If your business needs suite software to manage financials, human resources, supply chain, and more, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central may be a good fit. But before you get started, it’s essential to understand the implementation process for Business Central.  

Microsoft’s Business Central software is an all-in-one ERP solution that offers a slew of functionality, including: 

• Finance Management 
• Inventory 
• Supply Chain Management 
• Warehouse Management 
• Manufacturing 
• Project Management 

How long does a Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central implementation take? 

Depending on which modules and features your business needs, implementation can take anywhere from 3–6 months.

What factors affect the length and cost of the implementation? 

The number of features available in Business Central and some businesses’ customization requirements can result in longer implementations. But the software’s depth is just one piece of the implementation puzzle. 

You and your software partner must collaborate at every stage of the process to ensure effective implementation. The benefit of collaboration is two-fold—the implementation is faster and smoother, and the software is configured more accurately to the needs of your business. 

Large organizations using various software solutions may experience a longer implementation process. This is especially true of businesses that use third-party software; while Business Central easily integrates with other Microsoft solutions, synchronization to non-Microsoft products may pose challenges. It’s best to have a clear picture of all the solutions you want to use with Business Central when planning your implementation. 

The implementation process

Introducing new software to your business involves several requirements to ensure the transition is as smooth as possible. Cargas has developed a tried-and-true, six-step process for successful ERP installation. 

Step 1: Planning 

After you sign the implementation agreement, a Cargas project manager will reach out to schedule a kickoff meeting and review your goals, milestones, and more. 

Step 2: Define 

The Cargas team fills out a Functional Requirements Document with your company to define the parameters of your solution. This is important to set up before the third step! 

Step 3: Build 

With a plan in mind, our implementation consultants are ready to help you configure Business Central to fit your business needs. 

Step 4: Model 

Before anything is finished, configurations will undergo testing and your team will receive software training. This is when adjustments are made, and you can prepare to synchronize your data to the new system. 

Step 5: Deploy 

You’ve reached your go-live date! As you officially start using your new software, our team will help transfer data and answer questions throughout the first month.  

Step 6: Evolve 

As you grow more accustomed to the software, one of our account managers will help you build a plan to scale your solution alongside your business. 

The big picture

It takes plenty of time and resources to make software implementation go smoothly. Using our six-step process and collaborating with your software provider will streamline the implementation and ensure the software will help your business as much as possible.