What Should You Prepare Before Talking to a Dynamics 365 Implementation Partner?

You have decided that Microsoft Dynamics 365 could be the right platform for your business. The next step is usually speaking with a Dynamics 365 implementation partner.

But what should you have ready before that first conversation?

Many businesses approach an implementation partner with a broad requirement: “We need a new ERP,” or “We want to move to Dynamics 365.”

That's enough to start a conversation, but not enough to accurately determine the right Dynamics 365 application, implementation scope, timeline or likely cost.

You don't need a complete technical specification before speaking to a partner. However, preparing some basic information about your business, existing systems and objectives can make the initial discovery process significantly more productive.

Here are the key areas to prepare before talking to a Dynamics 365 implementation partner.

1. Start with the Business Problems You Want to Solve

Don't begin by creating a long list of Dynamics 365 features.

Start with your problems.

What isn't working today?

For example:

• Finance relies heavily on spreadsheets
• Month-end reporting takes too long
• Inventory information isn't accurate
• Different departments use disconnected systems
• Employees enter the same data multiple times
• Management lacks real-time visibility
• Existing ERP customisations are expensive to maintain
• Warehouse processes involve too much manual work
• Your current system cannot support additional entities or locations

These problems help an implementation partner understand why you are considering Dynamics 365.

This is important because the objective shouldn't simply be to replace old software with newer software.

The implementation should solve measurable business problems.

2. Document Your Existing Technology

Your Dynamics 365 partner will need to understand your current technology environment.

Prepare a basic list of the applications your organisation currently uses.

This might include:

You don't need detailed technical documentation at this stage.

The objective is simply to show how information currently moves through your organisation.

This helps identify which applications Dynamics 365 could replace and which systems will need to remain and integrate with it.

3. Know Which Dynamics 365 Application You Are Considering

You don't necessarily need to know this before speaking with a partner.

In fact, solution selection should be part of the discovery process.

However, it helps to understand the main options.

For ERP requirements, UK businesses will commonly evaluate:

Dynamics 365 Business Central

Business Central provides finance and business management capabilities for small and mid-sized organisations, with functionality covering areas such as finance, purchasing, sales, inventory, projects and operations.

Dynamics 365 Finance

Dynamics 365 Finance is designed for organisations with more complex financial management requirements, including sophisticated multi-entity and enterprise financial operations.

Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management

Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management supports more advanced requirements across manufacturing, warehousing, inventory, procurement and supply chain operations.

Depending on your requirements, your implementation could also involve Dynamics 365 Sales, Customer Service, Field Service, Project Operations or Power Platform.

A good Dynamics 365 implementation partner should help determine the appropriate architecture rather than pushing a particular application before understanding your requirements.

4. Define What Success Looks Like

What should be different six or twelve months after implementation?

This is one of the most useful questions to answer before starting discussions.

Your objectives could include:

• Reducing month-end close time
• Improving inventory accuracy
• Eliminating manual data entry
• Consolidating multiple finance systems
• Improving financial reporting
• Automating approval processes
• Connecting CRM and ERP
• Improving production planning
• Supporting additional legal entities
• Reducing dependence on spreadsheets

Try to make these objectives measurable where possible.

Instead of:

“Improve reporting.”

A stronger objective would be:

“Give finance and management access to current financial and operational reporting without manually combining multiple spreadsheets.”

Clear outcomes make it easier to define implementation priorities later.

5. Identify Your Must-Have Requirements

Create two categories:

Must have

and

Nice to have

This sounds simple, but it can have a major impact on implementation scope.

Your must-have requirements might include:

• Multi-company accounting
• UK VAT requirements
• Manufacturing
• Warehouse management
• Project accounting
• Multi-currency transactions
• Approval workflows
• Budgeting
• CRM integration
• E-commerce integration
• Financial consolidation

Then separate functionality that would be useful but isn't essential for go-live.

Why?

Because attempting to implement every possible requirement in phase one can increase project complexity, cost and risk.

A phased implementation may allow the business to achieve value sooner while introducing additional functionality later.

6. Map Your Most Important Business Processes

You don't need to document every click employees make.

Instead, identify your key end-to-end processes.

For example:

Order to Cash

Customer order → stock allocation → delivery → invoice → payment

Procure to Pay

Purchase request → approval → purchase order → goods receipt → supplier invoice → payment

Record to Report

Transactions → reconciliation → period close → financial reporting

For manufacturers, you may also need to map:

Plan to Produce

Demand → planning → materials → production → finished goods → costing

For project-based organisations:

Project to Profit

Opportunity → project → resources → time/cost capture → billing → profitability

These workflows give the implementation partner a much better understanding of the operational scope.

7. Prepare Basic Information About Users

One of the questions you'll probably hear early is:

How many users will need Dynamics 365?

Don't just count employees.

Consider who actually needs access and what they need to do.

For example:

• Finance users
• Purchasing teams
• Sales users
• Warehouse employees
• Production planners
• Project managers
• Senior management
• Administrators

Different users may require different applications, functionality and licence types.

Providing an approximate breakdown can help your Dynamics 365 partner start thinking about licensing and solution architecture.

8. Understand Your Data Before Migration

Data migration can become one of the most underestimated parts of a Dynamics 365 implementation.

Before speaking to a partner, consider what information currently exists in your systems.

This may include:

• Customers
• Suppliers
• Products/items
• Chart of accounts
• Opening balances
• Inventory
• Fixed assets
• Projects
• Sales history
• Purchase history
• Transaction history

Then ask another important question:

Do we actually need to migrate all of it?

