ERP software development: roadmap, key capabilities, cost factors & services

ERP software development: roadmap, key capabilities, cost factors & services

ERP development is an end-to-end process of designing, building, and deploying ERP software from the ground up to help companies of all sizes, from small businesses to large enterprises, improve operational efficiency, enhance business process visibility, and facilitate data-driven decision-making. Itransition builds bespoke ERP solutions for companies to supervise, automate, and harmonize core business processes across different departments.

About Itransition

10+  years in ERP services

50+ completed projects of different scales across various industries, including retail, ecommerce, healthcare, manufacturing, automotive, and insurance

Hands-on expertise in delivering out-of-the-box, custom, and hybrid ERP solutions

Strategic partnership with Odoo and NetSuite

Our case studies

Custom manufacturing ERP

21%

sales growth

Custom manufacturing ERP

We provided a leading UK furniture manufacturer with a custom ERP/CRM software suite, including an integrated ecommerce module and ERP mobile app, to streamline its back-office and customer-facing workflows.

An Odoo-based solution

80%

manual effort decrease

An Odoo-based solution

We delivered an Odoo-based solution for an automotive company to provide visibility into its core business processes and automate fleet and inventory management, accounting, invoicing, and HR tasks.

ERP system for a repair and maintenance service company

90%

manual tasks automated

ERP system for a repair and maintenance service company

Itransition implemented a cloud-based ERP solution on Odoo, which helped the customer automate core business processes, facilitate data-driven decision-making, reduce purchase order approval time by 50%, and accelerate work order management by 100%.

Custom manufacturing ERP

21%

sales growth

Custom manufacturing ERP

We provided a leading UK furniture manufacturer with a custom ERP/CRM software suite, including an integrated ecommerce module and ERP mobile app, to streamline its back-office and customer-facing workflows.

An Odoo-based solution

80%

manual effort decrease

An Odoo-based solution

We delivered an Odoo-based solution for an automotive company to provide visibility into its core business processes and automate fleet and inventory management, accounting, invoicing, and HR tasks.

ERP system for a repair and maintenance service company

90%

manual tasks automated

ERP system for a repair and maintenance service company

Itransition implemented a cloud-based ERP solution on Odoo, which helped the customer automate core business processes, facilitate data-driven decision-making, reduce purchase order approval time by 50%, and accelerate work order management by 100%.

Custom manufacturing ERP

21%

sales growth

Custom manufacturing ERP

We provided a leading UK furniture manufacturer with a custom ERP/CRM software suite, including an integrated ecommerce module and ERP mobile app, to streamline its back-office and customer-facing workflows.

An Odoo-based solution

80%

manual effort decrease

An Odoo-based solution

We delivered an Odoo-based solution for an automotive company to provide visibility into its core business processes and automate fleet and inventory management, accounting, invoicing, and HR tasks.

ERP system for a repair and maintenance service company

90%

manual tasks automated

ERP system for a repair and maintenance service company

Itransition implemented a cloud-based ERP solution on Odoo, which helped the customer automate core business processes, facilitate data-driven decision-making, reduce purchase order approval time by 50%, and accelerate work order management by 100%.

Our customers say

We hadn’t worked with any third-party software vendor before and were impressed with the interaction framework Itransition team developed for the project. Their experts took a proactive approach, helping us build solid communication channels that best fit our needs and enabled efficiency and productivity despite working from different continents. We communicated our operational issues, and Itransition suggested the solution to meet our business needs. We recommend Itransition as a reliable technological partner in collaborations of any complexity.

Michael Hakimi

Head of Business Development at CyberNet Communications, Inc.

Read original

ERP software development roadmap we follow

1

Consulting

We elicit your corporate goals and requirements, define key workflows and business activities, conduct existing tech stack evaluation, prepare ERP software requirements specification, and discuss potential challenges.

2

Design

Our team designs the enterprise resource planning software architecture and user interface according to your technical specifications. We outline key features, modules, and the integration scope, map user journeys, and prepare wireframes, mockups, and blueprints. Eventually, we draw up an optimal technology stack.

3

Planning

Our project manager defines the project scope, deliverables, implementation framework, schedules, budget, and metrics to track the project’s progress. We also develop data migration and risk management strategies and plan user onboarding.

