Our advice: do not begin an ERP project with a list of applications. Begin with the outcomes you need and the operational problems you are trying to solve.
What needs to improve?
Be specific. “A modern system” is an aspiration, not an acceptance criterion. We recommend agreeing which processes should become simpler, which information should become more reliable and which manual handovers should disappear.
What is essential for the first release?
Separate day-one requirements from later improvements. Map your critical business flows and decide which capabilities need to work together at launch. A phased scope should still deliver a coherent way of working, not isolated pieces.
Who owns the process and the data?
Name the people who can make decisions about finance, sales, inventory, operations and reporting. Agree who is responsible for cleaning and approving data before migration. These are business responsibilities, not just technical tasks.
How will we know the system is ready?
Define practical acceptance scenarios early. Include normal transactions, exceptions, reporting and the handovers between teams. We recommend proving that the complete process works, rather than checking each screen in isolation.
What happens after go-live?
Plan for training, user support, issue triage and operational ownership. Clarify what the implementation partner supports, what your internal team owns and how future changes will be approved.
Make the next step a focused discovery
A useful discovery phase should leave you with clearer requirements, visible risks and an achievable release plan. That gives you a stronger basis for comparing platforms and proposals.
These are Gardoce’s recommended planning questions. They are general guidance, not a substitute for requirements discovery and solution design for your business.