And it is also not necessary to learn to use the whole system.

For instance, the sales team needs training on the CRM features.

Finance teams need to learn to use the system for invoices, transactions, and all related financial features.

All role-based training must include hands-on practice so learners can learn and perform tasks realistically. This makes the user confident, and they can easily learn from their mistakes.

So, it is significant to give role-based training rather than general training for all the features. It will save time and lead to more productivity.

20. Offer Reference Guides

Resources must be provided to users who use the system as a point of reference. Offering short, easy-to-understand guides will be really helpful. They can easily check the How-to guide to get answers to other problems. This minimizes their reliance on support from IT or other teams.

For instance, a how-to guide for returns will help the sales team manage them.

Or a warehouse worker needing assistance with a stock transfer should get a guide to the stock transfer process.

The guide must contain a step-wise explanation with screenshots for further clarity. It makes them self-reliant.

21. Identify Super Users

Super users allow businesses to focus on empowering members from every team so that they can help other members. This makes communication easier, as team members can contact the superuser in their department. This makes communication easier and smoother, and there is no confusion at the point of contact.

There are times when team members don’t know who to talk to about any issue. But it’s not an issue anymore.

For Example:

A super user in the finance department will help in identifying any issue faced by the member in processing transactions.

A superuser from the support team will help handle the ticket.

This is how communication becomes smoother, and the Super user and the team can use the ERP system more efficiently.

22. Planning the Go-live with Communication

The whole team should be informed about the Go-live to avoid any confusion later. This is why communication is the key to success.

All the employees must be on the same page and should know when the new system rolls out and what the downtime will be.

After rollout, what will be the essential initial steps, and who should employees contact in case of any issues?

There should be clear communication regarding the rollout, its time, necessary steps, precautions, and support.

23. Share Impact of the Change

The next step is to share the impact with the teams. As the new changes have been made to the system, they must also be communicated.

The employees must know what has changed, how it has changed, and why it changed.

Knowing these will let them understand the system better.

The new responsibilities and improvements must be communicated clearly.

The sales team using the manual way to process the order must now know why the order is processed automatically and why it is necessary. This will help them understand the system’s true value without viewing it as a burden.

This is a very crucial point as the employees consider the new system a burden if they don’t know why it is implemented in the first place.

The information about the benefits, employee concerns, and additional support.

Business Process & Compliance

Business process and compliance issues tend to be the most expensive ones as they take a toll on the efforts businesses need to make to reverse them. A mistake can require reprocessing the entire transaction, which takes time and energy.

Business processes and compliance ensure the smooth operation of the business while maintaining reliable records and financial controls. This makes sure the system runs smoothly before going live.

24. Verify Tax Configuration

The tax, VAT, and GST rules must be applied according to the jurisdiction and tested against real transactions. Take care of changing rules with the help of an expert advisor. Real sales and purchase transactions help in accurate testing. Even if you operate in multiple zones and countries, you need to consult your finance team to review everything before going live.

It is significant because incorrect tax settings and wrong invoices can lead to penalties and additional rework.

25. Check Audit Trails and Compliance Reports

Testing all transactions and user activity is a must. Also, the generated reports need to be complete and error-free. The industry-specific compliance needs to be tested before going live.

This will help meet all regulatory requirements and make financial audits easier than ever.

26. Test Month-End Closing Process

Your month-end closing processes must be tested before the launch. For this, you need to test the journal entries, reconciling accounts, and generating statements.

Test all these processes to identify issues in time so it does not disrupt your Go-live.

You need to test the month-end closing processes to prevent delays in the cycle after the system launches. This will also save your team from the excessive burden.

27. Inform Vendors and Customers About Changes

In case of any changes in the invoice pattern, ordering process, or invoice submission, you need to inform the customer in advance. This will help in preventing customer frustration. Guide them and offer them complete details.

Communication is the key to success, but good communication is the key to gaining the customer’s trust and loyalty. So keep them informed through every step of the way so that they feel valued. This is essential for good customer relationship management.

Support and Post Go-Live Readiness

A post-Go-live support plan is essential to ensure the resolution of issues in time and avoid delays to maintain the smooth working of the system. This is why a robust and reliable support plan must be in place to identify and resolve issues.

