Right-Sized ERP for Growing SMEs
ERP for SMEs Singapore: Practical Systems Without Enterprise Bloat
Digital 9 Labs builds ERP systems sized for Singapore SMEs: the first module ships in about 6-8 weeks from S$3.5k, replaces the spreadsheet that hurts most, and grows module by module into a control layer for sales, operations, finance and management. You own the code, the data and the cloud accounts - no per-user fees, ever.
Custom enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, built for Singapore SMEs. From $3.5k onwards.
Where Singapore SMEs feel stuck
Most off-the-shelf ERP software is built for someone else's workflow. We design around yours.
The owner is the system
Every approval, exception, and update still depends on the boss remembering what happened.
Excel cannot scale
Spreadsheets are flexible until too many people edit them, duplicate them, or forget to update them.
Reporting arrives too late
By the time the numbers are consolidated, the sales, stock, billing, or margin issue has already moved.
Staff need clearer handoffs
Growing teams need clear responsibility, status, reminders, and escalation paths.
Buying big ERP is risky
Enterprise suites are priced and sized for enterprises. An SME paying per user for modules it never opens is funding someone else's roadmap.
AI needs a business backbone
AI tools are useful only when they can read reliable records and understand the workflow context.
What we build into your ERP
Pick the modules that match how your team actually works. Everything connects to a single source of truth.
Lead & Sales Pipeline
Track prospects, follow-ups, quotes, deal status, and sales performance.
Customer Records
Keep account history, documents, pricing, notes, and communication context in one place.
Quotation & Orders
Create quotes, get approvals, convert to jobs or orders, and keep all versions traceable.
Inventory & Purchasing
Monitor stock, supplier orders, reorder points, delivery status, and cost movement.
Finance Handoff
Generate GST-ready invoices, track collections, and sync with Xero or your existing accounting tool.
Task & Approval Workflow
Assign tasks, approve requests, escalate delays, and keep audit trails for owners.
Management Dashboard
One view for sales, operations, finance, overdue work, and bottlenecks.
Client Portal
Give selected customers access to status, documents, forms, approvals, or repeat-order flows.
AI Assistant Layer
Add summaries, extraction, reminders, report drafts, and knowledge search once the process is structured.
How we deliver
Start with the bottleneck
We identify where the SME is losing time, visibility, or money and build the first module around that.
Keep adoption simple
The system is designed for real staff behavior, mobile usage, and owner visibility, not enterprise software theatre.
Grow by module
Once the first module works, we add inventory, finance, dashboards, portals, and AI in a controlled sequence.
Right-Sized Custom ERP vs Enterprise Suites for SMEs
Packaged suites can be the right choice when their modules genuinely fit your process. The comparison below is about fit and economics for a typical Singapore SME, not about one side always winning.
Enterprise suite for an SME
- Licensed per user, per month - the bill grows every time the team does.
- Your process adapts to the suite's modules; workarounds accumulate where they don't fit.
- Implementation is scoped in months, often through a reseller.
- Custom builds don't apply, but packaged solutions on the pre-approved list can qualify for PSG.
Right-sized custom ERP (Digital 9 Labs)
- One build cost - first module from S$3.5k, no per-user fees, you own the code and data.
- Built around the workflow you already run; the spreadsheet that hurts most goes first.
- First module live in about 6-8 weeks, on your own domain and cloud accounts.
- As a custom build, the EDG (up to 50% of eligible costs) is the relevant grant path.
Run the Arithmetic Before You Shop
Measure one workflow, then compare the two routes over five years rather than by monthly price.
Include site, warehouse and part-time staff. Per-seat licences charge for all of them.
The quoted per-seat price, before implementation.
Commonly 50% to 150% of first-year licence.
A focused first module starts from about S$3,500; a departmental system runs into the tens of thousands.
Billed at cost to your own account.
The per-seat line grows with headcount; a build does not.
EDG can support up to 50% of qualifying costs for eligible local SMEs, on reimbursement. Confirm with Enterprise Singapore.
Illustrative only. Substitute your own quoted figures. Implementation, migration and your own team time (8 to 15 hours per module) apply to both routes and are not modelled here.
Time one real cycle rather than estimating.
Salary plus CPF and overheads, divided by hours worked.
Review and approval should stay human. 100% is rarely honest.
A focused first module starts from about S$3,500.
Rework, corrections, refiling. Be conservative.
Illustrative only. If the payback is longer than about two years, the honest answer is usually not to build it yet.
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What an ERP Costs an SME in Singapore
First module from S$3.5k
The workflow that hurts most - usually quotations, inventory or job tracking - ships first as a working system, live on your own domain, typically within 6-8 weeks.
- Fixed quote after the workflow review
- Live in roughly four to eight weeks
- Solves one workflow end to end
Full rollout scoped, not guessed
After the first module proves itself, the rest (finance handoff, dashboards, portals, AI layer) is scoped module by module. You only pay for what you actually adopt.
- Priced once the first module is proven
- Phased so each stage funds the next
- No twelve-module commitment upfront
No per-user fees, ever
Suites charge per seat per month, so headcount growth raises software cost. A custom build is yours: adding staff costs nothing, and there is no subscription to cancel your data into.
- Add staff without adding cost
- Site and warehouse users included
- Cost does not scale with headcount
Grants: EDG, not PSG, for custom builds
PSG covers pre-approved packaged solutions only. Custom ERP projects go through the EDG - up to 50% of eligible costs for local SMEs, reimbursement basis, applied for before the project starts. See our PSG grant guide for the honest breakdown.
- PSG covers pre-approved packaged solutions
- EDG supports up to 50% of qualifying cost
- Reimbursement basis, apply before starting
- Confirm criteria with Enterprise Singapore
Hosting on your accounts
The system runs on cloud accounts you own. Hosting is billed by the provider at cost - there is no markup layer between you and your own infrastructure.
- Billed to you directly, at cost
- No hosting margin in the middle
- You keep access if we part ways
The real cost comparison
Compare total cost over 3 years: a per-user suite for a growing team versus a one-time build you own. For many SMEs the crossover arrives fast - and the custom system fits better on day one.
- Compare five-year totals, not monthly
- Include implementation and customisation
- Add a seat cost for every future hire
How SMEs Roll Out an ERP Without Disruption
Walk one real day
Implementation starts with the people doing the work: we map how the workflow actually happens today, including the workarounds nobody wrote down.
- Follow one job from enquiry to invoice
- Interview the person who does it
- Find the handoff that actually hurts
Replace one spreadsheet at a time
The highest-risk spreadsheet goes first. The team keeps working; the system takes over one handoff at a time instead of a big-bang cutover.
