What to take into the project
Evaluate the proposed solution and delivery team, not only the product. Every important score should point to a demonstration, document or agreed commitment.
Business Requirements
Identify the process, business reason, owner and expected result for each requirement. Mark whether it is essential for launch or can be deferred. Ask stakeholders to resolve contradictions before vendor scoring. Otherwise, different evaluators may be judging different versions of the intended business.
Functional Fit
Ask how each requirement is met: standard capability, configuration, customization or third-party component. Record the product edition and any dependency. A positive answer without this detail makes it difficult to estimate delivery effort or understand who maintains the solution after launch.
Process Fit
Demonstrate the sequence from trigger to final result, including handoffs and exceptions. Check whether users need to re-enter data or leave the system to finish essential work. The objective is a usable process with clear ownership, not a collection of individually available features.
Integration Requirements
List the systems, records, identifiers and update timing involved in each connection. Ask who owns the data, how errors are detected and what happens after an interruption. Include monitoring and support responsibilities in the comparison so a connector is evaluated as part of an operating workflow.
Data Migration Requirements
Confirm which master data, balances and open transactions must be migrated. Review source quality, transformation rules and reconciliation requirements. Ask the proposed partner to explain trial loads and acceptance. Record the work expected from your internal team, which is often substantial even when import tools are available.
Reporting and Analytics
Use actual management questions to test reporting. Check the definitions, level of detail and route back to source transactions. A report is useful when the team understands its figures and can investigate a difference. Record any additional data platform, licence or specialist effort required.
Security and Access Control
Demonstrate access using realistic roles and entity boundaries. Check who can create, approve, change and export important records. Review audit information and how access changes when people move roles. Sensitive processes may need more than a simple distinction between administrator and ordinary user.
Scalability
Evaluate the expected growth in users, entities, warehouses, records and integrations. Ask how that growth changes architecture, cost and support. Use representative peak scenarios where performance matters. A statement that the product is scalable should lead to specific evidence relevant to your operating model.
Implementation Partner Evaluation
Assess the named team, relevant experience, availability and responsibilities. Review how the partner handles discovery, changes, defects, training and support. Ask for examples that resemble your process complexity. The evaluation should cover who will do the work, not only the organisation’s overall credentials.
ERP Cost Evaluation
Compare one-time and recurring costs across a consistent scope and period. Include third-party applications, integration operation, internal effort and support. Record exclusions and uncertain estimates. A low price may simply reflect work allocated to the client or omitted from the proposal.
ERP Risk Evaluation
List the uncertainties that could prevent a usable result, along with their impact and the evidence needed to resolve them. Assign owners and decision dates. Keep critical unresolved risks visible beside the scorecard; they should not disappear into a weighted average.
ERP Evaluation Scorecard
Use a small scale with defined meanings: 0 for unsupported, 1 for a major gap, 2 for a workable approach with material effort, and 3 for demonstrated fit. Choose weights before demonstrations. The worksheet below calculates a comparison score, while mandatory conditions remain separate decisions.