Key takeaways
- An ERP project should start with how work actually flows in your business, not with a list of software features.
- Eight questions cover the essentials: processes, hand-offs, approvals, data, reporting, integrations, people and priorities.
- Write the answers down. They become your requirements, your vendor brief and, where relevant, part of your grant application.
- If you cannot answer a question yet, that gap is the first thing to fix, before any demo.
Choosing an ERP system usually starts with demos. A vendor shows a clean dashboard, a few automated workflows and a list of modules, and the conversation quickly turns to features and price. The harder question, how your business really runs today, often gets skipped.
That is where many ERP projects lose time and money. A system configured around assumptions has to be reworked once it meets real orders, real approvals and real exceptions. The fix is simple to describe and takes discipline to do: map your workflows first, then choose the system that fits them.
This checklist gives you eight questions to answer before you speak to any vendor. Work through them with the people who do the work every day, not only with management.
1. Which processes cost your team the most time today?
Start with pain, not modules. List the processes where people spend the most effort: quoting, order entry, purchasing, stock counts, invoicing, payroll, month-end closing. For each one, note roughly how often it happens and who is involved.
This tells you where an ERP system should create value first. It also stops the project from expanding into every department at once.
2. Where does work change hands between people or teams?
Most delays happen at hand-offs: sales passing an order to operations, operations asking finance to raise an invoice, a site team waiting for purchasing to confirm materials. Trace a typical job from first enquiry to final payment and mark every point where it moves from one person to another.
Each hand-off is a place where information is re-typed, lost or delayed. These are the steps a well-configured ERP should connect.
3. Who approves what, and at which amount?
Write down your approval rules as they really work, including the informal ones. Who signs off purchase orders, discounts, credit terms, expense claims and payments? Are there limits by amount, project or department?
Approval rules drive a large part of ERP configuration. If they only exist in people's heads, the system will either block work or let it through without control.
4. Where does your data live today, and how clean is it?
List every place business data is kept: accounting software, spreadsheets, shared drives, email, a CRM, paper forms. For each, ask who owns it and how reliable it is. Duplicate customers, outdated item codes and inconsistent units of measure are common.
Data migration is one of the most underestimated parts of an ERP project. Knowing the state of your data early lets you plan the clean-up instead of discovering it during go-live.
5. Which reports do decision-makers actually use?
Ask management which numbers they look at every week and every month, and how long it takes to produce them. Common examples include sales by customer, project margin, stock value, overdue receivables and cash position.
Start from the decisions, then work back to the data needed. A short list of reports that are used is worth more than a long list that nobody opens.
6. Which other systems must the ERP connect to?
Few businesses run on one system. Note what else must exchange data with the ERP: an e-commerce store, a payment gateway, a bank, a payroll provider, e-invoicing through InvoiceNow, or a customer portal.
For each connection, record what data moves, in which direction and how often. This shapes both the choice of system and the scope of the project.
7. Who will use the system, and what do they need to see?
Group users by role rather than by name: sales, operations, warehouse, finance, management, field staff. For each role, describe what they need to do in the system and what they should not be able to see or change.
This keeps screens simple for daily users, supports proper access control and helps estimate licences and training.
8. What does success look like in six and twelve months?
Agree on a few measurable outcomes before the project starts. For example: invoices issued the same day a job is completed, month-end closed within a set number of working days, or stock levels visible in real time across locations.
Clear outcomes help you prioritise what goes live first and give everyone a shared way to judge whether the project is working.
How to use your answers
Once the eight questions are answered, you have more than a checklist. You have a practical brief that you can use in three ways:
- As your requirements. Each answer translates into specific needs, so you can compare systems on what matters to your business rather than on feature lists.
- As your vendor brief. Ask every vendor to demonstrate your own workflows, using your approval rules and your reports, instead of a standard demo.
- As input for funding. A well-scoped project with clear outcomes is also easier to describe if you plan to apply for support such as the EDGE Grant. Eligibility and funding are decided by Enterprise Singapore.
How AM8ZE can help
AM8ZE starts every ERP conversation with a Workflow Consultancy. We sit down with the people who do the work, map how jobs, approvals and data move through your business, and turn that into a clear scope before any system is configured. The result is a project plan your team recognises, built around the way your business actually works.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to answer these questions?
It depends on the size of the business and how many teams are involved. For many SMEs, a few focused workshops with each department are enough to produce a usable first draft.
Should we answer the checklist before talking to vendors?
Yes. Answering first means vendors respond to your needs, and you can compare their proposals on the same basis.
Who should be involved?
Include a decision-maker, a representative from each team that will use the system, and whoever owns finance and data today. The people who do the daily work often know the exceptions best.
What if our processes are not documented at all?
That is common, and it is the best reason to start here. Mapping current workflows is the first step of a well-run ERP project, not a prerequisite you must complete alone.