- Pick the one costing the most hours
- Prove it, then take the next
- Adoption measured by the sheet being deleted
Run parallel until trusted
Early weeks run old and new side by side. The switch happens when the team trusts the numbers, not on a project-plan date.
- Old and new live for one cycle
- Numbers compared before switching
- Rollback stays possible
Train by doing, not by manual
Staff learn inside their real workflow with their real data. Mobile-first screens mean field and shopfloor staff aren't chained to a desktop.
- People learn on their own real records
- Short sessions per role, not one long one
- The system is used the week it lands
GST and audit readiness built in
Invoices, credit notes and tax codes are GST-ready from the start, with audit trails on approvals - and synced to Xero or your existing accounting tool so finance sees the same numbers.
- Correct tax codes from the start
- Documents retrievable on request
- Trail of who changed what
Expand on adoption, not ambition
Each new module is added when the previous one is embedded in daily habit. That is how SME rollouts succeed where enterprise implementations stall.
- Next module only when the last is used
- Evidence beats the original wish list
- Momentum from small wins
The Numbers an SME Should Run Before Committing
Illustrative arithmetic for a 20-person Singapore company. Run it with your own figures before anyone quotes you.
Count the hours first
Pick the worst workflow and measure one real cycle. Twenty hours a month is common for quoting, payroll or stock reconciliation.
- Time one real cycle, do not estimate
- Include the queries it generates
- Multiply by twelve
Price those hours
At a loaded S$35 an hour, 20 hours a month is S$700, or S$8,400 a year on one recurring task.
- 20 x S$35 = S$700 a month
- S$8,400 a year on one workflow
- Usually your most senior admin
Compare against a first module
A focused first module from about S$3,500 against S$8,400 a year of reclaimed time is a payback measured in months.
- First module from about S$3,500
- Fixed quote after the review
- Live in four to eight weeks
Then compare against a licence
20 seats at S$120 a month is S$28,800 a year, every year, plus implementation.
- 20 x S$120 x 12 = S$28,800 a year
- Five-year licence alone is S$144,000
- Every hire adds to it
Include the grant honestly
EDG supports up to 50% of qualifying costs for eligible local SMEs on a custom build, on a reimbursement basis, and the project must not start before applying. PSG does not cover custom work.
- EDG: up to 50% of qualifying cost
- Reimbursement, not upfront
- Apply before the project starts
- Confirm criteria with Enterprise Singapore
Decide on evidence
If the arithmetic does not work, do not build. We would rather tell you that than sell you a project you regret.
- No case, no build
- Off-the-shelf recommended where it fits
- Revisit when volume changes
Budgeting the Project Properly
Illustrative arithmetic so you can build a board paper rather than react to a quote. Substitute your own figures throughout.
Phase one, the proving module
Budget S$3,500 to S$12,000 for one workflow solved end to end, live in 4 to 8 weeks on a fixed quote.
- S$3,500 entry, fixed after review
- 4 to 8 weeks to live
- One workflow, fully solved
Phase two, the department
Once phase one is in daily use, a departmental build covering 3 to 4 linked workflows typically runs S$25,000 to S$60,000.
- 3 to 4 linked workflows
- S$25,000 to S$60,000 typical
- Scoped from evidence, not a wish list
Phase three, the operation
Sales, stock, finance, approvals and reporting together is a six-figure programme and should run across 12 to 18 months, not one quarter.
- 12 to 18 months, phased
- Each phase funds the next
- No single big-bang go-live
Internal time to reserve
Budget 8 to 15 hours of your own team's time per module for interviews, testing and training. This is the line most plans omit.
- 8 to 15 hours per module
- Spread across 6 to 8 weeks
- Mostly the person who does the work
Running cost after go-live
Hosting for an SME system commonly runs S$50 to S$300 a month billed at cost to your own account, plus optional care quoted by scale.
- S$600 to S$3,600 a year hosting
- Billed to you at cost
- Care optional, quoted by scale
The comparison to run
Against a 20-seat licence at S$120 a month, five years is S$144,000 before implementation. Run both numbers over 5 years before deciding.
- 20 x S$120 x 12 = S$28,800 a year
- S$144,000 over 5 years, licence only
- Compare 5-year totals, not monthly
Grant treatment
EDG can support up to 50% of qualifying costs for eligible local SMEs on a custom build, on reimbursement, and the project must not start before applying. PSG does not cover custom work.
- Up to 50% of qualifying cost
- Reimbursement, not upfront
- Apply before starting
- Confirm with Enterprise Singapore
Reading an ERP Quote Line by Line
Six numbers to extract from any quote before comparing two vendors. Illustrative ranges for a Singapore SME.
Licence or build, stated separately
A quote that blends licence and implementation into one figure cannot be compared. Ask for them split.
- Licence per user per month
- Implementation as a one-off
- 5 year total computed from both
Implementation as a percentage
Implementation commonly runs 50% to 150% of first-year licence. If it is quoted at 20%, ask what is excluded.
- 50% to 150% of year-one licence
- Below 30% usually means scope excluded
- Data migration often quoted separately
Data migration, quoted or excluded
Migration is commonly S$3,000 to S$15,000 depending on how many records and how clean they are.
- S$3,000 to S$15,000 typical
- Depends on record count and quality
- Cleaning is the larger half
Training days included
Two to five days is typical. Fewer than two usually means adoption becomes your problem.
- 2 to 5 days typical
- Per role, not per company
- Follow-up session after week one
Support response commitment
Ask for hours, not adjectives. A 4-hour response on business days is a commitment; responsive is not.
- Response time in hours
- Business days defined
- Escalation path named
The 5 year total
Add licence x 60 months, implementation, migration and training. That single number is what you compare.
- Licence x 60 months
- Plus implementation and migration
- Plus training and upgrade effort
Implementing an SME ERP: Week by Week
Illustrative sequencing for a first module. Dates slip, but the order rarely should.
Week 1: watch the work
We sit with the people doing the job and follow one real case end to end, recording every handoff and every place data is retyped.
- 2 to 3 hours of observation
- The doer, not the manager
- One real case, start to finish
- Handoffs written down
Week 2: agree scope and fix the quote
Scope comes from what we watched. The quote is fixed and the assumptions are written down so change is visible later.
- Scope from observation
- Fixed quote issued
- Assumptions listed explicitly
- Out-of-scope named
Weeks 3 to 5: build and show weekly
You see working screens with your own data every week rather than a demo at the end.
- Weekly working build
- Your data, not samples
- Feedback folded in weekly
- No big reveal at the end
Week 6: parallel run
The new system and the old process both run for one full cycle, and the outputs are compared rather than trusted.
- One full cycle in parallel
- Outputs compared line by line
- Rollback stays available
- Confidence earned, not assumed
Week 7: train by role
Short sessions per role on their own live records, then a follow-up after the first week of real use.
