Directions North America 2026 Preview: Challenges on the Journey to BC Migration Success

ERP migration is often treated as a system upgrade, but it’s really a business transformation event. In my years working with both ERP customers and service providers, I have witnessed a range of ways in which critical leadership decisions, or their absence, determined whether migrating to the latest generation of business software would pay off for an organization. 

At Directions North America 2026, I’ll be exploring this topic during a new session, “15 Real-Life Questions to Ask Before Your Migration to Business Central”, where I will challenge consultants to consider whether they are helping clients avoid key missteps and plan for real business success after the ERP project is done.

The mistakes clients can’t see (or admit)

One of the most common mistakes is approaching it as a technical project instead of using the introduction of new business software as a chance to rethink processes. Many organizations carry over the same chart of accounts, workflows, and reports without asking if they still fit the business today.

Organizations that move ahead with the decision to implement a new ERP also fail to define success early. Without clear goals—like faster close, better reporting, or automation—the project becomes a moving target and scope keeps shifting.

I’ve also seen customers start evaluating ERP systems too early, sometimes two to three years before they’re ready, without budget or a clear timeline. By the time they move forward, the system has changed through new releases and features, so they’re either working with outdated assumptions or forced to re-evaluate. That slows everything down.

Participation in the discovery process is another weak area. When the right users are not involved early, key processes and exceptions are missed, and those gaps show up later. Without the involvement of your analysts and data management experts, data strategy is also often overlooked. Many try to migrate everything without cleanup or ownership. The reality is that bad data doesn’t get better in a new system—it becomes more visible.

Other common issues include over-customizing too early, lack of strong internal ownership, and underestimating change management. Add unrealistic timelines, missed integrations, and no post-go-live plan, and that’s where projects start to struggle.

The consultant’s role 

With so many ways for an ERP migration to under-perform, consultants have a key role to play. One of the biggest mistakes they can make is not challenging the customer enough. It’s easy to say “yes” to requests, especially when clients want to replicate their old system, but that often leads to poor design decisions. A good consultant guides the client toward better outcomes, not just what they’re used to.

Another issue is rushing through discovery to move into delivery. When discovery is shallow, requirements are missed, and that leads to rework later. Overpromising to win a deal is also common—setting aggressive timelines or underestimating effort, which affects delivery quality.

A critical gap I’ve seen is not giving enough attention to integrations. ERP does not operate in isolation—it connects to CRM systems, payroll, banking, reporting tools, and other applications. When consultants don’t fully document or explain these integration points early—especially data flow, dependencies, and source systems—it creates surprises later in the project.

Consultants can also be too focused on delivering a working system and not enough on business alignment and user adoption. Without clear communication and expectation setting, clients are often surprised during testing or go-live. Strong guidance, including challenging the client to deliver on the planning responsibilities mentioned earlier, especially early in the project, makes a big difference.

Investing in clean data: Make the case to your client 

Investing in clean data is not just a technical decision—it’s a business decision. The simplest way to explain it is this: you either invest upfront in clean data, or you pay more later in rework and support.

If data is not cleaned and validated before migrating an ERP, you risk inaccurate reports, failed reconciliations, and loss of trust in the system. And once users stop trusting the numbers, adoption becomes much harder. Fixing data after go-live is also more expensive and more visible to the business.

Delivering clean data may seem to require more time and effort on the front end of a project, but it leads to smoother testing, faster go-live, and better user confidence. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but it must be trusted. That’s what makes the system usable from day one.

What every consultant should know before their first ERP migration

If you’re new to ERP migrations, the most important thing to understand is that this is not just a technical project. It’s a redesign of how your client’s business operates. Trying to rebuild the legacy system in the new platform limits the value of the investment.

Spend more time in discovery than you think is necessary. Ask better questions and understand real-world processes, including exceptions. Get the core design right early—especially data structure and reporting—because those elements drive everything else.

Also, take time to learn the standard functionality before recommending customization. Be clear with clients about what will change and help them prepare for it. And don’t forget about adoption and post-go-live support. That’s where success is measured.

At my Directions North America session, attendees can expect guidance based on actual migration experience. If you are new to ERP migration projects or perhaps feel like you can add more value on projects, this session will give you advice you can apply the next time you are in front of a client.