Key takeaways
- An ERP project should start with how work actually flows in your business, not with a list of software features.
- Eight questions cover the essentials: processes, hand-offs, approvals, data, reporting, integrations, people and priorities.
- Write the answers down. They become your requirements, your vendor brief and, where relevant, part of your grant application.
- If you cannot answer a question yet, that gap is the first thing to fix, before any demo.
Choosing an ERP system usually starts with demos. A vendor shows a clean dashboard, a few automated workflows and a list of modules, and the conversation quickly turns to features and price. The harder question, how your business really runs today, often gets skipped.
That is where many ERP projects lose time and money. A system configured around assumptions has to be reworked once it meets real orders, real approvals and real exceptions. The fix is simple to describe and takes discipline to do: map your workflows first, then choose the system that fits them.
This checklist gives you eight questions to answer before you speak to any vendor. Work through them with the people who do the work every day, not only with management.
1. Which processes cost your team the most time today?
Start with pain, not modules. List the processes where people spend the most effort: quoting, order entry, purchasing, stock counts, invoicing, payroll, month-end closing. For each one, note roughly how often it happens and who is involved.
This tells you where an ERP system should create value first. It also stops the project from expanding into every department at once.
2. Where does work change hands between people or teams?
Most delays happen at hand-offs: sales passing an order to operations, operations asking finance to raise an invoice, a site team waiting for purchasing to confirm materials. Trace a typical job from first enquiry to final payment and mark every point where it moves from one person to another.
Each hand-off is a place where information is re-typed, lost or delayed. These are the steps a well-configured ERP should connect.
3. Who approves what, and at which amount?
Write down your approval rules as they really work, including the informal ones. Who signs off purchase orders, discounts, credit terms, expense claims and payments? Are there limits by amount, project or department?
Approval rules drive a large part of ERP configuration. If they only exist in people's heads, the system will either block work or let it through without control.
4. Where does your data live today, and how clean is it?
List every place business data is kept: accounting software, spreadsheets, shared drives, email, a CRM, paper forms. For each, ask who owns it and how reliable it is. Duplicate customers, outdated item codes and inconsistent units of measure are common.
Data migration is one of the most underestimated parts of an ERP project. Knowing the state of your data early lets you plan the clean-up instead of discovering it during go-live.
5. Which reports do decision-makers actually use?
Ask management which numbers they look at every week and every month, and how long it takes to produce them. Common examples include sales by customer, project margin, stock value, overdue receivables and cash position.
Start from the decisions, then work back to the data needed. A short list of reports that are used is worth more than a long list that nobody opens.
6. Which other systems must the ERP connect to?
Few businesses run on one system. Note what else must exchange data with the ERP: an e-commerce store, a payment gateway, a bank, a payroll provider, e-invoicing through InvoiceNow, or a customer portal.
For each connection, record what data moves, in which direction and how often. This shapes both the choice of system and the scope of the project.
7. Who will use the system, and what do they need to see?
Group users by role rather than by name: sales, operations, warehouse, finance, management, field staff. For each role, describe what they need to do in the system and what they should not be able to see or change.
This keeps screens simple for daily users, supports proper access control and helps estimate licences and training.
8. What does success look like in six and twelve months?
Agree on a few measurable outcomes before the project starts. For example: invoices issued the same day a job is completed, month-end closed within a set number of working days, or stock levels visible in real time across locations.
Clear outcomes help you prioritise what goes live first and give everyone a shared way to judge whether the project is working.
How to use your answers
Once the eight questions are answered, you have more than a checklist. You have a practical brief that you can use in three ways:
- As your requirements. Each answer translates into specific needs, so you can compare systems on what matters to your business rather than on feature lists.
- As your vendor brief. Ask every vendor to demonstrate your own workflows, using your approval rules and your reports, instead of a standard demo.
- As input for funding. A well-scoped project with clear outcomes is also easier to describe if you plan to apply for support such as the EDGE Grant. Eligibility and funding are decided by Enterprise Singapore.
How AM8ZE can help
AM8ZE starts every ERP conversation with a Workflow Consultancy. We sit down with the people who do the work, map how jobs, approvals and data move through your business, and turn that into a clear scope before any system is configured. The result is a project plan your team recognises, built around the way your business actually works.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to answer these questions?
It depends on the size of the business and how many teams are involved. For many SMEs, a few focused workshops with each department are enough to produce a usable first draft.
Should we answer the checklist before talking to vendors?
Yes. Answering first means vendors respond to your needs, and you can compare their proposals on the same basis.
Who should be involved?
Include a decision-maker, a representative from each team that will use the system, and whoever owns finance and data today. The people who do the daily work often know the exceptions best.
What if our processes are not documented at all?
That is common, and it is the best reason to start here. Mapping current workflows is the first step of a well-run ERP project, not a prerequisite you must complete alone.