- 30 to 60 minutes per role
- Their own records
- Follow-up after week one
- Written quick reference
Week 8: go live and measure
Switch over, then measure the thing you said was costing you hours, so the second module is argued from evidence.
- Measure the original pain
- Compare to the baseline
- Decide module two on evidence
- No expansion without adoption
SME ERP: Glossary of Terms
Plain-English definitions of the terms that appear in every vendor conversation, so nothing is agreed by nodding along.
ERP
Enterprise resource planning: one system holding the records that several departments share, so a customer, job or stock item exists once rather than in five files.
- One record, many departments
- Replaces reconciliation with a shared source
- Scope is a choice, not all-or-nothing
Module
A functional area such as quoting, stock or payroll. A custom build means choosing three or four rather than buying twelve.
- Buy or build only what you use
- Modules share one data model
- Added when the last one is adopted
Master data
The reference records everything else points at: customers, suppliers, products, staff, cost codes.
- Cleaned once, maintained forever
- Duplicates here corrupt every report
- Owned by a named person
Transactional data
The events: quotes, orders, receipts, invoices, payments, timesheets. Volume grows daily; master data does not.
- Grows with trading volume
- Immutable once posted
- Corrections by reversal, not edit
Source of truth
The system everyone agrees to believe when two numbers disagree. Naming it is a management decision, not a technical one.
- Named explicitly, in writing
- Other systems reconcile to it
- Ambiguity here causes most disputes
Integration
A connection letting two systems exchange records automatically instead of by export and import.
- API or scheduled file exchange
- Direction matters: push, pull or both
- Failure handling is the hard part
API
An interface letting software talk to software. If a vendor has none, every future connection is manual.
- Ask before you buy
- REST is the common standard
- Rate limits and auth are the details
Audit trail
The record of who changed what and when. The difference between an explanation and an argument.
- Every change attributed
- Retained, not overwritten
- Required for most audits
Role-based access
Permissions granted by job function rather than by trust, so leavers are offboarded in one action.
- Permission by role, not person
- Sensitive screens hidden
- Revoked centrally
Cost code
The label that puts a cost against the job, department or project it belongs to.
- Applied at purchase, not month end
- Drives job profitability
- Kept short and stable
Committed cost
Money promised but not yet invoiced, usually at purchase order. The figure spreadsheets almost never capture.
- Visible at PO, not at invoice
- Early warning on overruns
- Distinct from actual cost
Reconciliation
Checking two records agree. Most of it exists because data was entered twice.
- Symptom of duplicate entry
- Removed by integration
- Never fully eliminated
Data migration
Moving existing records into the new system, usually the longest and least glamorous task.
- Cleaning is the larger half
- Archive rather than import everything
- Agree a cutoff date
Parallel run
Operating old and new together for one cycle so outputs can be compared before switching.
- One full cycle minimum
- Compare, do not assume
- Rollback stays available
Go-live
The point the new system becomes the record. Best done one module at a time.
- Never on a Friday
- One module, not twelve
- Support present for week one
User acceptance testing
The client testing that the system does what was agreed, using real scenarios rather than a script.
- Real cases, not happy paths
- Done by the people who will use it
- Sign-off before go-live
Change request
Work outside the agreed scope. Named and priced openly so it does not become an argument.
- Written, not verbal
- Priced before it is built
- Scope baseline retained
Technical debt
Shortcuts that make the next change slower. Sometimes worth taking deliberately, never worth taking silently.
- Recorded when taken
- Repaid before it compounds
- Invisible debt is the dangerous kind
Uptime
The share of time the system is available. Ask what it is measured against and who reports it.
- Measured, not promised
- Excludes planned maintenance
- Meaningless without monitoring
Backup and restore
Copies of your data, and the tested ability to bring them back. Only the second one matters.
- Automated and frequent
- Restore actually tested
- Recovery time measured
SSO
Single sign-on: one login across systems, so access is granted and revoked in one place.
- Central control of access
- Faster offboarding
- Fewer shared passwords
Two-factor authentication
A second proof of identity beyond the password. The cheapest security improvement available.
- Enabled for all admin users
- App-based beats SMS
- Recovery codes stored safely
PDPA
Singapore's Personal Data Protection Act, governing how personal data is collected, used and kept.
- Applies to staff and customer data
- Consent and purpose matter
- Breach obligations exist
GST
Goods and services tax, applied per line with the correct category. Errors here are a filing problem.
- Category per product, not per invoice
- Tax invoice timing matters
- Credit notes must reverse cleanly
Peppol
The international network standard behind structured e-invoicing, used by InvoiceNow in Singapore.
- Documents routed, not emailed
- Validated before acceptance
- Each participant has an identifier
CPF
Central Provident Fund: statutory contributions varying by age band and residency status.
- Rates change; confirm with CPF Board
- PR rates step up over two years
- Computed by the payroll run
SDL
Skills Development Levy, payable on top of CPF and computed in the same run.
- Applies alongside CPF
- Part of the payroll computation
- Not an optional extra
EDG
Enterprise Development Grant: supports up to 50% of qualifying costs for eligible local SMEs, on reimbursement.
- Custom builds may qualify
- Apply before the project starts
- Confirm with Enterprise Singapore
PSG
Productivity Solutions Grant, which funds pre-approved packaged solutions rather than custom work.
- Packaged solutions only
- Custom builds do not qualify
- Check the approved list first
SaaS
Software as a service: rented software, priced per user per month, hosted by the vendor.
- Recurring, not one-off
- Cost scales with headcount
- Vendor owns the roadmap
On-premise
Software running on a server you own and maintain, with the costs and control that implies.
- Hardware refresh every 4 to 5 years
- You own patching and backups
- Full control of the data
Total cost of ownership
Licence plus implementation plus migration plus training plus upgrades, over five years rather than one.
- Five years, not monthly
- Include internal time
- The only fair comparison
Vendor lock-in
The cost of leaving. Measured by whether you can export your data and who owns the code.
- Ask about export before buying
- Code ownership in writing
- Proprietary formats are the trap
Scalability
Whether the system copes as volume grows, and what it costs when it does.
- Load versus headcount pricing
- Test at 3x current volume
- Ask what breaks first
Workflow
The sequence of steps and approvals a piece of work passes through, and who owns each.
- Mapped before it is built
- Handoffs are where cost hides
- Encoded once, applied always
Approval threshold
The value above which something needs a second person to agree. Enforced by the system rather than by habit.
- Set by role and by value
- Auditable
- Prevents surprise discounts
Dashboard
A live view of the numbers management asks for, computed from records rather than assembled monthly.
