Learn When to Upgrade from Microsoft Dynamics GP

Introducing Data-Driven Metrics with Insite

Several years ago, I developed a simple test to determine if a Microsoft Dynamics GP (formerly Great Plains) customer has outgrown their software.

Simply stated, the more “multis” that a GP customer can check off, the higher the probability that they may need a more sophisticated ERP platform. The list includes:

• Multi-Company
• Multi-LOB (line of business)
• Multi-Location
• Multi-Currency
• Multi-Country
• Multi-Language
• Multi-Dimensional Inventory or Financials

In review, the test still stands up well.

If you are torturing your GP software to meet your business needs, it is well worth the time to read or re-read the original article.

While this rule of thumb approach has excellent value, it is not data-driven, and that is why we are introducing a significant update to the process of analyzing the productivity of your GP software implementation.

Considering that failed and challenged ERP implementations and upgrades continue to plague the industry, it is time to ask additional questions before selecting an upgrade path.

Here are three questions I have never heard in over thirty years in the ERP selection and implementation industry:

• How effectively are we using our current ERP software?
• As a result, do we need to upgrade or use our existing system more efficiently?
• If we are not using our current system to its full capability, how do we ensure that our future implementation does not have the same problems?

The most obvious reason these questions don’t get asked is the ERP software implementation partners don’t get paid for not upgrading existing systems or selecting and implementing new ones.



Additionally, there are no tools to assess the productivity level of ERP software implementations. We are left with opinions and speculation without a means to provide reliable data regarding your ERP system.

Answering these questions is the reason Pelorus Technology uses Insite, the ERP productivity analyzer, for its clients.

Suppose you are an existing Microsoft Dynamics GP shop and are considering upgrading to a later version of GP or even Dynamics BC or F&O. In that case, Insite can provide data, not opinions, regarding your software decision.



Insite is designed to understand your use of the GP platform by:

• Function
• Workflow
• Workgroup
• Department
• Company
• Individual

Additionally and equally critical, Insite identifies those “non-ERP software” applications needed to run the business. These “Shadow ERP Components” are rarely understood by management and never investigated in the software selection process.

Insite understands these Shadow ERP Elements and calculates the real-time ratio of time spent inside the ERP system versus non-ERP applications needed to supplement and complete business processes.

Without this information, we do not have a complete picture of our ERP Software platform’s efficiency. Insite exposes critical issues that affect the optimum running of an existing system by identifying gaps such as:

• Training
• Poor software set-up
• Wrong software selection for critical business requirements

It is even more critical to understand shadow ERP components and ratios if we plan to select and implement a new ERP software platform.

Our blog “Insite & the Five Whys” details how the lack of insight into this data leads to challenged or failed implementation projects.

Review Your Microsoft Dynamics GP Implementation

Many existing Microsoft Dynamics GP users have complex questions about their software:

• How long can I effectively run my GP version without licensing or support issues?
• Can I upgrade to a newer GP version?
• What if I want to move my on-premises GP to the cloud?
• Can I upgrade to Dynamics BC or F&O?

To that list, we would like to add two more critical questions that do not get asked because there are no data-driven tools to use for an answer:

• How efficiently am I running my existing GP software?
• Do I need to upgrade my GP software, or can training and set-up fixes allow me to get more productive years out of my investment?

We want to help you provide answers to all these questions with our first-of-its-class ERP Productivity Tool – Insite.

Register Today and Take Your ERP Processes Out of the Shadows

We are looking for Microsoft Dynamics GP users that want to run a preliminary analysis on their implementation. Your company will receive:

• A detailed understanding of how shadow-ERP elements have created gaps in your ERP system and affiliated business processes
• A live demonstration of our proprietary tool used to measure shadow-ERP components and real-time changes in activity
• A discussion of solutions to solve any identified gaps and ways that better support your business and your users

Sign-up now to see if your company qualifies for an Insite analysis with a preliminary scoping call.