Software selection
Navigating the ERP selection process
Your roadmap to the right ERP. Ask the right questions, avoid the traps, and choose with confidence.
Cut through the sales pitch
Know which claims to test and which to ignore.
Judge the partner, not just the product
Implementation decides whether it works.
Decide on evidence
Tailored demos, recorded, checked against your needs.
Why it matters
Choosing an ERP is not a feature comparison
You are not buying a product list. You are choosing how your organisation will work for the next decade, and who will help you get there.
The process
Four stages, in order
Run the selection as a process and the decision makes itself. Skip a stage and you buy on impression.
Define the fit
- Map the processes that must be supported.
- Separate must-have from nice-to-have.
- Agree who decides, and on what basis.
Verify the claims
- Cross-check anything said about competitors.
- Ask what each vendor is genuinely best at.
- Confirm true cloud, not hosted on-premise.
See your own data
- Insist on a tailored demo, not a canned one.
- Record every session for later comparison.
- Push past the happy path to the exceptions.
Commit with a plan
- Price the full licence and upgrade path.
- Get a detailed implementation plan in writing.
- Choose the partner as carefully as the product.
Top tips
Ten things to test before you sign
Work through these with every vendor on your shortlist. The answers, and the hesitations, tell you what you need to know.
Prioritise the human element
The people you will work with matter as much as the software. Meet the team who will actually deliver.
Get tailored demonstrations
Brief the vendor on your requirements first. A generic demo tells you nothing about fit.
Watch for overpromising
Record the meetings. Grand claims tend to soften once they are on the record.
Verify what you read
Cross-check claims, especially about competitors. Ask specific questions, not open ones.
Seek uniqueness
Ask what their system is genuinely best at. Best at everything means best at nothing.
Confirm it is true cloud
Hosted is not cloud. Ask how upgrades work and what they cost once you customise.
Check scalability and licensing
Model the cost at twice your current size. Be wary of introductory discounts.
Distrust bargain implementations
If the quote looks too good, the scope is missing something. Ask for the full cost and timeline.
Know the migration strategy
Ask how they move you across, what usually goes wrong, and how they fix it.
Choose the right partner
Reputation, references and support matter more than the demo. See the checklist below.
Implementation partner
Judge the partner as hard as the product
The right system implemented badly still fails. Read the reviews, ask for references, and test them against five things.
Expertise and experience
A proven track record deploying the exact system you are buying.
Industry knowledge
They understand your sector and its reporting and compliance load.
Technical proficiency
The skills to configure, integrate and extend it without breaking upgrades.
Change management and training
A clear plan to bring your people with you, not just the data.
Support and maintenance
Responsive help after go-live, when it actually counts.
Free guide
The ERP Selection Checklist
Every question worth asking, in one printable list. Use it with us, and use it with everyone else you talk to.
Inside the guide
- Vendor questions, grouped by stage
- Red flags in pricing and licensing
- What to demand from a demonstration
- How to score an implementation partner
Next Step
Ready to talk ERP?
Tell us where you are in the process and we will tell you, honestly, whether we are the right fit.
1300 720 767