Many businesses assume every historical transaction must move into the new ERP.

That isn't always necessary.

Historical information may sometimes be archived or retained in a read-only system while only essential master data, balances and relevant transactions move into Dynamics 365.

Your implementation partner can recommend an appropriate migration strategy, but knowing the condition and volume of your data will make that discussion much easier.

9. List the Integrations You Need

Very few ERP systems operate completely independently.

Dynamics 365 may need to connect with applications such as:

• Microsoft 365
• Power BI
• SharePoint
• CRM platforms
• E-commerce platforms
• Banks
• Payment providers
• Payroll
• Warehouse systems
• Shipping platforms
• Industry-specific applications

Make a list of the systems that must remain after implementation.

This distinction matters.

If a legacy application is being retired, you probably don't need to build an integration with it.

But if a specialist platform remains business-critical, integration requirements need to be considered during solution design and costing.

10. Review Existing ERP Customisations

Legacy ERP environments often accumulate customisations over many years.

Some may still be essential.

Others may exist simply because the old system couldn't support a particular process.

Before moving to Dynamics 365, create a list of your major customisations and ask:

Why was this originally built?

Then determine whether the requirement still exists.

Dynamics 365 may already provide standard functionality that solves the problem differently.

Recreating every historical customisation can increase implementation cost and make future upgrades more complicated.

A new ERP implementation is an opportunity to simplify—not automatically rebuild everything you already have.

11. Have a Realistic Budget Range

You don't necessarily need an exact approved budget before the first conversation.

But having a realistic investment range helps.

Dynamics 365 implementation cost can vary significantly depending on factors such as:

• Dynamics 365 applications selected
• Number of users
• Number of companies/entities
• Business process complexity
• Manufacturing or warehouse requirements
• Data migration
• Integrations
• Custom development
• Reporting
• Training
• Change management

Avoid choosing an implementation partner purely because they provide the lowest initial estimate.

A cheap proposal that excludes critical requirements can become considerably more expensive later.

Instead, understand what is included in the proposed scope.

12. Know Your Desired Timeline

Another common question is:

When do you want to go live?

Have a target, but understand why that date matters.

For example:

• Current ERP support is ending
• Existing licence renewal is approaching
• New financial year
• Acquisition or merger
• New warehouse opening
• International expansion
• Existing infrastructure needs replacing

These constraints can influence implementation planning.

However, avoid setting an arbitrary deadline before understanding the scope.

A realistic Dynamics 365 implementation timeline should reflect complexity, resources, data migration, testing, training and change management—not simply a preferred date.

13. Identify Your Internal Project Team

Dynamics 365 implementation isn't something you completely hand over to a Microsoft partner.

Your own team will play a major role.

Ideally, identify potential representatives from areas such as:

• Finance
• Operations
• IT
• Sales
• Procurement
• Warehouse
• Manufacturing
• Projects

You will also need an internal project sponsor with enough authority to resolve issues and make decisions.

Your implementation partner brings product and implementation expertise.

Your employees bring something equally important: knowledge of how your business actually operates.

Both are required.

14. Prepare Questions for the Dynamics 365 Partner

The discovery process should work both ways.

The partner will ask about your organisation, but you should also evaluate them.

Useful questions include:

1. Have you implemented Dynamics 365 for businesses similar to ours?
2. Which Dynamics 365 application would you recommend and why?
3. What implementation methodology do you use?
4. What is included in your implementation estimate?
5. How do you manage data migration?
6. How do you handle integrations?
7. How do you approach customisation?
8. Who will actually work on our project?
9. How do you manage scope changes?
10. What happens after go-live?

Pay particular attention to the questions they ask you.

A capable Dynamics 365 implementation partner should spend time understanding your processes and requirements before recommending a solution.

What Should You Bring to Your First Dynamics 365 Discovery Meeting?

You don't need a 100-page requirements document.

A useful starting pack can be surprisingly simple:

Even if some information is incomplete, this provides enough structure for a productive first discussion.

Don't Wait Until Everything Is Perfect

One mistake businesses make is delaying conversations with an implementation partner because they haven't documented every requirement.

You don't need to.

Discovery is part of the implementation journey.

What you need is enough information to explain:

Where are we today?

What's causing problems?

Where do we want to get to?

An experienced Dynamics 365 partner can then help turn those business requirements into a solution architecture, project scope and implementation plan.

Preparing for Your Dynamics 365 Implementation

The quality of preparation before an ERP project can have a significant impact on what happens later.

Clear objectives help prevent unnecessary scope.

Understanding integrations improves architecture decisions.

Reviewing data early reduces migration surprises.

Identifying business processes helps prevent old inefficiencies from simply being recreated in a new system.

Most importantly, preparation allows conversations with potential implementation partners to focus on business outcomes rather than generic software demonstrations.

If you're considering Dynamics 365 Business Central, Dynamics 365 Finance or Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management, start by understanding your business requirements first.

The technology decision becomes much easier afterwards.

Talk to a Dynamics 365 Implementation Partner in the UK

If you're planning a new Dynamics 365 implementation or replacing an existing ERP, Dynamics Square UK can help you assess your requirements and determine the right Microsoft Dynamics 365 solution for your organisation.

As a trusted Dynamics 365 partner in the UK, Dynamics Square UK supports businesses across solution selection, implementation, migration, integration, customisation and user adoption.

Contact Dynamics Square UK to discuss your requirements and prepare a practical roadmap for your Dynamics 365 implementation.