Feature lists look alike. These seven checks are the ones that separate systems that fit a growing business from the ones that merely demo well. The full buyer's guide goes deeper on each.

1. Does one record serve every department?

Create a customer in CRM, then look for it in invoicing, in a lease or a delivery. If you have to create it again or "link" it, the data is not shared.

2. Can you start with a few modules?

You want to run the core on real data within weeks. Ask what the vendor needs from you to switch on a second module later. The right answer is a setting, not a project.

3. Does cost reach the job or the product automatically?

When stock is issued, a timesheet is approved or a bill is received, does the cost appear on the project, the farm cycle or the margin report without someone posting it? If a person has to bridge the gap, the gap will be missed.

4. What does it say it does not do?

Every product has limits. A vendor that lists them, module by module, has looked at them. A vendor with no limits has not. Ask for "the biggest thing this does not handle well", and be wary of an answer that takes a long time to arrive or has no specifics.

5. How are money and tax handled?

If you trade across borders or have more than one tax rate, check:

  • Can a quotation be in the customer's currency, with the rate fixed on the document?
  • Does a payment record the exchange difference?
  • Are tax codes chosen per line, or is there one rate for the company?
  • What does the system produce for e-invoicing in your country, and is it labelled when it is not filed with the authority?

6. Who can see and change what?

Look for permissions per module with separate rights for viewing, creating, editing, deleting and approving. Check whether approvals exist where money leaves, such as purchase requests, large discounts and payroll runs. Check there is an audit trail on documents.

7. How long to the first real month?

Implementation time is a commitment, not a flaw. A year can be right for a large group. For a business of 50, aim for a first real month-end inside a quarter. Ask what a typical customer of your size did in the first 90 days.

Red flags

  • Demo data that is perfect and no way to see your own.
  • "Integrates with everything" in place of a data model.
  • A price that cannot be explained without a calculator, or changes by module in ways nobody can summarise.
  • No sandbox or trial where you can break things.