May 16, 2025

4 Popular ERP Implementation Strategies: Finding the Best Approach

Switching to an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system can be transformational for any business, no matter what industry you operate in. Many companies see immediate benefits after implementing an ERP solution, such as significantly reduced overhead, improved productivity, better margins, and the ability to achieve growth and revenue goals.

There are even companies, like KB Wholesalers, that achieved positive cultural, operational, and financial ROI within the first two weeks of replacing QuickBooks with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.

On the flip side, there are many cautionary tales of ERP projects gone wrong.

According to Gartner, the failure rate has bounced between 55% and 75% over the years and we have firsthand experience of it. In fact, to Gartner, 55-75% of ERP projects fail completely or wind up missing their aimed objectives.

At Clients First, we’ve done our fair share of ERP rescue missions over our 20+ years (but who’s counting) in the ERP consulting, implementation, and service business. A recurring pattern in salvage stories is the discovery of critical pieces of the implementation strategy and preparation process missing.

All ERP project implementations start with internal planning, but project failure is a likely outcome if that effort doesn’t go deep enough. A short list of general objectives doesn’t count as a comprehensive ERP project plan, and vague, wishy-washy goals won’t get you to the finish line successfully.

Without thorough requirements planning, a detailed implementation plan that aligns with your goals, and a defined deployment strategy, your ERP project is on a path to failure and will most likely go over budget, be out of scope, and miss your deadlines.

To avoid mistakes, conflicts, and delays, you need to prepare for all aspects of an ERP project, and that starts with understanding your implementation strategy options.

One of the critical early decisions in implementation planning is choosing the ERP software deployment strategy that best suits your business. Although you don’t need to choose a strategy before talking to a software partner, it’s helpful to understand the most popular and more widely accepted approaches in advance so you can make the most of those initial conversations.

In this blog, you will learn about the 4 most commonly used deployment and implementation strategies for mid-to-large-scale ERP projects. For each one, we’ll cover the pros and cons, security considerations, and the types of businesses each strategy works well for, so you can begin thinking about which method will fit your organization.

4 Common ERP Implementation Strategies

As you gather requirements and research ERP solutions, it’s important to become familiar with the overall implementation process.

ERPs are intricate solutions that require process mapping, optimization, system integration, user training, and more. Ultimately, these multifaceted phases are why you need an experienced partner to guide you through the steps.

Each of the 4 implementation strategies described below is a valid approach to transitioning to a new ERP system or a significant upgrade.

1. “Big Bang” Software Launch

Like the birth of the universe, this is an all-at-once implementation strategy. One day, your team is consolidating transactions in QuickBooks and standalone spreadsheets; the next, they are posting journal entries in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central or SAP Business One. In this approach, your ERP software partner is responsible for helping you develop a detailed plan leading to a specific launch day. Everything goes live all at once, and your team dives in headfirst.

Big Bang Deployment Pros:

Single cost – You won’t have to pay to run multiple legacy software systems simultaneously as you start paying for your brand-new ERP.
Baptism by fire – Your team has extensive training before launch day, so they can jump right in and keep working with minimal disruption to their work schedule.
Glitches get fixed fast – If you switch everyone all at once, you’ll quickly identify any hidden glitches so they can be dealt with ASAP.
High user adoption rates – If the old software is suddenly no longer available, your staff have no choice but to learn the new system.
Short high-stress time – All the stress, in theory, should be around the same time, and then you can settle into the new normal quickly.
Immediate ROI – The benefits of an ERP system, such as higher productivity, deeper data insights, and lower operating costs, will be noticeable very quickly.

Big Bang Deployment Cons:

Downtime possibility – If some strange glitch or specific challenge has hidden itself until launch day, your entire business could have to pause operations until it can be fixed. You won’t be able to go back to old operating systems because they won’t be there anymore.
Staff resistance and pressure – Such a big change overnight with such high stakes (they HAVE to figure it out because there’s no other way) may make staff feel anxious and stressed. An overnight launch without being able to fall back on old systems is a lot of pressure.
Lots of background work – Every strategy includes background work, but Big Bang launches require that every person, every machine, and every department is trained and ready to go simultaneously. That requires many hours behind the scenes before launch day.
Possibility of many glitches all at once – With so many things happening on the same day, your software partner and IT team may need some extra time to get simple fixes ironed out.

What Companies' Big Bang Deployment Works Well For:

Big-bang deployment strategies are often best suited to smaller organizations with a single or limited location and few employees. It’s risky for a large and complex enterprise to try an all-at-once corporation-wide software launch; there are too many variables, locations, and employees that you cannot control.

Security Considerations:

A big bang approach has low security risks. Since you won’t be running legacy systems side-by-side, there are fewer vulnerabilities between APIs, and the amount of time your systems may be vulnerable should be minimal. You can perform an IT Security Risk Assessment beforehand to identify any risks.

