Are you a small or medium-sized business that has outgrown its legacy accounting system? Does your ERP platform operate in a silo? Do you struggle with data redundancy issues and incomprehensive reporting? Do you often face security issues? Are you experiencing low employee productivity and morale due to the over-reliance on manual processes?
If you experience these tell-tale signs, you must consider implementing Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central! But given the complexity of the implementation process, embracing the tips and best practices we take you through in this blog is extremely vital.
The Benefits of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
Any small or medium enterprise facing countless issues with its legacy accounting system can benefit tremendously by implementing MS Dynamics 365 Business Central. As a single, comprehensive, and integrated ERP solution, Business Central allows organizations to overcome the problem of silos and helps them manage all back-office operations using a single, unified platform. Dynamics 365 Business Central offers a range of modern features, including the ability to:
- Automatically pull systems and processes together for managing varied business processes across accounting, finance, sales, purchasing, inventory, service, and operations
- Centralize data from across the business to get an accurate, updated, and real-time view of trends, issues, and opportunities
- Seamlessly integrate with a host of apps and third-party services such as your website, bank, customer/vendor portal, etc.
- Easily adapt to your unique business model, evolving processes, and emerging trends and disruptions
- Enjoy powerful capabilities, rich functionality, and a consistent user experience across desktops, laptops, tablets, and phones
- Streamline business processes using easy-to-create workflows across cash flow tracking, secure purchasing, credit authorization, vendor payments, etc.
- Extend Dynamics 36 Business Central using integrated add-on apps and connect to data sources and services to fit specific industry or business needs
Top Things to Keep in Mind for Successful Dynamics 365 Business Central Implementation
Implementing Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central can enable you to simplify complex processes, optimize operations, and improve financial flow across the business. But successful implementation of Business Central requires you to keep certain tips and best practices in mind. That said, let’s look at the top things to keep in mind for successful Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central implementation:
- Prepare a comprehensive Functional Requirements Document: A Functional Requirement Document is one of the first things to prepare before embarking on the implementation journey. A comprehensive FRD will capture, list, and document all business requirements and specifications. By acting as the foundation of the implementation project, this document will help leverage the standard functionality that comes out of the box, as well as design customized capabilities across different modules.
- Conduct in-depth gap analysis: If you want the Business Central solution to support your business in the best possible manner, you need to conduct a thorough gap analysis to identify gaps and accordingly curate solutions. Reviewing your current state plays a huge role in determining what is required to be done for you to move into the future state. Therefore, check existing workflows, define clear objectives, and plan your next steps with details about required customization and configuration.
- Carefully configure the environment: During Business Central Setup and server installation, the information you provide will be used to configure the default Business Central Server instance. You can either select one of the Demo, Server, or Developer Options to install the default instance or specify parameters to customize data, customers, vendors, items, transactions, and more unique to your business.
- Accurately migrate data: Once you’ve successfully configured the environment, you need to migrate data configuration packages. Be clear about what data sets you need to migrate: General Ledger Accounts, Customers, Vendors, or Items. Use the data migration setup guide to transfer business data from different formats and extensions, and leverage pre-built data templates to structure your data. Post-data migration, make sure to transfer opening balances using journals to ensure that the data is added to the ledger entries consistently and reliably.
- Carry out comprehensive User Acceptance Testing: No Dynamics Business Central implementation is complete without comprehensive UAT. To ensure the system has been developed and performs as per expectations, you can use the Task Recorder and Business process modeler (BPM) to create user acceptance test libraries. BPM allows you to automatically generate test cases (including test steps) in your Azure DevOps project and use it as your test configuration and test management tool to create targeted test plans and suites, as well as manage the execution of tests and investigate results.
Achieving Your Most Successful Dynamics 365 Business Central Implementation
Implementing Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, although crucial for business growth and success, can pose several challenges to IT decision-makers. Understanding the different facets of the software, ensuring it will perform according to the books, and getting the maximum return on their investment does not come easy.
If you want your Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central implementation to be smooth and stress-free, it pays to get expert assistance and support. Engaging with a competent and experienced Dynamics 365 Business Central implementation partner can help you get your hands on the latest updates on industry trends, implementation best practices, and success factors, helping you improve your implementation success rate. Regardless of your industry, a qualified partner can deep dive into the needs of your organization and tailor Business Central in a way that best fits your business and industry.
Want to know more? Register for this on-demand webinar to learn about the key benefits of Dynamics 365 Business Central and how it can help your organization unlock productivity and business insights, boost sales, improve customer service, and take your business to unprecedented heights.