- Live, not monthly
- Same data the team uses
- Few numbers, chosen deliberately
Reporting period
The window a report covers. Agreeing it prevents two people producing different truths.
- Defined and consistent
- Cutoff time stated
- Comparable period on period
Prerendering
Serving fully-formed HTML so crawlers and AI assistants read the content without running JavaScript.
- Content visible without JS
- Faster first paint
- Essential for search visibility
Agentic automation
Software that acts on records rather than only reporting on them, with human approval on anything consequential.
- Acts, not just reports
- Approval gates on money and messages
- Only as good as the data
SME ERP: The Numbers, Collected
Illustrative Singapore figures gathered in one place. Substitute your own throughout: these size a decision, they do not predict your quote.
Typical first module
S$3,500 to S$12,000, live in 4 to 8 weeks on a fixed quote after the workflow review.
- S$3,500 entry point
- 4 to 8 weeks to live
- Fixed after review
Typical departmental build
S$25,000 to S$60,000 covering 3 to 4 linked workflows once the first module is adopted.
- 3 to 4 workflows
- S$25,000 to S$60,000
- Scoped on evidence
Typical full programme
Six figures across 12 to 18 months, phased so each stage proves itself before the next.
- 12 to 18 months
- Phased, not big bang
- Each stage funds the next
Hosting
S$50 to S$300 a month for an SME system, billed at cost on your own account.
- S$600 to S$3,600 a year
- Billed at cost
- Scales on load, not headcount
Licence comparison
20 seats at S$120 a month is S$28,800 a year, or S$144,000 over five years before implementation.
- 20 x S$120 x 12 = S$28,800
- S$144,000 over 5 years
- Plus implementation
Implementation on a licence
Commonly 50% to 150% of first-year licence. Below 30% usually means scope is excluded.
- 50% to 150% typical
- Below 30% is a warning
- Migration often separate
Data migration
S$3,000 to S$15,000 depending on record count and how clean the data is.
- S$3,000 to S$15,000
- Cleaning is the larger half
- Archive rather than import all
Training
2 to 5 days is typical. Fewer than 2 usually makes adoption your problem.
- 2 to 5 days
- Per role, not per company
- Follow-up after week one
Your internal time
8 to 15 hours per module for interviews, testing and training. The line most plans omit.
- 8 to 15 hours per module
- Across 6 to 8 weeks
- Mostly the person doing the work
Admin hire comparison
A back-office hire in Singapore costs roughly S$3,000 to S$4,500 a month before CPF and overheads.
- S$36,000 to S$54,000 a year
- Plus CPF and overheads
- Plus recruitment and cover
Hours reclaimed
A workflow costing 20 hours a month is about 240 hours a year, or S$7,200 at a loaded S$30 an hour.
- 20 hours a month
- 240 hours a year
- About S$7,200
EDG support
Up to 50% of qualifying costs for eligible local SMEs, on reimbursement, applied for before starting.
- Up to 50%
- Reimbursement basis
- Apply before starting
- Confirm with Enterprise Singapore
SME ERP: The Buyer's Checklist
Fifteen questions worth asking any vendor, including us, before money changes hands.
Ask for the five-year total
Licence times sixty months plus implementation, migration and training. One number, comparable across vendors.
- 60 months, not one
- All one-off costs included
- Written, not verbal
Ask who owns the code
This single answer determines whether you can ever leave.
- Ownership in writing
- Repository access
- Another developer could take over
Ask about data export
A system you cannot export from is a system you cannot leave.
- Full export on demand
- Readable formats
- Scheduled exports you control
Ask what happens in week one
A vendor who starts with observation is scoping from your problem, not their product.
- Who they interview
- Whether they walk a real job
- What they hand back
Ask what they will refuse to build
A vendor who says yes to everything has not understood the problem.
- Where they recommend off-the-shelf
- What they push back on
- Out of scope on principle
Ask to see it running
Screenshots are not a system. Ask for a populated live environment.
- Live, not slides
- Populated, not empty states
- Someone using it
Ask about the second module
The first is a project; the second tests whether the architecture extends.
- Shared data model
- What clients added later
- How long it took
Ask for the support commitment in hours
Response time in hours, business days defined, escalation path named.
- Hours, not adjectives
- Business days defined
- Named escalation
Ask who maintains statutory logic
CPF, GST and e-invoicing rules change. Someone must own keeping them current.
- Named owner
- In the contract
- Update mechanism stated
Ask about the parallel run
One full cycle with both systems live is what turns confidence into evidence.
- One cycle minimum
- Outputs compared
- Rollback available
Ask what training is included
Two to five days by role, with a follow-up after real use begins.
- Days stated
- Per role
- Follow-up included
Ask how change requests are priced
Scope will change. How that is handled is worth agreeing before it happens.
- Priced openly
- Baseline retained
- Written approval
Ask for a reference you choose
Not the reference they offer. One you pick from their portfolio.
- You pick, not them
- Same size and sector
- Ask what went wrong
Ask what the system will not do
Every system has limits. A vendor who names them is a vendor who understands theirs.
- Named limits
- Workarounds explained
- No magic claims
Ask about hosting and who is billed
Hosting billed at cost to your account avoids a reseller margin you cannot see.
- Billed to you at cost
- Your account, your access
- No hidden margin
SME ERP: Cost by Company Size
Illustrative Singapore arithmetic at four sizes. Substitute your own headcount and seat price throughout.
Company of 5 to 10 staff
A first module lands at S$3,500 to S$8,000. Licence alternatives at 8 seats and S$120 a month are S$11,520 a year, so the build repays inside 12 months at this size.
- Build: S$3,500 to S$8,000 once
- Licence: 8 x S$120 x 12 = S$11,520 a year
- 5 years licence: S$57,600
- Break-even under 12 months
Company of 10 to 25 staff
A departmental build of S$25,000 to S$40,000 against 20 seats at S$120, which is S$28,800 a year and S$144,000 over five.
- Build: S$25,000 to S$40,000
- Licence: S$28,800 a year
- 5 years licence: S$144,000
- Break-even in 12 to 18 months
Company of 25 to 60 staff
A build of S$40,000 to S$90,000 against 45 seats at S$120, which is S$64,800 a year and S$324,000 over five.
- Build: S$40,000 to S$90,000
- Licence: S$64,800 a year
- 5 years licence: S$324,000
- The per-seat gap widens fastest here
Company above 60 staff
Six-figure programmes on both sides. The deciding factor stops being price and becomes whether your process is your advantage.
- Both routes six figures
- Process specificity decides
- Phase over 12 to 18 months
Adding 10 staff
On a licence at S$120 a seat that is S$14,400 more a year, every year. On a build it is S$0.