3. Phased Software Deployment (Time, Module, Business Unit, Location)

Staging your ERP software implementation project over weeks or months can make the transition seamless, minimize customer impact, and ensure any glitches are resolved before the next phase begins.

There are 4 ways projects may be phased: over time, by software module, business unit, or location. Following this approach, your team would transition to working fully in the new system, but there is usually some overlap and duplication of work in both systems before the old one is fully abandoned.

Phased Deployment Pros:

Minimal downtime risk – Phased rollouts significantly reduce the risk of operational pauses or complete company downtime because they are limited to smaller portions of the business.
Ample time to acclimate – Phasing allows staff to gradually get used to the new system, giving them more time to learn. Evangelists of the new software can help support staff who are feeling uncertain.
Time to catch and eliminate glitches – Rolling out new software in smaller phases will allow your software partner and IT to identify quirks and glitches, fix them, and predict when they might happen in future phases.
Ability to prioritize ROI – A phased approach means you can prioritize transitioning the functions or departments that will give you the most significant ROI benefits first.
Legacy system safety net – If things go wrong or significant fixes are needed, you can fall back on legacy systems until the solution is found.
Access to historical data – All your old data will still be available in the legacy system. This can be helpful if you realize partway through that you’ll need to transition more historical data than you initially thought.
Minimizes customer impact – Your clients may not even realize you’re doing a software rollout, since staff can maintain the same service level with access to both legacy and new systems.

Phased Deployment Cons:

Simultaneous system fees – You’ll be paying the subscription fees or licensing costs for both the old and new systems.
Time – A longer deployment means more time paying for both systems, reduced productivity due to duplicating work in two systems, and more time for staff to hear complaints and develop resistance to learning the new system.
Lack of urgency to learn – Staff may not be as motivated to learn the system or update their processes, since their familiar old habits are still accessible in the legacy system.
Slower ROI – Your ROI will not be lower than other strategies, but it will take longer to see results due to incremental transition.
Pressure on IT – Your IT teams will face additional pressure supporting two systems simultaneously.
Possibility for confusion – If you’re working through training for one department while launching another and building a schedule for a third, there’s potential for confusion.

What Companies Phased Deployment Works Well For:

Phased ERP implementations are at low risk for catastrophic failure and should eliminate or reduce the possibility of downtime. They’re a good option for larger businesses that want to minimize customer impact. A phased rollout is also a great option if you have specific bottlenecks that need to be addressed ASAP; you can prioritize those in your phase planning.

Phased Deployment Security Considerations:

Phasing your ERP implementation project does involve additional security considerations.

Because you’ll be running both systems, like QuickBooks and your new ERP, there’s a slightly higher possibility for vulnerabilities with API interactions.

Those vulnerabilities or loopholes have existed for a long time and will require protection.

There’s also an increased risk of data integrity issues when staff duplicate work across two systems. Your IT team and software partner should have a policy for system vulnerabilities.

4. Parallel Software Deployment

A parallel ERP implementation project rollout is when you have both systems fully deployed simultaneously for a pre-determined amount of time. That means employees would duplicate all work in both systems to start. This approach is the lowest risk for customer impact and downtime, as the legacy systems are still fully functional and available if or when glitches or errors appear in the new system. Staff also have plenty of time to get used to the new system, with the comfort that they can still revert to the old system if something goes wrong.

Parallel Deployment Pros:

Legacy safety net – The legacy system provides a safety net, so you should never have to pause operations or deal with downtime.
Low-pressure learning – Your staff can learn the new system at a pace that makes sense for them.
No downtime – Critical functions that must operate 24/7 will not be interrupted.
Time for data transition – Parallel rollout allows you time to identify if any more legacy data sets need to be imported.
Time to refine processes – You’ll have more time to brainstorm, test, and refine workflow processes in the new system before relying on them entirely.

Parallel Deployment Cons:

Reduced productivity – Parallel transition will temporarily reduce productivity since people will work in both systems.
Data integrity risks – There’s a slightly higher risk of compromising data integrity with duplicating work in two systems.
Double the fees – You’ll be paying full subscription or licensing fees for the duration of your transition; that gets expensive.
Staying in the comfort zone – Staff may be less motivated or more resistant to learning the new system since the old system is still available.
Old habits die hard – Breaking old habits and adapting processes associated with the old system is harder when people are still using it every day.
Potential for confusion – People will have to continue operating in the old system while also learning a new system with changed workflow processes for completing the same task; that can be confusing.

What Companies Parallel Deployment Works Well For:

Parallel deployment is best suited for companies with critical functions that must operate 24/7 without downtime.

It is also well-suited for companies going through mergers or acquisitions, where each new entity may be using different systems than those of other recent acquisitions.