4

Development

The coding phase encompasses UX/UI development, front-end and back-end development, integration with other types of corporate software, and database setup to migrate and store legacy data.

5

Testing

We involve QA experts and focus groups and apply test automation software to identify performance issues, run security tests to spot vulnerabilities, and carefully assess whether the overall product and single modules match your business functions.

6

Deployment

Itransition’s team deploys your ERP system on-premises or in the cloud depending on the hosting model selected, migrates business data to the new software, and conducts user onboarding and training.

7

Post-launch support

We assign a team to take care of system fine-tuning and troubleshooting, technology upgrades, and user support upon request.

Build or buy your ERP: how to decide?

Before proceeding with custom ERP software development, our consultants ensure that a more affordable platform-based ERP application won’t cover your specific needs. To make a sound choice between the two types of ERP systems, we factor in the following parameters.

Custom ERP software

Off-the-shelf ERP

Features
Features

A fully tailored set of features, modules, and integrations

A fixed architecture with built-in functionality defined by the ERP vendor

Costs
Costs

Upfront ERP software development costs influenced by the ERP complexity

High long-term costs due to accumulating software license fees

Timeline
Timeline

Extended delivery time due to UI/UX design, app development, and testing

Faster time-to-market since the tool is ready to be deployed

Support
Support

Updates and maintenance are performed in-house by your staff

Maintenance and support can be included in the subscription

Modifications
Modifications

Wide configuration and customization possibilities

Limited options within predefined settings established by the vendor

Change management
Change management

Limited workflow changes as the ERP is tailored to your processes

Out-of-the-box ERP implementation can require changes in the established workflows

Good for
Good for

Organizations with specific needs and established workflows

Companies with limited budgets and flexible business processes

ERP software key capabilities

We deliver cloud and on-premises ERP solutions with a combination of built-in modules and software integrations selected according to your specific business requirements.

ERP software key capabilities

Customer relationship management

  • Customer order management
  • Sales workflow automation
  • Customer information management
  • Personalized user experience
  • Shipment tracking and notifications
  • Customer retention and loyalty

Human resources management

  • Recruiting and onboarding
  • Staff allocation
  • Payment processing
  • Performance management
  • Staff training and development
  • Document and knowledge management

Business intelligence

  • KPI assessment
  • Sales trend forecasting
  • Budgeting and financial forecasting
  • Customer data analysis and visualization
  • Real-time campaign tracking
  • Operational intelligence
  • Financial management and planning
  • Profitability analysis
  • Invoice processing
  • Tax payment processing
  • Payroll management
  • Accounts payable and receivable
  • General ledger management
  • Financial reporting
  • Marketing campaigns optimization
  • Omnichannel sales
  • Customer segmentation and targeting
  • Tailored promotions
  • Customer journey visibility
  • Purchasing history tracking
  • Production planning and control
  • Quality inspection
  • Productivity tracking
  • IoT-enabled predictive asset maintenance
  • Product lifecycle management (PLM)
  • Production expenses management
  • Asset maintenance
  • Procurement management
  • Automated supply chain management
  • Logistics management
  • Returns management
  • Warehouse inventory management
  • Order processing and delivery management
  • Supplier relationship management (SRM)
  • Project planning
  • Tasks assignment and tracking
  • Team collaboration tools
  • Project monitoring and controlling
  • Risk management
  • Project documentation

Embrace digital transformation with tailored ERP software

Contact us

ERP software integration

Integrating your ERP with business software, you can turn it into a unified back-office management center and a single source of truth. Itransition’s ERP experts will choose from different integration models depending on your requirements and the existing software ecosystem.

Approaches

  • Custom
    Integrations between your ERP and other corporate applications configured in-house by your IT specialists and ensuring top control.
  • Native integration
    A model leveraging pre-configured integrations provided by the software vendor.
  • iPaaS
    Cloud-based, highly scalable integration solutions relying on online platforms that manage data transformation and transfer among applications.

Integration methods

  • Interface embedding
    Integration created by embedding the interface of one system into another
  • API-based
    Integration via API. The application logic level allows the exchange of both data and commands (if necessary)
  • Data synchronization
    Integration through data synchronization (ETL/ELT)

Factors to consider

  • Number of integrations needed
  • Uni- or bi-directional integrations
  • Possibility of backdate changes in data
  • Granularity of the data passing back and forth

ERP development process: cost factors

When estimating the cost of ERP system development and deployment, we consider the following factors.

