ERP implementation blueprint that will make you win

🛠 THE CFO EFFECT PLAYBOOK (Part III)

Step One: Understand what you’re really buying

Implementing an ERP is not like buying new software.
It’s a capital investment.

One that will shape your processes, data, and decision-making for years to come.

Before you even talk to vendors, ask yourself:

If your business is stable, not growing fast, and your processes are already under control, you might not need an ERP yet.

But if you’re scaling fast, adding product lines, selling through multiple channels, or struggling to get a unified view of operations…it’s time.

Rule of thumb:
Don’t implement an ERP because you’re overwhelmed by chaos.
Implement it because you want to enable clarity and scale.

Step Two: Fix the people and processes first

The most expensive mistake companies make is thinking the ERP will fix bad processes.
It won’t.

It will just codify them.

So, before you touch any system, do a full audit of:

Ask yourself:

If your culture is broken,

if departments don’t talk to each other,

if no one takes ownership,

your ERP will amplify the chaos.

Fix the humans first.

Then the system will multiply that discipline.

Step Three: Scope the project like a CFO, not a technician

This is where most ERP projects go off the rails.

When I joined my current company, the ERP project was already scoped and scoped wrong.
The team was trying to replicate old processes inside a new system.

The old processes were a bunch of patches using QuickBooks.

That’s like buying a Ferrari and driving it like a lawnmower.

Your goal is to redesign the business for where you’re going, not what you already have.

And trust me, there is a big nuance between the two.

When I took charge of the project, I took a 180 degree turn and focused on scale, a single source of truth for data, and clarity.

I asked everyone in the team to look at every decision we take from that angle. It became our North Star.

So, when scoping your ERP:

And most importantly, scope in phases.
You don’t need to digitize the entire company in one go.
Start with what’s most critical (inventory, order-to-cash, procure-to-pay), then layer in complexity later.

CFO tip: The better you understand your own processes, the less money you’ll waste on consultants.

Step Four: Choose the right system and the right partner

ERPs are not created equal.
A system that works beautifully for SaaS companies will suffocate a manufacturer.

When evaluating platforms (NetSuite, SAP, Dynamics, etc.), look at:

If you have an internal team that can build the system, you can skip the consultant part.

Once you have this figured out, it will ease up your process to know which consultant would be the best fit to help you achieve your goals.

Because the consultant you choose is just as important as the system.

Make sure you have people knowledgeable about the system you are implementing, but also about your industry.

When we implemented our ERP system I did not know how important it was to have the consultant understand our business model and processes.

I thought we had to know them and guide the consultants.

This ended up costing us a lot of time (and money) and errors while building the instance.

Take all the time you need to scope the project and to make sure your consultants understand your business and processes.

They should know:

If they don’t, they’ll deliver something technically correct but operationally useless.

Moreover, be fierce when it comes to controlling the hours they charge you.

Most people don’t spend enough time to understand the goals of the working sessions with the consultants. But these can be costly mistakes.

I always made sure that:

Step Five: Test with your own data as early as possible

Another big mistake I’ve done is ERP training and testing using demo data.

It’s a disaster waiting to happen.

Demo data hides 90% of the problems you’ll face once you go live.
Your own data will expose real-world complexities: broken SKUs, missing dimensions, bad naming conventions, misaligned GLs.

So, create a sandbox which is a safe environment to test with real data without breaking production.
Every integration (shipping, e-Com platform, warehouse system, CRM) should go through sandbox first.

We made the mistake to have only a sandbox for the ERP, but that limited our visibility.

Because each time we would move to production, the other software would not behave the way we predicted and that would throw off our sandbox tests.

We learned our lesson and now each system we connect to the ERP has a sandbox environment.

Then review the outputs with your team:

You’ll catch 90% of your issues before they hit production.

You’ll thank later for this one. Or maybe you’ll never thank me because I avoided you our mistakes.

Step Six: Run a “Pre-Mortem”

Before go-live, gather your project team and ask:

“Six months from now, this ERP implementation failed. Why?”

List every possible reason:

Then, assign owners and preventive actions for each.
This single exercise could save you hundreds of thousands of dollars in rework.

Because most ERP failures come from poor planning and leadership blind spots.

Step Seven: Build champions to reduce resistance

The success of your ERP lives and dies with people.

If your team doesn’t buy in, they’ll find ways to work around it and all your investment will go to waste.

The key is to communicate early and often:

When people see how it benefits them (not just finance), adoption skyrockets.

Change management will become your best friend in any implementation project.

Step Eight: Design for FP&A from day one

Most ERP projects focus on accounting, logistics, and operations.
But if you don’t think about FP&A from the start, you’ll regret it later.

Decisions you make now (how you structure your chart of accounts, segments, and departments) will shape your ability to analyze performance later.

Most teams don’t give enough attention to their chart of accounts (COA).

Nothing holds more value than a strategically designed COA.

We went from close to a thousand accounts to less than 200 with an increased clarity.

How?

We simply leverage departments for our different departments, but also for our sales channels.

This allowed us to know the profitability of each product in each channel with precision.

We also leverage classes for the countries and regions.

This allowed us to slice and dice our data by looking at different dimensions.

Before implementation, define:

Build your ERP for visibility and compliance, not one or the other.
Your internal clients will thank you for years.

Think about how you can help your CEO create value.

Step Nine: Post-Go-Live discipline

Once you go live, the real work begins.

Most companies think the hard part is over, but the first 90 days after launch determine long-term success.

What you need:

Keep everyone accountable.
If a process doesn’t work, fix it fast; don’t patch it.

Fix the root of the problem, not the symptom.

ERPs are living systems.

The discipline you build post-launch defines their ROI.

The Practical Takeaway

Next Week’s Episode:

🔜 CFO Reset : Reinvent yourself in 2026

The best CFOs reinvent themselves before it’s forced upon them.

Every December, I take a step back and realize something powerful:
I’m not the same CFO I was a year ago.

The challenges, crises, and decisions of the past 12 months changed me: personally, strategically, and technically.
And if you’re reading this, chances are, you’ve evolved too.

But the ultimate reality is:
The CFO you were won’t be enough for 2026.

Next Sunday, I’ll break down what it means to reset, and how to evolve into the kind of finance leader the future demands:

✅ The 3 pillars of mastery every modern CFO needs (technical, communication, leadership)
✅ How to become the bridge that aligns your board, your team, and your business
✅ Why your most valuable investment in 2026 won’t be in markets or systems

Because 2026 will be a reset: for finance, for leadership, and for you.

If you’re ready to evolve from reporting numbers to reshaping the future of your company, you can’t afford to miss this episode.

Disclaimer:
This content is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, legal, or professional advice. Always consult with a qualified advisor before making any business or financial decisions. The author and publisher disclaim any liability for actions taken based on this content.

Talk soon,