The first 30 days of an ERP rollout: where to start

ERP rollouts usually start with choosing software — and that is the first mistake. The first 30 days should be about processes, not the product. This is the order I used at the Urgaz and YEC factories and later at the SAFF agency.

Week 1: map the processes

• Draw the path from order to cash on one sheet: who, which document, which system.
• At every step ask "where does this data live?" Excel, a notebook, Telegram — write it all down.
• Result: a 15–25 step flow and 5–10 pain points.

Week 2: name the owners

• Every process gets one owner. "Everyone is responsible" means nobody is.
• With the owner, write success in one sentence: "stock on hand matches reality within a day."

Week 3: pick the pilot

• Start with the most ready department, not the most painful one: tidy data, an active owner, small volume.
• Define 3 metrics for the pilot and measure them now, so you have a baseline.

Week 4: the spec and the integration map

• Only now talk about the system: modules, integrations (1C, bank, machines, telephony), who enters what.
• Split integrations into "must / later / no". Phase one ships only the "must".

No code is written and no licences are bought in month one. But these 30 days decide the next six months: with a clear process any ERP works; without one, even the most expensive fails.