Features
Set of functionalities in each distinct module and the number of ERP modules making up your solution

Integrations
Integration approach and the number of integrations with external software

Development team
Designers, developers, testers, and project managers required for the project depending on the ERP functionality, integration scope, and development timelines

Training
Upskilling initiatives to help your staff get acquainted with the new tool

Maintenance
Any support activities that ensure smooth, long-term operation of your ERP system

Process fine-tuning
Adjustments within your corporate workflow for better synergy with the custom solution

Upgrades
Further updates and customizations adapting the ERP’s capabilities to ongoing corporate changes

Get a ballpark estimation of your ERP project from Itransition’s consultants

Contact us

ERP change management: best practices

While custom ERP software comes with an array of personalized features carefully designed to synergize with your existing corporate workflows, post-release user support and change management are essential aspects of a successful adoption strategy we focus on.

Impact assessment

An estimate of the potential benefits of ERP implementation and related challenges to set up a suitable adoption plan.

Workflow adjustments

Typically limited process changes aimed at better integrating a custom ERP system into your day-to-day business operations.

Training & support

Ongoing end-user support and corporate training via eLearning, in-class sessions, and workshops to streamline the adoption of the new system.

Management & staff buy-in

Proactive communication with business stakeholders about the adoption scope, goals, and early achievements to promote a digital-friendly corporate culture.

ERP quality assurance activities we perform

Functional testing
To assess the actual ERP system's operation and output in light of your software specifications and functional requirements.
Usability testing
To evaluate your ERP's effectiveness and intuitiveness in a real-life corporate scenario, specifically for its target audience.
Performance testing
To examine custom software stability, stress resilience, scalability, and responsiveness under standard and extreme conditions.
Security testing
To identify potential vulnerabilities and safeguard your data via pre-audit evaluation, penetration tests, and code reviews.
Compatibility testing
To make sure your custom ERP interacts seamlessly with other software, networks, and devices in your digital environment.
Compliance testing
To determine whether your final product is built in line with major quality standards and data management regulations.

ERP upgrade vs ERP replacement

Once your existing ERP software solution no longer meets your requirements in terms of functionality, performance, integrations, and scalability, you'll face the "upgrade or replace" dilemma. Here are some guidelines that we have worked out to help your company decide whether to enhance your ERP through customization or develop new ERP software from scratch.

ERP customization

Key benefits
Lower development costs, as adding new modules and features is faster than creating new ERP software Easier adoption and less training, since your staff will already be familiar with your ERP’s core functionalities Lower risks of technical issues and easier rollback, compared to the end-to-end implementation of a new software system
Recommended when
A simple upgrade already covers all necessary additions and fixes Fully replacing your ERP management system is too expensive and disruptive You expect personalization to deliver similar ROI with less risk

ERP development

Key benefits
Long-term cost savings and higher ROI with a modern ERP solution matching your evolving needs Fewer compatibility issues with external software compared to legacy systems undergoing multiple upgrades Generally superior usability and configurability of new enterprise resource planning systems implementing innovative technologies
Recommended when
Functionality gaps can't be filled with mere modifications Your legacy ERP app is no longer supported by the vendor Massive infrastructure upgrades would cost more than the actual replacement

Looking for a trustworthy ERP software development company?

Contact us
ERP system maintenance for LISI Aerospace

Case study

ERP system maintenance for LISI Aerospace

Learn how Itransition delivered ERP system maintenance for LISI Aerospace to enhance productivity and reduce support costs.

ERP integration: types, approaches, key steps & services

Service

ERP integration: types, approaches, key steps & services

We guide you through the ERP integration process by outlining integration types and common approaches, challenges, benefits, and project steps and timeline.

Odoo for end-to-end manufacturing process automation

Insights

Odoo for end-to-end manufacturing process automation

Find out how Odoo Manufacturing supports essential processes in manufacturing while keeping IT infrastructures lean.

Odoo for fleet management: a review

Insights

Odoo for fleet management: a review

Learn how the Odoo fleet management tool proves useful in streamlining demanding workflows and addressing productivity-impeding challenges.