GP

Your

UPGRADE
A Hero’s Journey

A GUIDE FROM PELORUS TECHNOLOGY

The messaging from Microsoft and the general Microsoft Dynamics
GP partner community is that the optimal upgrade option for GP
users is a natural choice: upgrade to Microsoft Dynamics Business
Central (BC). For many reasons, this is not necessarily the case. This
guide will help you take a step back, adjust for all the powerful
marketing messages out there, and act as your compass to move
forward strategically.
 IS IT TIME TO
UPGRADE?
Every business owner on a legacy system will be called to act eventually:
“you need to upgrade your ERP.”

Microsoft has been loudly trumpeting that the “optimal” journey for Great
Plains users is Business Central - the next “step up.”

Well, look at that. That was easy. Problem solved! End of guide! Right? Not
so fast. The true path to a post-GP life is far from that simple.

THE THREE ACTS

The first thing to remember is that, even in a GP to BC scenario, there is
no “upgrade;” what you’re going to be doing is a re-implementation.
All journeys to upgrading follow the same three steps, in order. The first?
Ensuring that upgrading is indeed what your company needs to do. Then,
a period of software evaluation follows. And lastly, before you can reap the
full benefits, an implementation period.

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 THE REAL JOURNEY
Let’s look at the journey that you’re actually going to be embarking on...

07 SUCCESS!
BC Implementation
(Skip to Step 7)
Note that this is a lateral move. Is
that what you want?
03
WHAT DO I
05
DOES MY CURRENT
IMPLEMENTATION
PLANNING 08
IMPLEMENTATION
WANT FROM ERP PARTNER
PROVIDE SUFFICIENT
THE CLOUD? OPTIONS?
Beware the
one-trick pony.
Your partner needs to know BC
Host It in The and GP, but also more robust
Cloud options to guide you properly.
Rent your own
cloud servers or
hire a hosting
company.

01
IS GP STILL
09
TESTING, USER TRAINING,
RIGHT FOR ME?

06
AND CUSTOMIZATIONS

FIND THE SOFTWARE THAT

SOLVES THE PROBLEM
Functionality. Technology. Cost.

02 If your primary reason is:

04
Cloud Functionality: explore
moving GP to the cloud, or
HAVE I TRULY implementing Business Central.
WHAT KIND OF
OUTGROWN COMPANY ARE WE?

GP?
Outgrowing GP: Choose a new
ERP platform that suits your needs
(which may not be BC).
Are you a: GLAPAR, Workhorse, or
Enterprise-Ready type? You must know your
requirements before looking at products.

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 Tip: click the Pelorus compass on any page to return to this page >

HOW TO USE
THIS GUIDE
Pelorus Technology assembled this upgrade guide to help you navigate the major
decisions that every company will face. Click a title below to jump to that section.
Learn what questions to ask, and how to find the answers.

ACT I - To Upgrade or Not

1. Is GP Still Right for Me?
2. Have I Truly OutGrown GP?
3. What Do I Want from the Cloud?

ACT II - Software Selection

4. What Kind of Company Are We?
5. Is My Current Partner Equipped for The Journey?
6. What Software Actually Solves Our Problem?
7. What Has to Happen Before Implementation?

ACT III - Implementation

8. Implementation
9. Testing, User Training, and Customizations
10. Success!

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 ACT I:
TO UPGRADE OR
NOT TO UPGRADE?

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 1. Is GP Still Right for Me?
There are countless marketing messages aimed at GP users: it’s time to
upgrade. But does this actually apply to YOUR business?
Our guidance suggests that the first question a Dynamics GP customer
should ask is, “why am I considering upgrading?” The answer could be
one (or more) of the following:

We have outgrown our GP software, and it

(Have you, though? Find out here.)
is hindering the growth of our business.

I want to move my ERP solution to the cloud. (Good! You have options.)

I am following Microsoft’s or my GP partner’s

(Consider the source. . . )
messaging.

First Thing’s First...

If GP is working fine for you, you do not have to upgrade (despite what
Microsoft and maybe even your GP partner would have you believe).

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 Why did it take an entire den of boy
scouts to help the little old lady cross
the road?

She did not want to go across

the street.

Microsoft recently launched another (much more

aggressive) GP to BC marketing push. This escalating
all-out push by Microsoft to “upgrade” GP customers
to BC reminds us of the old joke above.
Let us look at just a few reasons why this is such a
bad idea and should be called off immediately:

ERP IMPLEMENTATION MALPRACTICE

Unless Business Central provides a dramatic
increase in functionality over GP, a sideways
move of ERP solutions is difficult to justify.

NOT ALL “UPGRADES” ARE CREATED EQUALLY

The vast number of GP implementations
are sophisticated users of the system
with multiple ISV solutions critical to their
business. These are NOT simple GLAPAR
customers.

So you’ll need to ask yourself the next question:

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 2. Have I Truly Outgrown GP?
Several years ago, we developed a simple test to determine if a Microsoft
Dynamics GP customer has outgrown their software: the Rule of Multis.
Simply stated:
The more “multis” that a GP customer can check off, the higher the
probability that they may need a more sophisticated ERP platform.
The list includes:

… Multi-Currency … Multi-Company
… Multi-Country … Multi-LOB (line of business)
… Multi-Language … Multi-Location

If you are torturing your GP software to meet your business needs,

it is well worth the time to read or re-
read the original article. RESOURCE LIBRARY
The Rule of Multis Blog

So have you really outgrown it?