- Licence: +S$14,400 a year
- Build: +S$0
- Compounds over five years
Opening a second location
Licences multiply by seats again. A build extends at the cost of the work, not the headcount.
- Licence scales with people
- Build scales with scope
- Second site often needs little new code
The 5-year totals side by side
20 seats: roughly S$144,000 licence-only against S$25,000 to S$60,000 built, before implementation on the licence side.
- Licence S$144,000 over 5 years
- Build S$25,000 to S$60,000
- Plus S$20,000 to S$50,000 implementation on licence
What we would still recommend buying
Accounting. Xero and its peers are cheap, well maintained and statutory-current. We integrate rather than rebuild.
- Keep your accounting system
- Integrate, do not replace
- Book of record stays put
Hosting either way
S$50 to S$300 a month at cost. Not a differentiator, but it should be billed to your account rather than marked up.
- S$600 to S$3,600 a year
- At cost, your account
- No reseller margin
Grant impact on the comparison
EDG at up to 50% of qualifying costs changes the build side materially. It does not apply to packaged licences.
- Up to 50% of qualifying cost
- Reimbursement basis
- Custom builds may qualify
- Confirm with Enterprise Singapore
The number nobody quotes
Your own team's time: 8 to 15 hours per module either way. Include it or the comparison is not honest.
- 8 to 15 hours per module
- Applies to both routes
- Usually your best people
What changes the answer fastest
Headcount growth and how non-standard your process is. Everything else is second order.
- Growth rate first
- Process specificity second
- Everything else is noise
SME ERP: More Questions We Are Asked
The second tier of questions, usually asked once the first conversation has gone well.
Do we have to replace everything at once
No, and you should not. One module, adopted, beats four half-built. Everything else keeps running.
- One workflow first
- Existing tools stay
- Integrate rather than replace
What if we outgrow it
A build extends at the cost of the work. That is the argument for owning the code rather than renting seats.
- Extended, not replaced
- Your priority order
- No tier upgrade pricing
How do you handle our data
It stays in a database you own, in a region you choose, exportable in full at any time.
- Your database, your region
- Full export on demand
- Access documented and auditable
What if the project stalls
Fixed scope, fixed quote and weekly working builds mean a stall is visible in week three, not month six.
- Weekly working build
- Visible early
- Fixed scope baseline
Can our own developer take it over
Yes. Standard stack, documented handover, and the repository is yours.
- Standard technologies
- Handover documentation
- Repository ownership
What ongoing cost should we budget
Hosting at cost plus optional care quoted by scale. No per-seat component at all.
- Hosting S$600 to S$3,600 a year
- Care optional
- No per-seat fee
How do you price changes after go-live
Openly, against the written scope baseline, with approval before anything is built.
- Priced before built
- Baseline retained
- Written approval
What happens if we stop working with you
You keep the code, the data and the hosting accounts. That is the point of ownership.
- Code and data yours
- Hosting on your accounts
- Another developer can continue
Do you work with our existing accountant
Yes, and we usually ask to. They know where the numbers have to land.
- Accountant involved early
- Statutory treatment confirmed
- Reports built to their format
How do we measure whether it worked
Against the hours you measured before we started. That is why we measure them in week one.
- Baseline measured first
- Same measure after
- Module two argued from it
SME ERP by Industry in Singapore
Twelve sectors we have built for, and what the system has to get right in each. The modules are the same; the vocabulary and the failure modes are not.
Construction and contracting
BOQ-driven quoting, progress claims with retention, subcontractor certification and site capture. Retention at 5% on a S$1.2m contract is S$60,000 held, half typically released at completion.
- 5% retention on S$1.2m = S$60,000
- Claims roll forward from last certified
- Back-charges netted before payment
- Site capture on a tablet
Dental and medical clinics
Appointments, practitioner rosters, procedure libraries and recall cycles, with patient data handled carefully and kept out of anything it need not touch.
- Chair utilisation visible daily
- Recalls generated, not remembered
- Procedure pricing consistent
- PDPA obligations respected
Interior design and renovation
Quote by scope or by room, cost against budget per project, and a long supplier tail with lead times that drive the site programme.
- Design fee separated from build
- Supplier lead time against programme
- Client sign-off per stage
- Variations priced before work
Trading and distribution
Multi-location stock, tiered customer pricing and purchasing across currencies with landed cost including freight and duty.
- Landed cost, not supplier price
- Price tiers applied automatically
- Transfers between locations recorded
- Backorders visible to sales
F&B and catering
Recipe costing, event orders, delivery scheduling and counter sales, with ingredient batches tracked to expiry.
- Food cost per dish from purchases
- Events separated from counter sales
- Batch tracked to expiry
- Wastage attributed per outlet
Aesthetics, spa and wellness
Prepaid packages drawn down accurately, memberships renewed before lapse, and therapist commission computed from the same sale record.
- Packages drawn down correctly
- Cross-outlet redemption
- Commission from the sale record
- Membership renewal surfaced early
Insurance agencies
Client books, policy renewals, commission reconciliation against insurer statements and advisory records retained for compliance.
- Renewals surfaced weeks ahead
- Commission reconciled to statements
- Advisory records retrievable
- Client book by adviser
Specialty retail
POS tied to the same stock and customer records, with loyalty attached to the customer rather than the receipt.
- Stock truth across outlets
- Loyalty on the customer
- Outlet comparison on one screen
- Variants as real SKUs
Corporate gifting and fulfilment
Stock reserved against confirmed orders, customisation status per line, and supplier lead times against promised delivery dates.
- Reserved on confirmation
- Customisation status per line
- Lead time against promise date
- Sample stock separate
Professional and consulting services
Rate cards by role, time recorded against engagements, and billing that follows delivery rather than memory.
- Rates by role and seniority
- Time against engagement
- Billing follows delivery
- Utilisation visible
Logistics and 3PL
Job scheduling, proof of delivery capture, and billing that reflects what was actually moved.
- POD captured at the door
- Billing from actual movements
- Driver schedule against capacity
- Exceptions surfaced same day
Education and enrichment
Enrolment, class scheduling, attendance and fee collection cycles that repeat every term.
- Enrolment to invoice in one flow
- Attendance recorded, not reconstructed
- Term billing automated
- Capacity per class visible
SME ERP: Benchmarks Worth Measuring
Illustrative Singapore benchmarks to measure yourself against before and after. Substitute your own figures throughout.
Quote turnaround
Manual assembly commonly takes 30 to 60 minutes per quote. A configured quote is 5 to 10 minutes.
- 30 to 60 minutes manual
- 5 to 10 minutes configured
- 40 quotes a month = 30 hours saved
Invoice handling
Manual invoice handling runs about 2 minutes each. At 300 a month that is 10 hours, or roughly S$4,800 a year.
