Article
ERP installation: 10 key steps to successfully implement your ERP
ERP, the cornerstone of your digital transformation
At a time when data has become a strategic asset, high-performing companies are those that know how to structure, automate, and efficiently manage their business processes. This is precisely the role of an ERP system.
Yet, real-world experience is clear: nearly 70% of ERP projects fail or significantly exceed their initial budget, according to a study by Pemeco Consulting. The reason? Poorly controlled ERP installation and ERP implementation.
Installing an ERP goes far beyond simply deploying software. It is a company-wide transformation project involving business teams, IT departments, and end users. When successful, ERP implementation becomes a powerful lever to optimize resources, boost operational performance, and increase agility in response to market changes.
This guide walks you step by step to turn your ERP project into a success:
- Understand what ERP installation and implementation truly involve
- Follow a proven 10-step action plan, from preparation to deployment
- Avoid the pitfalls that cause most ERP projects to fail
• ERP installation and implementation: understanding the difference
ERP installation: the technical foundation
Installation refers to the purely technical dimension of your ERP project. It includes:
- Infrastructure deployment: choosing between cloud ERP (online hosting) or on-premise ERP (on your own servers)
- Hardware configuration: optimizing servers to ensure performance and 24/7 availability
- Access security: implementing detailed user rights and authentication management
- Go-live: opening the system to initial users
ERP implementation: the strategic transformation
ERP implementation goes much further. It represents the functional and business dimension that brings your ERP to life:
- In-depth analysis of your current business processes
- Custom configuration of modules based on your specific needs
- Smart customization tailored to your organization’s unique requirements
- Full integration with existing tools (CRM, reporting tools, business software)
- Secure data migration from legacy systems
- Training and change management for your teams
In short: installation lays the technical foundations, implementation builds the functional structure. Both are inseparable to ensure a successful digital transformation.
• Why is ERP implementation strategic?
The risks of poor project management
Your ERP will structure all company workflows: finance, production, HR, sales, logistics, and procurement. A flawed implementation leads to serious consequences:
- Operational inefficiency: processes slow down instead of improving
- User rejection: resistance to change and a return to old methods
- Cost overruns: repeated fixes and budget blowouts
- Negative ROI: lost value and unprofitable investment
The Benefits of a well-managed ERP implementation
Conversely, a successful ERP implementation becomes a performance accelerator:
Process optimization: smoother and more efficient operations
- Smart automation: massive time savings and elimination of manual errors
- Data-driven management: informed decisions based on real-time, reliable data
- Guaranteed scalability: a system that supports long-term growth
That is why choosing the right ERP methodology and solution from the outset is critical.
• The 10 key steps to a successful ERP implementation
Step 1: Properly prepare your ERP project
Preparation determines 80% of your project’s success. This initial phase lays the groundwork for transformation.
Key actions:
- Build a cross-functional project team involving finance, production, HR, sales, and IT
- Define clear business objectives: expected performance gains, cost reductions, and lead-time improvements
- Map existing processes to identify strengths and weaknesses
- Gather business requirements through workshops with each department
- Create a realistic roadmap with clear milestones, resources, and constraints
This step ensures a shared vision and prevents costly deviations.
Step 2: Select the right ERP vendor
Choosing an ERP vendor commits you for years, do not rush.
Essential selection criteria:
Your ideal vendor offers a flexible ERP that adapts to your business (not the other way around), a scalable solution, strong customization capabilities without prohibitive costs, and solid methodological support throughout the project.
Prioritize solutions that provide:
- Source code transparency to avoid vendor lock-in
- Modular architecture to activate only what you need
- High adaptability to business-specific requirements
- Low Code/No Code BPM approach for rapid changes without heavy development
Step 3: Analyze and customize your ERP
Core principle: adapt the ERP to your processes, do not force your teams to adapt to rigid standard software.
Methodology:
- Map end-to-end business flows to understand information circulation
- Identify priority automations by targeting repetitive, time-consuming tasks
- Configure modules through parameter settings rather than heavy development
- Customize interfaces and workflows to match real business practices
Using a BPM (Business Process Management) engine enables business-driven, fast, and scalable implementation through visual process modeling.
Step 4: Securely migrate your data
Data migration is a critical and often underestimated phase.
Successful migration steps:
- Extraction from existing systems (Excel, legacy software, databases)
- Cleansing and validation: fix errors, remove duplicates, standardize formats
- Integration into the appropriate ERP modules
- Consistency testing to ensure data integrity and completeness
Warning: a rushed migration can compromise the entire project for months.
Step 5: Test and validate before deployment
Before go-live, extensive testing is mandatory.
Complete testing program:
- Functional testing of each module
- Performance testing under real usage conditions
- Security testing to protect sensitive data
- User acceptance testing with business teams
This phase dramatically reduces production risks.
Step 6: Train users effectively
Without user adoption, even the best ERP fails. Training is a strategic investment.
Effective training program:
- Role-based training (end users, administrators, managers)
- Diverse learning materials: guides, videos, FAQs, cheat sheets
- Change management: communicate benefits and rely on internal champions
Tip: an intuitive, modern ERP interface significantly reduces training needs.
Step 7: Choose your deployment strategy
Two approaches are available:
Option 1: Phased deployment (recommended for most SMEs)
Module-by-module or site-by-site rollout
Advantages:
- Lower risk
- Progressive learning
- Less stress for teams
Constraints:
- Longer overall duration
- Temporary coexistence of systems
Option 2: Big Bang deployment
Full switch at a fixed date
Advantages:
- Speed and immediate consistency
- No dual systems
Constraints:
- Higher risk
- Requires flawless preparation
Step 8: Ensure post-deployment monitoring
The project does not end at go-live.
