The Problem: Large ERP Methodology for Smaller Companies

I’ve been implementing Business Central (earlier Microsoft Dynamics NAV) for larger and more complex manufacturing companies for the last 20+ years. It has almost exclusively been implementation where custom tailored processes where combined with industry best practices. Each project typically follows an established path taking the customer through Discovery, Analysis, Design, Development, Deployment and ending with post go-live Support.

This method works well for larger companies but has proven hard to apply to smaller companies. From time to time I run into someone with a small company that wants to transition to Business Central, and almost every time the mention of ‘Discovery and Analysis’ makes them question the approach, they just want to ‘get started’.

The Solution: Guided Self-Service in Business Central

We (Naviona) have now created a product we call ERP JumpStart to give those smaller companies a good way to transition to Business Central. This is a product we created in collaboration with Cosmo Consult. It uses the Cosmo Consult’s Digital Consultant to guide companies through the steps of learning and configuring Business Central on their own. It is in a way a self-service implementation methodology for Business Central that’s specifically designed for a more practical path into ERP that can be worked on at their own pace.

The best part is that once you are up and running on Business Central you can start scaling, this way of implementing does not paint you into a corner, it does the opposite, it lays the foundation for extending the solution as you grow.

How it Works: Step-by-Step Tasks for Learning and Doing

Here is how it works; the Digital Consultant gets installed in the Customer’s Business Central environment, and from there the ERP JumpStart package is downloaded. A new company is created in Business Central and the ERP JumpStart pre-configuration that includes things like countries, zip codes, chart of accounts, posting group and even some master data samples are applied. When this is done, we do an on-boarding process with the customer where we go through how they work with the ERP JumpStart package through the Digital Consultant.

The Digital Consultant has the work that needs to be done grouped in Work Packages, where each Work Package contains a list of Tasks. Those are then listed in the order which they need to be done, it looks something like below (the bold groups are the Work Packages).

Each task contains content like videos, documentation, instructions, etc. that’s been compiled specifically for the task. From the tasks the user can also directly open the page in Business Central where the configuration is done, so there is no need for searching for where to do things.

Below is an example of the Basic Accounting – Setup work package, with tasks as lines that contains things like the Company Information, Accounting Periods, Chart of Accounts, etc.. Note the content that can be accessed via the FactBox on the right side.  

The tasks can be assigned to users, so if you have a team of a key users they can all get their own individual tasks to complete. It could for example be that a key user from each department is working on the tasks for their department. The task for each user shows up in their role center like below.

The users works on the tasks and update the statuses when tasks are started or completed. We support the users during this if there are any questions, and we do checking calls to make sure it all is going smoothly and progress is made.

Some of the work packages have dependencies where they can’t be started until dependent work packages are completed. Each work package also has a rating in terms of expected effort in hours; this gives everybody an idea of how much time it is expected of them and how much remains.

Pretty nice, right? 🙂

Try It: If You Have a Small Company and Need a Modern System

This is a proven methodology that Cosmo Consult has used for a couple of years in Europe that Naviona has now taken to the US market. It is the perfect solution for someone with a smaller company that has Outgrown QuickBooks or is maybe using Great Plains and needs to transition into a new and modern ERP system for continue growth, or if you are just tired of managing everything in spreadsheets.

A coworker of mine said it was like TurboTax for Business Central; it takes a complex task and makes it simple by guiding and educating the users step by step. I thought that was a great comparison, it is exactly what it does. With this concept you get the work done and learn the system at the same time, perfect for smaller companies.

Did I mention Copilot and AI Agents? There is so much you can do in Business Central these days, so if your company is not there, you might be behind… 🙂 Any questions, let me know, I am happy to explain further. Or reach out if you or someone you know has a company and you want to get into Business Central for less than a FIFA World Cup Final ticket. 🙂

Here is the web site: www.erpjumpstart.com