Prepare an ERP needs brief before choosing a solution

Describe difficulties before listing features

Before comparing ERP products, describe the situations that make work harder. Does a sales request need to be entered again by the preparation team? Does an owner search across different files to understand progress? These observations give your brief a practical starting point. Avoid copying a feature list from a product brochure: it can look complete without addressing your own business needs. Ask users what they do, what slows them down and which information they must pass to colleagues so the next stage can begin with confidence.

Turn the working journey into demonstration scenarios

Choose a representative file and describe its journey from the original request to completion follow-up. Identify the people involved, documents consulted and decisions required. You can use this scenario during a supplier demonstration. For example, ask how a change in the customer’s requirement becomes visible to the colleague preparing the work. Observe continuity across the process instead of focusing on an attractive series of screens. Record what the demonstration actually showed, and distinguish those observations from elements that still need confirmation after the supplier’s presentation.

Identify data and the people who understand it

List the information that may need to move: product references, contacts, active files or working documents. Check where the reliable source is held and who can explain inconsistencies. A record duplicated across different files needs a preparation decision before transfer. Distinguish information to clean, information to retain and material that can remain available in the earlier workspace. Describe intended uses by role as well, so access can be planned appropriately. Do not assume every user needs to view or change all of the information used by the business.

Prioritise needs and define the project boundary

Separate needs essential to the chosen process, useful improvements and ideas that can wait. Explain what happens if a need is not met: manual searching, a fragile handover or an activity that cannot proceed. This explanation helps compare supplier responses. Describe the initial scope and the activities remaining outside it. For example, a workshop may continue using a specialised tool, while the brief explains the exchange needed with that tool. Clear boundaries prevent an immediate operational need from becoming confused with a much wider transformation programme.

Prepare questions about putting the solution to work

Ask the supplier about data preparation, trials with users, assistance and recovering your information if the business changes solutions. Request a description of each party’s responsibilities instead of relying on a broad promise of an easy rollout. Keep responses and undemonstrated points in the comparison record. Felexia Conseils can help a Moroccan SME describe its processes and management requirements. A useful brief makes selection more concrete, then gives the team a way to check whether the chosen solution supports the work that was actually described.

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