Summit Preview: Achieving Dynamics 365 Business Central implementation success

Every ERP project tells a story, and there is usually a lesson or two for those who get to hear it. For the recent Dynamics 365 Business Central deployment at OrthoCanada, two of the principals will be sharing their experiences in a new session at Community Summit North America, which takes place from October 13 and 17 in San Antonio, Texas.  

MSDW spoke with Jason Chance, Senior Developer at LIDD and Annie-Claude Poitras, Coordinator for Systems and Durability at OrthoCanada, to learn more about OrthoCanada’s project and what the pair will be sharing with event attendees. 

“The Summit conference is unique in that it’s primarily user-led,” said Chance.

“You don’t usually get sessions like this at a Microsoft conference, [where] it’s us talking about OrthoCanada, how they implemented BC and now warehouse management to optimize and gain some efficiencies, and the process we took. When it comes to implementing Business Central, there are twelve different ways to do it, all of which involve gathering the requirements of the warehouse and deciding which level the company wants to go with.” 

Before joining Lidd, a Montreal-based Microsoft partner specializing in supply chain, warehouse optimization, and ERP implementation, he had worked with Dynamics in other customer and partner roles since 2007. Poitras has worked with Dynamics for six years, including past work with Chance on a 2018 ERP implementation and a 2022 warehouse management system project.  

One of the main takeaways for people attending their session, titled “A Case Study: Implementing Warehousing in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central”, is the level of effort involved in taking on a project like OrthoCanada’s. Poitras and Chance will touch on the different gaps that came up along the way and how to close them. “It makes your entire trip to San Antonio worth it,” Chance said. 

“For the user, implementing new programs like this can be scary because you don’t know what’s coming and what’s required. This session will help the user understand what’s required,” Poitras said.  

“Being able to see an end user go through the roller coaster of decisions they had to make is really valuable perspective for other end users: the good, the bad, and the ugly,” Chance added. For example, the pair will caution companies against getting pigeonholed in their deployment. To avoid this, a lot of conversations are needed between customer and partner to design the desired system outcome, from potential gaps to third-party tools that offer supplemental capabilities.  

This year’s event marks Poitras’s first time as an event speaker and her first time attending in her position at OrthoCanada. “I’m always checking for technology, what’s out there and what’s possible to implement to make work more efficient. [This year I anticipate] a lot around efficiency and a big focus around company automation,” Poitras said. 

Chance anticipates a lot of discussion around AI and Power Platform at this year’s event. Other major themes include implementing and integrating Dynamics 365 Sales and Customer Insights with other Dynamics systems, as well as reporting and analytics for Business Central. 

“Summit is for users by users,” said Chance. “There are partners there, there are vendors there. You get your money’s worth by going to a session like Annie-Claude’s and realizing she had the exact same issue you had, and you get to see how she solved it for her company. Now you can connect, share business cards, email her, and build out that network around Business Central, which helps solve your next problem.  

“Building a network is something really valuable, as is understanding best practices,” Poitras added. “Being able to attend an event like this and find companies similar to mine allows me to see how they work, which can help us to get better and more efficient in our work.”