Choosing a modular ERP: questions that make a demo useful

A long feature list does not establish fit. Bring three operations your team actually performs and ask to run them from start to finish.

Choose a realistic scenario

Try a sale with a return, a partial receipt or a branch transfer. Write down participants, records and expected outcomes. Use test data during the demonstration.

Check shared records

Ask whether products, customers and permissions are shared. What happens when a module is disabled, updated or added? Modularity should explain how operations expand, not just how billing is divided.

Ask about boundaries

• Offline and server-dependent actions.
• Role permissions.
• Data exports.
• Module dependencies.
• Branch-specific configuration.
• Included support and updates.

Do not assume a feature shown in one plan is included in every plan. Request the scope in writing.

Evaluate total effort and cost

Account for setup, devices, migration, training, support and integrations. Separate one-time costs from recurring charges and confirm what changes when adding a location.

Define acceptance criteria

Examples include receiving a partial delivery without duplicating products, retrieving a sale by reference and tracing an inventory adjustment to its author. Verify each criterion in a pilot.

Roll out in phases

Start with a workflow that needs improvement and assign an owner. Expand when the first phase is reliable. Avoid activating modules without a clear operating need.

Then prepare your Excel migration.