- 2 minutes per invoice
- 300 a month = 10 hours
- About S$4,800 a year
Payroll cycle
2 to 3 days a month for 30 staff is common, roughly 20 hours or S$7,200 a year at a loaded S$30 an hour.
- 20 hours a month
- 240 hours a year
- About S$7,200
Stock accuracy
Annual-count businesses commonly sit at 85% to 92%. Cycle counting with disciplined receiving reaches 98% or better.
- 85% to 92% typical annually
- 98%+ achievable
- Within one quarter
Stock shrinkage
A 2% variance on S$400,000 of stock is S$8,000 a year written off with no explanation attached.
- 2% on S$400,000 = S$8,000
- Discovered 12 months late
- No trail to investigate
Warehouse picking
Poor slotting adds roughly 30 seconds per pick. At 500 lines a day that is 4 hours daily, or about S$18,000 a year.
- 30 seconds per pick
- 500 lines = 4.2 hours a day
- About S$18,000 a year
Mispick rate
1% on 500 lines a day is 5 errors daily, each carrying redelivery and admin cost plus the customer trust cost.
- 1% = 5 errors a day
- Redelivery plus admin
- Trust cost on top
Implementation time
A focused first module is 4 to 8 weeks. A departmental rollout is 3 to 6 months, phased.
- 4 to 8 weeks first module
- 3 to 6 months departmental
- 12 to 18 months full programme
Adoption
Systems used daily within two weeks of training tend to stick. Beyond a month, adoption rarely recovers without intervention.
- Daily use within 2 weeks
- Beyond a month is a warning
- Measured, not assumed
Training load
2 to 5 days total, delivered as 30 to 60 minute sessions per role rather than one long workshop.
- 2 to 5 days total
- 30 to 60 minutes per role
- Follow-up after week one
Support response
4 business hours is a reasonable commitment for a non-critical issue; 1 hour for anything blocking trading.
- 4 hours non-critical
- 1 hour if trading is blocked
- Escalation path named
Five-year cost, 20 seats
Licence at S$120 a seat is S$144,000 over five years. A departmental build is S$25,000 to S$60,000 once.
- S$144,000 licence over 5 years
- S$25,000 to S$60,000 built
- Before implementation on licence
Project Risks and How They Are Managed
The twelve ways these projects go wrong, and the specific guard against each. Naming them up front is what keeps them small.
Scope creep
The most common failure. Guarded by a written baseline and change requests priced before they are built.
- Written scope baseline
- Changes priced before built
- Approval in writing
- Baseline retained for comparison
No internal owner
Projects stall when nobody can decide. One person with authority beats a committee of six.
- One named decision maker
- Authority to say yes
- Available weekly
- Escalation path if absent
Data worse than expected
Historical data is always messier than remembered. Discovered in week two, not week eight.
- Sample the data in week one
- Agree what is archived
- Cleaning effort quoted separately
- Cutoff date agreed
Key person unavailable
The person who knows the process goes on leave mid-project. Mitigated by recording the workflow review.
- Workflow review documented
- Second person briefed
- Sessions recorded
- No single point of knowledge
Adoption resistance
People keep the old spreadsheet. Mitigated by interviewing them first and making the system faster than what they do now.
- Interview the sceptic first
- Faster than the current method
- Their edge case supported
- Spreadsheet retirement tracked
Integration surprises
A third-party system has no API or a poor one. Checked in week one rather than discovered in week six.
- API confirmed before scoping
- Rate limits checked
- Fallback agreed
- Manual path if needed
Statutory change mid-project
GST or CPF rules move. Handled by isolating statutory logic so it can be updated independently.
- Statutory logic isolated
- Update path defined
- Owner named
- Confirmed with the authority
Go-live at the wrong time
Switching during a peak period compounds every problem. Timing is a decision, not a default.
- Avoid peak trading
- Never on a Friday
- Support present week one
- Rollback available
Testing done by the wrong people
Testing by managers rather than users finds the wrong problems. Users test their own real cases.
- Users test, not managers
- Real cases, not scripts
- Sign-off before go-live
- Issues logged, not verbal
Budget approved without the internal time
The 8 to 15 hours per module of your own team's time is real and rarely budgeted.
- 8 to 15 hours per module
- Named people, booked time
- Across 6 to 8 weeks
- Counted in the business case
Reporting expectations unstated
Management assumes a report exists. Agreeing the five numbers up front avoids a late scramble.
- Five numbers agreed early
- Format confirmed
- Frequency stated
- Owner of each named
Hosting and access left to the end
Accounts, domains and access are boring and block go-live. Sorted in week two.
- Accounts in your name
- Access documented
- Domain and DNS confirmed
- Billing to you at cost
The Comparison, Run Four Ways
Illustrative arithmetic against the four alternatives. Substitute your own figures throughout.
Against a per-seat licence
20 seats at S$120 a month is S$28,800 a year and S$144,000 over five, before implementation of S$20,000 to S$50,000.
- S$28,800 a year at 20 seats
- S$144,000 over 5 years
- Plus S$20,000 to S$50,000 implementation
- Plus S$1,440 a year per extra hire
Against staying manual
A workflow costing 20 hours a month is 240 hours and about S$7,200 a year, rising with volume and never repaid.
- 240 hours a year
- About S$7,200
- Grows with volume
- No asset at the end
Against hiring instead
A back-office hire is S$36,000 to S$54,000 a year before CPF, recruitment and cover.
- S$36,000 to S$54,000 a year
- Plus CPF and overheads
- Plus recruitment and cover
- Leaves when they leave
Against a partial build
Half-building three modules costs more than fully building one, and delivers nothing usable.
- One module fully beats three halves
- Adoption needs completeness
- Partial builds get abandoned
The five-year picture
Licence route roughly S$165,000 to S$195,000 at 20 seats. Build route S$25,000 to S$60,000 plus S$600 to S$3,600 a year hosting.
- Licence: S$165,000 to S$195,000
- Build: S$25,000 to S$60,000
- Hosting S$600 to S$3,600 a year
- EDG may cover up to 50% of the build
What tips it either way
Headcount growth and process specificity. At 5 seats and a standard process, buy. At 40 seats and a specific process, build.
- Under 10 seats, usually buy
- Over 25 seats, usually build
- Specificity decides the middle
- We will tell you which you are
The First Year After Go-Live
What happens after the build, month by month.
Month one after go-live
Usage is watched daily. If a screen is not being opened, we want to know in week one rather than at a quarterly review.
- Daily usage checked
- Unused screens investigated
- Quick fixes shipped same week
- The old spreadsheet tracked
Month two
The first real edge cases surface: the odd customer, the unusual job, the exception nobody mentioned in the review.