Parallel Deployment Security Considerations:

Security risks are very low for a parallel ERP rollout. Both systems will operate at full capacity with all security measures in place. Since the systems will have minimal integrations, there should be no vulnerable access points.

You can keep running your regular security and ransomware education programs, with additions for security features in the new system.

5. Hybrid Software Deployment Approach

A hybrid deployment is just what it sounds like: picking and choosing the different elements of other strategies that work best for your business.

For example, you may decide to roll out the accounting module of your ERP system before tackling HR.

After that, you might phase in the rest of the company based on individual ERP modules or launch all other departments once you’ve ironed out all the kinks from the first two units.

Another option could be to launch several specific modules all at once and slowly phase in additional modules over time.

The gray area is that most ERP deployment strategies will be a bit of a hybrid since your software partner will (and should) customize your deployment to suit your specific needs and goals.

Hybrid Deployment Pros:

Options to suit different units – You can choose different deployment styles to suit various business units or locations.
Adaptability – You can adapt your implementation plan based on your budget, investing more time and dollars into critical functions and using a big-bang launch for less essential departments to reduce costs.
Customizable plans – Every step of the process is tailored to your business's needs, accounts for risks, and addresses your team's concerns.
Space and time to determine needs – A customized rollout can allow you more time to ensure you get exactly what you need from the new system, no more, no less.

Hybrid Deployment Cons:

Extended planning required – The pre-project logistics process may take longer than with other strategies, since each deployment type you choose will require custom documentation.
Possibility of too much customization – The more customizations to your system, the more likely it is to exceed your budget and schedule and create future challenges.
Details, details, details -There are so many things to consider and define when using multiple deployment strategies for different units; it’s easy to sink excess hours into planning.
Possible budget challenges – Extensive time investments, customization costs, and possibly paying fees for both systems will eat into your budget.

What Companies' Hybrid Software Deployment Works For:

The short answer is that a hybrid approach can suit any business. But it is likely to shine when you have complex, unique needs in a new or rapidly changing industry. It can also be beneficial for businesses growing due to an acquisition or merger, for similar reasons as a parallel strategy, with a little more room to control the budget.

Hybrid Deployment Security Considerations:

With a hybrid deployment approach, your IT team and software partner must be aware of all potential technology and data risks across all systems and know how to mitigate each. It can require more planning for security during transition periods, but it’s not necessarily riskier than other strategies.

Factors to Consider When Choosing an ERP Implementation Strategy

After you have taken the time to vet and select your ERP system, deciding on your ERP software implementation and deployment strategy should be done as a joint effort with your software partner. Things that factor into choosing your deployment strategy include:

Timeline 
Budget
Risk tolerance
ROI
Company size
Infrastructure (Cloud vs. on-premise)
User preferences

Ultimately, the strategy you select will depend on your business, your people, and your goals for investing in a new ERP system. Although we have outlined some of the pros and cons of each strategy, the best way to succeed is with an experienced ERP software partner.

Your implementing partner will leverage a team of business process management software and infrastructure experts who take the time to understand your needs.

They can share examples of strategies that have worked well for previous customers of similar size, industry, or product migration, and they will know the questions to ask to suggest an ERP project strategy and approach that best match your objectives.

Before any project can begin, the business technology experts at Clients First will figure out precisely what you need right now and in the long term, and balance that to find the most practical, scalable solution within your budget and schedule.

If you take a look at our client stories, you’ll discover that we specialize in providing implementation plans, ensuring adoption success, and delivering ROI as quickly as possible.

As a trusted Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and SAP Business One partner, our methodology is to deliver stable technology solutions that meet your unique needs and seamlessly grow with your business.

With over 20 years of helping companies successfully implement ERP software, Clients First can help you decide on the best software deployment approach for your business and develop an implementation plan that covers all the bases.

Additional Considerations to Smooth Out Your ERP Deployment Experience

Once you’ve selected an ERP for your business and defined your deployment strategy and implementation plan, a few extra things will ensure a successful ERP transition project. These 5 additional ideas can further reduce friction and smooth the path for ERP implementation success:

Project evangelists for the new system will develop staff enthusiasm and buy-in from your leadership team, which is critical to the success of your ERP implementation.
A dedicated implementation team for your ERP project with a range of people from across your business, not just your C-suite team, will ensure the perspectives of different user groups are accounted for.
Encouraging transparency about project progress, changes, schedules, and possible disruptions will help staff develop a positive view of the new system.
In-depth, hands-on, and/or virtual training, along with proper documentation, will ensure that staff feel comfortable with the new system.

Getting the Highest Possible ROI from Your New ERP

When it comes down to it, one of the key indicators for ERP implementation success is a comprehensive software rollout strategy. These plans or strategies can seem like overkill, but skipping out on those details can be the difference between a smooth transition and a costly project failure.

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