Post-launch priorities:
- KPI monitoring (processing time, adoption rate, error rate)
- Responsive user support
- Functional adjustments based on feedback
- Regular system updates
A flexible ERP ensures long-term sustainability.
Step 9: Measure ROI and continuously optimize
Key performance indicators:
- Reduced processing times
- Lower data entry error rates
- Productivity gains per department
- Improved customer satisfaction
- Faster decision-making cycles
These insights drive continuous optimization.
Step 10: Prepare for evolution and scalability
Your ERP must support long-term growth.
Key scalability factors:
- Adding new modules
- Integrating emerging technologies (AI, IoT, advanced analytics)
- Regulatory compliance updates
- Geographic expansion
Anticipating scalability avoids costly future migrations.
• 5 common ERP project failures that lead to costly mistakes
1. Underestimating user involvement
- The mistake: Treating ERP implementation as a purely IT-driven project and involving end users only at the final stages.
- Why it fails: An ERP directly impacts day-to-day operations. When users are excluded from early discussions, the system often fails to reflect real business needs. This leads to frustration, low adoption, and workarounds outside the ERP.
- The solution: Involve users from the very beginning. Create business committees, appoint key users in each department, and organize regular workshops. Their operational expertise is essential to correctly configure workflows, screens, and automation rules.
2. Ignoring the real cost of an ERP project
- The mistake: Focusing only on software license costs when evaluating the budget.
- The reality: ERP projects involve many additional costs: implementation services, data migration, customization, training, change management, maintenance, and support. These expenses can represent two to three times the license cost.
- The solution: Build a realistic, global budget that includes all project components. Plan a contingency margin of 15–20% to absorb unexpected adjustments and avoid financial stress during the project.
3. Skipping or rushing the testing phase
- The mistake: Accelerating deployment to meet arbitrary deadlines and reducing testing time.
- The consequences: This is one of the leading causes of ERP failure. Bugs discovered in production disrupt operations, damage user trust, and generate exponential correction costs.
- The solution: Allocate sufficient time for functional testing, performance testing, security testing, and user acceptance testing. It is always better to delay go-live by a few weeks than to launch an unstable system.
4. Neglecting change management
- The mistake: Assuming technical training alone is enough and underestimating resistance to change.
- The consequences: Users may avoid the ERP, revert to old tools, or engage in passive resistance, significantly reducing the value of the system.
- The solution: Implement a structured change management approach. Communicate regularly about benefits, highlight quick wins, involve teams in decisions, and support the human aspect of transformation—not just the technical one.
5. Over-customizing instead of standardizing
- The mistake: Trying to replicate every existing process exactly as it was, without leveraging ERP best practices.
- The consequences: Excessive customization leads to exploding costs, complex maintenance, difficult upgrades, and long-term technical debt.
- The solution: Clearly distinguish between true business differentiators and standard processes. Customize only where it creates real value, and standardize the rest. Customization should remain the exception,not the rule.
• Why choose Axelor for your ERP project?
Open Source ERP for digital sovereignty
Axelor ERP is built on a fully open-source model, offering complete transparency of the source code. This guarantees:
- Full control over your information system
- Independence from vendor lock-in
- Long-term digital sovereignty
You own your ERP and remain free to evolve it according to your strategy.
Flexible deployment: Cloud or On-Premise
Axelor adapts to your technical and regulatory constraints:
- SaaS (Cloud): fast deployment with no infrastructure to manage
- On-premise: ideal for organizations with strict data sovereignty requirements
- Hybrid: combine both approaches depending on modules or use cases
You retain full control over your architecture and hosting strategy.
Easy customization with the integrated studio
Axelor’s integrated Studio radically simplifies customization:
- Low Code / No Code interface for rapid changes
- Modular architecture to activate only what you need
- Advanced configuration without heavy technical dependency
You can adapt your ERP continuously as your business evolves—without exploding costs..
Advanced automation with the BPM engine
Axelor includes a powerful Business Process Management (BPM) engine that allows you to:
- Visually model business workflows
- Configure business rules easily
- Automate repetitive and time-consuming tasks
This ensures agility, efficiency, and continuous improvement of your processes.
Seamless integration with your ecosystem
Axelor becomes the central hub of your information system:
- REST APIs to connect all your tools
- Native connectors with leading market solutions
- Open architecture designed for interoperability
Your ERP integrates smoothly with CRM, BI tools, production systems, and more.
Comprehensive functional coverage
Axelor covers all core business needs:
- Finance: accounting, treasury, budgeting, financial reporting
- CRM: sales, marketing, customer service
- Production: planning, MRP, workshop management
- HR: payroll, leave, recruitment, training
- Procurement & Inventory: sourcing, inventory, logistics
- Projects: planning, time tracking, invoicing
A single, unified platform to manage your entire organization.
• Customer testimonials: tangible results
Companies ranging from SMEs to international groups report:
- High user satisfaction and strong support quality
- Successful automation of business processes
- Measurable productivity gains
- Growth enabled by a scalable and flexible ERP
Axelor is particularly appreciated for its adaptability and the quality of its implementation support.
• Your ERP project starts now
ERP implementation is a strategic, long-term commitment. By following proven steps and avoiding common pitfalls, you maximize your chances of success and unlock:
- Increased productivity
- Greater agility
- Optimized performance
- Sustainable growth
Choosing a flexible, Open Source, and scalable ERP like Axelor is a decisive factor in maintaining control over your information system while supporting long-term development.
Take action with Axelor
Request an Axelor ERP demo to see how Axelor can address your specific business needs.
Ready to transform your business with an ERP that truly fits you?