- Edge cases logged
- Prioritised against real frequency
- Handled or explicitly excluded
- Documented either way
Month three
The baseline is re-measured against the hours you recorded before the build, and that number decides module two.
- Original pain re-measured
- Compared to the baseline
- Module two argued from evidence
- No expansion without adoption
Months four to six
Reporting settles. Management stops asking for ad-hoc numbers because the five that matter are on one screen.
- Five numbers agreed
- On one screen, live
- Ad-hoc requests drop
- Format stable
Six to twelve months
The system starts absorbing adjacent work. This is where a shared data model pays: the second module is faster than the first.
- Second module faster than first
- Shared data model reused
- Cost per module falls
- Adoption already proven
Year two and beyond
Annual review of what is used and what is not, with dead features retired rather than maintained forever.
- Annual usage review
- Dead features retired
- Statutory logic re-checked
- Roadmap set from usage
When to stop adding
When the next module cannot be justified by hours saved or revenue protected, stop. Not every process needs systemising.
- No case, no module
- Hours or revenue, not ambition
- Stopping is a valid answer
What we hand over
Repository access, documentation, hosting accounts in your name and a walkthrough for whoever maintains it next.
- Repository in your name
- Documentation written
- Hosting accounts yours
- Handover walkthrough recorded
Per-User Economics
Illustrative arithmetic reducing both routes to a cost per user per year.
Cost per user per year, built
A S$40,000 build across 25 users over 5 years is S$320 per user per year, and it falls as you hire.
- S$40,000 / 25 / 5 = S$320
- Falls with every new hire
- No renewal
Cost per user per year, licensed
S$120 a month is S$1,440 per user per year, and it does not fall.
- S$1,440 per user per year
- Constant, then rises
- Renews forever
The crossover
At 20 seats a build typically repays inside 18 months against a S$120 licence, sooner as headcount grows.
- Under 18 months at 20 seats
- Sooner above 25 seats
- Later below 10 seats
Hours to build the business case
Two to three hours measuring one real workflow gives you a defensible number. That is the whole exercise.
- 2 to 3 hours of measurement
- One workflow, timed honestly
- Loaded hourly cost applied
What a 1% margin recovery is worth
On S$2,000,000 of quoted work, 1% is S$20,000 a year, which exceeds most first-module costs.
- 1% on S$2,000,000 = S$20,000
- Exceeds a first module
- Recurring, not one-off
What a day of downtime costs
If trading stops, the cost is a day of revenue. That is what backup and restore is actually insuring.
- A day of revenue
- Recovery measured in minutes hosted
- 1 to 3 days on-premise
Ten Things SMEs Believe About ERP That Are Not True
The objections we hear most, answered plainly.
ERP means replacing everything
It does not, and the version that works never does. One workflow, adopted, then the next one.
- One module first
- Existing tools stay
- Replace only what fails
We are too small for ERP
At 5 to 10 staff a first module from S$3,500 often repays inside 12 months against a S$11,520 annual licence.
- S$3,500 first module
- 8 seats at S$120 = S$11,520 a year
- Repays inside 12 months
Custom means expensive
Custom means scoped. Twelve modules is expensive; two or three that matter is not.
- Scope drives cost
- 2 to 3 workflows typical
- Fixed quote after review
We will lose the vendor expertise
You keep it where it matters. We recommend off-the-shelf accounting and integrate rather than rebuild it.
- Keep Xero or similar
- Integrate, do not replace
- We say when to buy
AI will fix our processes
It will not. Agents act on structured data; messy operations produce confident nonsense.
- Clean operations first
- Then automate
- Then add agents
Implementation always overruns
It overruns when scope comes from a wish list. Scoped from one observed workflow, 4 to 8 weeks holds.
- Scope from observation
- Weekly working builds
- Slippage visible by week three
We cannot afford the disruption
One module, one parallel cycle, one team trained. The disruption budget is 8 to 15 hours of your time.
- 8 to 15 hours per module
- One parallel cycle
- Rollback available
Our staff will not use it
They will if it is faster than what they do now. That is the design constraint, and why we watch them work first.
- Faster than current method
- Interview the sceptic first
- Adoption measured weekly
We will be locked in
You own the code, the data and the hosting accounts. Any competent developer can continue it.
- Repository yours
- Hosting in your name
- Documented handover
Grants make packaged software cheaper
PSG funds packaged solutions and EDG funds custom work at up to 50%. Which is cheaper depends on your five-year total.
- PSG: packaged only
- EDG: up to 50% on custom
- Compare 5-year totals
- Confirm with Enterprise Singapore
Ten More Assumptions Worth Testing
A second pass at the beliefs that shape the decision before anyone gets a quote.
ERP means replacing everything
It does not, and the version that works never does. One workflow, adopted, then the next one.
- One module first
- Existing tools stay
- Replace only what fails
We are too small for ERP
At 5 to 10 staff a first module from S$3,500 often repays inside 12 months against a S$11,520 annual licence.
- S$3,500 first module
- 8 seats at S$120 = S$11,520 a year
- Repays inside 12 months
Custom means expensive
Custom means scoped. Twelve modules is expensive; two or three that matter is not.
- Scope drives cost
- 2 to 3 workflows typical
- Fixed quote after review
We will lose the vendor expertise
You keep it where it matters. We recommend off-the-shelf accounting and integrate rather than rebuild it.
- Keep Xero or similar
- Integrate, do not replace
- We say when to buy
AI will fix our processes
It will not. Agents act on structured data; messy operations produce confident nonsense.
- Clean operations first
- Then automate
- Then add agents
Implementation always overruns
It overruns when scope comes from a wish list. Scoped from one observed workflow, 4 to 8 weeks holds.
- Scope from observation
- Weekly working builds
- Slippage visible by week three
We cannot afford the disruption
One module, one parallel cycle, one team trained. The disruption budget is 8 to 15 hours of your time.
- 8 to 15 hours per module
- One parallel cycle
- Rollback available
Our staff will not use it
They will if it is faster than what they do now. That is the design constraint, and why we watch them work first.
- Faster than current method
- Interview the sceptic first
- Adoption measured weekly
We will be locked in
You own the code, the data and the hosting accounts. Any competent developer can continue it.
- Repository yours
- Hosting in your name
- Documented handover
Grants make packaged software cheaper
PSG funds packaged solutions and EDG funds custom work at up to 50%. Which is cheaper depends on your five-year total.
- PSG: packaged only
- EDG: up to 50% on custom
- Compare 5-year totals
- Confirm with Enterprise Singapore
Governing the System After Go-Live
Ten decisions that determine whether the system is still trusted in year three. None of them are technical.
