Common Business Central Implementation Mistakes to Avoid

After implementing Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, the reality for many finance and operations teams is underwhelming after the go-live. Or worse, more complex than the legacy system it replaced.

However, this experience is not uncommon. Industry research consistently shows that a significant percentage of ERP implementations fail to deliver expected outcomes due to issues in execution rather than the software capability itself.

Notably, if Business Central feels harder to use than anticipated, the issue is rarely the platform. More often, it’s the result of misaligned processes, insufficient training, poor data migration, or overly aggressive customization.

Let's explore Business Central implementation mistakes, the underlying causes, and how a structured system review can help organizations recover value without starting over.

Key Warning Signs Your Business Central Implementation Needs Attention

Organizations that struggle post-implementation often experience similar symptoms. A formal review may be warranted if more than a few of the following apply:

• Reliance on spreadsheets outside of Business Central: Teams continue to manage core financial processes in Excel because the ERP configuration does not support day-to-day workflows effectively.
• Data integrity issues after migration: Duplicate vendors, unbalanced subledgers, or inconsistent historical data point to unresolved migration gaps that compound over time.
• Excessive or fragile customizations: Custom code was used to replicate legacy processes rather than adopting standard Business Central functionality, increasing upgrade risk and long-term cost.
• Limited feature adoption: Despite licensing a robust ERP, the system is primarily used for basic general ledger functions, leaving automation, reporting, and integration capabilities untapped.

These issues often lead to higher operational costs, slower close cycles, and reduced confidence in financial reporting.

Why Business Central Implementations Commonly Miss the Mark

Across distressed ERP projects, three root causes appear most frequently.

1. Replicating Legacy Processes Instead of Modernizing Them

A “lift-and-shift” approach—where old accounting workflows are recreated in Business Central—prevents organizations from benefiting from its cloud-native design, dimensions, and automation capabilities. This typically results in broken integrations and inefficient workflows.

2. Insufficient User Training and Change Management

Training is often condensed or deprioritized during implementation. Without role-based education, users struggle to adopt new processes, leading to errors, workarounds, and increased support demand.

3. Lack of Governance and Clear Ownership

Without a defined roadmap and decision framework, scope creep and conflicting requirements emerge. Over time, this creates a fragmented system where customizations conflict with core functionality.

What a Business Central System Review Involves

A Business Central system review is not basic troubleshooting, it's a structured assessment designed to realign the tool with company objectives.

Phase 1: Business Impact Assessment

The Business Impact Assessment begins with understanding how the organization operates—not with the software. Stakeholder interviews focus on workflow inefficiencies, bottlenecks, and future requirements such as growth, reporting complexity, or acquisitions.

Phase 2: Technical and Security Assessment

The ERP environment is evaluated for configuration accuracy, data integrity, security roles, and licensing alignment. Common focus areas include chart of accounts design, dimension usage, segregation of duties, and the quality of migrated data.

Phase 3: Optimization and Remediation Roadmap

Findings are translated into a prioritized action plan. This may include configuration changes, process redesign, automation opportunities using Power Automate, or the introduction of capabilities that were skipped during the initial implementation.

In most cases, repairing an underperforming Business Central implementation is significantly more cost-effective than replacing it.

Next Steps

If your organization is working around Business Central instead of working within it, the issue is likely incomplete implementation—not the platform itself. A structured Business Central system review with 360 Visibility can help identify gaps, reduce inefficiencies, and unlock the value originally expected from the ERP investment.