Unexpected challenges arrive when the user actually starts using the system. That leads to the creation of a support strategy prior to launch.

The support plan should include:

• Issue identification process
• Escalation procedures
• Responsible teams
• Response timelines
• User assistance channels

Dedicated Business Central Support services must be acquired to maintain smooth operations.

28. Prepare a Hypercare Support Plan

The hypercare period helps monitor the system immediately after going live. This hypercare period must last 15 days. This is a crucial time for the business, as it needs to ensure operations run smoothly. So you must provide adequate support by involving the IT, support, and operations teams. Offer support beyond dedicated hours for smooth operations and customer satisfaction.

The Hypercare period is essential for the business, as users are learning the new system and tend to make mistakes and encounter issues. But the hypercare must be well planned and organized to prevent the business from incurring additional downtime and issues.

29. Create a Rollback and Contingency Plan

Problems are part of life, and you go out living, so you must be prepared for them. Even after doing everything right, you may encounter problems. Unexpected issues can walk in like unwanted guests at any point in time. So you need to be prepared.

Analyze the situation and the person who will address the issues and make important decisions. Also, you must decide for how long the old system will be available as backup.

This contingency plan will help the teams in responding to uncertain situations promptly as they know the next step they need to take.

30. Define Success Metrics and Schedule a Post-Go-Live Review

When you have clarity of goals, everything becomes simpler and easier to manage. The goals can include anything from fewer support requests and high user adoption to faster reporting and financial processing. A review meeting after 30 to 60 days is significant for collecting user feedback, evaluating results, and making improvements to the system after the identification of issues.

This is why you need to measure performance to assess how the system is performing and what you need to address before issues escalate and disrupt it.

Conclusion

Your ERP Go-live checklist is a simple task tracker that helps you make your ERP system robust and reliable, ready to go live with full confidence.

The checklist includes data accuracy, training, support integration, and customization to be perfect. Following the checklist will lead to the rollout of a system that creates fewer problems and yields more productive results.

FAQs

1. When should you finalize the checklist before going live?

The best time to finalize the checklist is 2-4 weeks before the system launch. This will help you prepare properly as you have enough time. The responsibilities are assigned to the relevant teams, so they know what to do in case of any problem.

2. What are the items that are overlooked in an ERP Go-live checklist?

Businesses often forget or neglect to test unusual situations and integrations. They may seem non-problematic but create problems. Businesses focus more on testing common tasks like invoice generation and order creation, but neglect the essential ones.

3. What is the time period for Hypercare support?

The Hypercare support period lasts 15 days after going live. This is the time when users are testing and learning the system, and they encounter issues. Some of the operational and technical issues also arise during this period. So, at this time, support is most needed.

4. Who owns or manages the Go-live checklist?

Although IT and technical teams are working on the system, the ERP Go-live checklist must be maintained by the project manager and/or business leader. They can make important decisions about launches, delays, or returning to the old system. This is why the stakeholders of the departments must hold the list.

5. What are the factors that lead to Go-live delay?

The delays occur after encountering severe problems that include:

Data problems

The inaccuracy and data mismatch between the old and the new system.

Integration failures

The ERP does not connect to third-party tools or applications.

Incomplete testing

Some of the business processes were not tested.

Missing approval

The managers have not approved the system because they believe there are loopholes.

All the problems must be assessed and resolved instead of launching an unstable system.

6. What makes an ERP Go-live checklist different from a project plan?

The ERP Go-live checklist is to be followed before the final launch, whereas a project plan is shared at the start of every project.

7. Is this checklist reliable for small businesses?

Small businesses must follow the main checklist areas, as their processes are not complicated.

8. What is the ideal number of people to take the go or no-go live decision?

There should be a total of 4 to 5 people assembled from different departments who should take the decision. Too many or too few people will create chaos, so this is the ideal number.

9. Do you need a phased Go-live to reduce the implementation risk?

Yes, a phased Go-live will reduce the ERP implementation risk as it does not disrupt the system. Starting with basic modules and gradually moving to the advanced ones is the perfect strategy.

In the event of any issues, the business can resolve them immediately.