Who owns the system internally
Name one person accountable for the system after go-live. Without it, small problems become permanent ones.
- One accountable owner
- Authority to prioritise
- Reviews usage monthly
How changes get requested
A single channel, written, with a rough size estimate before anything is committed.
- One channel, written
- Sized before committed
- Prioritised, not first-come
How often you review usage
Monthly for the first quarter, then quarterly. Unused features are a signal, not a footnote.
- Monthly for 3 months
- Quarterly thereafter
- Unused features investigated
Who maintains master data
Customers, products and cost codes drift without an owner. Name one, and give them time for it.
- Named data owner
- Time allocated
- Duplicates merged monthly
How statutory change is handled
GST, CPF and e-invoicing rules move. Someone must watch for it and someone must apply it.
- Watcher named
- Applier named
- Confirmed with the authority
What gets measured
The hours you measured before the build. Re-measured quarterly so the value is evidenced, not assumed.
- Original baseline retained
- Re-measured quarterly
- Reported to management
How access is reviewed
Quarterly review of who can see and do what, with leavers removed the day they leave.
- Quarterly access review
- Leavers removed same day
- Admin accounts minimised
Where documentation lives
With the system, not in someone's inbox. Updated when the system changes, not annually.
- Stored with the system
- Updated on change
- Owned by the system owner
How you decide the next module
From measured hours or protected revenue, never from a wish list assembled in a meeting.
- Hours or revenue
- Evidence from the last module
- No case, no build
What your exit looks like
Repository, database and hosting in your name, with a walkthrough for whoever takes over.
- Repository in your name
- Database exportable
- Handover recorded
Governance Reviewed Annually
The same ten decisions, revisited each year as the business changes shape.
Who owns the system internally
Name one person accountable for the system after go-live. Without it, small problems become permanent ones.
- One accountable owner
- Authority to prioritise
- Reviews usage monthly
How changes get requested
A single channel, written, with a rough size estimate before anything is committed.
- One channel, written
- Sized before committed
- Prioritised, not first-come
How often you review usage
Monthly for the first quarter, then quarterly. Unused features are a signal, not a footnote.
- Monthly for 3 months
- Quarterly thereafter
- Unused features investigated
Who maintains master data
Customers, products and cost codes drift without an owner. Name one, and give them time for it.
- Named data owner
- Time allocated
- Duplicates merged monthly
How statutory change is handled
GST, CPF and e-invoicing rules move. Someone must watch for it and someone must apply it.
- Watcher named
- Applier named
- Confirmed with the authority
What gets measured
The hours you measured before the build. Re-measured quarterly so the value is evidenced, not assumed.
- Original baseline retained
- Re-measured quarterly
- Reported to management
How access is reviewed
Quarterly review of who can see and do what, with leavers removed the day they leave.
- Quarterly access review
- Leavers removed same day
- Admin accounts minimised
Where documentation lives
With the system, not in someone's inbox. Updated when the system changes, not annually.
- Stored with the system
- Updated on change
- Owned by the system owner
How you decide the next module
From measured hours or protected revenue, never from a wish list assembled in a meeting.
- Hours or revenue
- Evidence from the last module
- No case, no build
What your exit looks like
Repository, database and hosting in your name, with a walkthrough for whoever takes over.
- Repository in your name
- Database exportable
- Handover recorded
How to Start, in Six Steps
The sequence we would follow if we were you, including the step where you might decide not to build at all.
Start by measuring, not by shopping
Two to three hours timing one real workflow gives you a defensible number before any vendor is called.
- Time one real cycle
- Apply your loaded hourly cost
- Multiply by twelve
Then decide buy or build on that number
Under 10 seats with a standard process, buy. Over 25 with a specific process, build. The middle is decided by specificity.
- Under 10 seats: usually buy
- Over 25 seats: usually build
- Specificity decides the middle
Ask for the five-year total either way
Licence times sixty months plus implementation, migration and training. One comparable number.
- 60 months, not one
- All one-off costs included
- Written, not verbal
Start with one workflow
The one you measured. Not the one that is most interesting, and not twelve at once.
- The measured one
- Fully solved, not sketched
- Live in 4 to 8 weeks
Run one parallel cycle
Both systems live for a full cycle, with outputs compared rather than trusted.
- One full cycle
- Outputs compared
- Rollback available
Re-measure before extending
Module two is argued from what module one actually saved, not from the original wish list.
- Original baseline retained
- Re-measured after go-live
- No case, no module
What We Would Tell a Friend Running an SME
The version without a sales agenda, which is also the version we give in the first call.
Measure before you shop
Two hours timing one workflow beats two weeks of vendor demos. You cannot evaluate a quote without a baseline.
- Time one real cycle
- Loaded hourly cost
- Annualise it
Do not buy twelve modules
You will use three. Paying for twelve and configuring twelve is how implementations overrun.
- Three modules, used
- Not twelve, configured
- Extend on evidence
Keep your accountant close
They know where the numbers must land and which formats the audit expects. Involve them in week one.
- Involved early
- Statutory treatment confirmed
- Report formats agreed
Protect the go-live week
Support present, peak trading avoided, rollback ready. Most bad first impressions are timing, not software.
- Avoid peak periods
- Never a Friday
- Support on site week one
Own your accounts
Hosting, domain and repository in your name from day one. It costs nothing then and everything later.
- Accounts in your name
- Billed at cost
- Access documented
Be willing to stop
If the arithmetic does not work, do not build. A vendor who agrees with that is worth listening to.
- No case, no build
- Off-the-shelf where it fits
- Advice in writing
Three Signs You Are Ready, and Three You Are Not
A short honesty check before you spend anything. Half the companies that call us are in the second list, and we say so.
Ready: the same number is calculated twice
When two people produce two versions of one figure every month, a shared system pays for itself on reconciliation alone.
- Two versions of one number
- Monthly reconciliation ritual
- Nobody trusts either fully
Ready: a process lives in one person's head
If someone's leave is an operational risk, the process needs to exist outside them.
- Leave is a risk
- No documentation exists
- Handover would take weeks
Ready: growth is being slowed by admin
When adding customers means adding admin headcount, the constraint is the system rather than the market.
- Admin scales with revenue
- Hiring to keep up
- Margin falling as you grow
Not ready: the process changes every quarter
Systemising something still being invented wastes money. Let it settle, then encode it.
- Still being invented
- Encode it once stable
- Revisit in six months
Not ready: nobody internally can decide
Without one person holding authority, the project will stall at the first disagreement.
- No named owner
- Decisions by committee
- Stalls at first conflict
Not ready: the arithmetic does not work
If the hours saved do not cover the cost, do not build. We would rather say that than take the project.
- Hours do not cover cost
- Volume too low
- Revisit as you grow
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