Or do you just want cloud benefits? If the Rule of Multis test convinced
you to replace GP, skip to section 4. If not, let’s explore cloud options.

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 3. WHAT DO I WANT FROM
THE CLOUD?
If you are happy with the business functionality that you are currently
getting from your GP software, then there are much better options to move
to the cloud than implementing a new ERP solution like Business Central.
Consider these options:

If your hardware is old
and in need of a refresh,
you can rent servers in
the cloud, install your GP
software on those hosted
servers and access it
remotely.
If your hardware is If you don’t want any of the
relatively new, you can headaches associated with
locate your existing maintaining your servers,
servers in a co- then there is an excellent
location company that option of moving your GP
specializes in having implementation into a hosted
ideal environments to environment run by companies
secure, monitor, and that specialize in running
manage your hardware. traditional or existing GP
solutions in the cloud for you.

Any of these solutions can be an acceptable long-term strategy or can buy

critical time before making the move to a new ERP system. The new and
improved commitment by Microsoft to supporting GP
makes this a safe option if GP fits your requirements.

RESOURCE LIBRARY
GP Upgrade Thoughts –
Cloud Options & Strategies

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 ACT II:
SOFTWARE
SELECTION

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 4. What kind of company are we?
If the determination has been made to upgrade to a new ERP
platform, then several more important issues need to be addressed
and understood.
It is critical to understand that there are no simple upgrades to
a new ERP platform in the SMB world. With today’s complex
ERP systems, “upgrade” is more of a marketing term than an exact
technical definition. Even within product lines themselves, upgrades
are now some flavor of re-implementations.
Upgrade toolsets are becoming more powerful and user friendly but
come with limitations that may be critical.
There are significant functional and technical reasons why companies
outgrow GP. If that is the case, then it is crucial not to make an
incremental ERP move that does not address all of those issues. So
what do you actually need?

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 TYPES OF CURRENT
GP CUSTOMERS
Let’s assume that the on-premise GP installed base is segmented
into three types of companies:

THE GLAPAR
Companies that use the financial functionalities
(general ledger, accounts payable, and
accounts receivables) primarily. An upgrade
to BC for this group would be the easiest and
least expensive.

THE WORKHORSE
Companies that need the functionality provided
by GP and its army of third-party ISV solutions
to create a perfect business solution. These
companies are the vast majority of the GP installed
base. For this class of GP company, an upgrade to
BC is still not a straightforward decision.

THE ENTERPRISE-READY
Companies that are torturing their GP software
to meet their business or technology needs.
For these companies, GP cannot keep up with
their growth and functional requirements. In
terms of the GP to BC upgrade question, these
have the most to lose making the wrong ERP
upgrade decision.

If you have significantly outgrown your GP software, there is a good chance

that you have also already outgrown the current capabilities of BC. In this
case, an upgrade to BC would be, at best, a lateral move. Without some
overriding reason to justify that move, a sideways upgrade is an expensive
proposition at best, and malpractice by your partner at worst.

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 “If you only have a hammer,
the whole world looks like a nail...”

5. IS MY CURRENT
PARTNER RIGHT FOR ME?
Microsoft will have you believe that Business Central is the “one size
fits all” answer, but that’s almost negligent. If your partner ONLY
works with GP and BC, it’s possible that they will push BC, even if it
doesn’t quite fit. So what are your options?

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 POTENTIAL
PARTNER
PROBLEMS

BEWARE:
What are your options?
If your GP partner is
These are the typical paths you can choose working with BC exclusively
if you have decided to move off GP. as their alternative ERP
solution, then the adage, “if
Î Circumvent your GP partner and you only have a hammer,
launch a software search. the entire world looks like a
Î Work with your GP partner on a nail” applies.
Business Central upgrade.
Î Work with your GP partner on an upgrade to a non-Microsoft ERP
solution.
Î Work with a GP partner that has incorporated Microsoft Dynamics D365
F&O into their portfolio and upgrade to a real Microsoft enterprise-level
ERP platform.
Many GP companies feel that they have not only outgrown their GP software
but also their GP partner. In this scenario, the partner is not involved in the
search and decision-making process for a new ERP solution.
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 6. WHAT SOFTWARE
ACTUALLY SOLVES
OUR PROBLEMS?
So what is the logical solution for the Enterprise-Ready GP company
looking to stay in the Microsoft ERP family while making the best
software decision? Instead of focusing on marketing messaging, we
propose an in-depth review of your business requirements mapped
onto Dynamics Business Central and Dynamics Finance & Operations.
This is a critical step in the process. A Dynamics expert with deep roots
in GP, BC, and F&O can perform a side-by-side comparison of critical
business functionality using your data and live software.

BUSINESS CENTRAL FINANCE & OPERATIONS

Functionality Functionality

Technology Technology

Cost Cost

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 GET SOME
INSITE
Insite is a productivity analyzer tool that generates a complete picture
of your current ERP usage. Suppose you are an existing Microsoft
Dynamics GP shop and are considering upgrading to a later version of
GP, Dynamics BC, or F&O. In that case, Insite can provide data, not
opinions, regarding your software decision.

• FUNCTION
• W O R K F L O W
• WORKGROUP
• D E PA R T M E N T
• C O M PA N Y
• INDIVIDUAL

Additionally and equally critical, Insite identifies those “non-ERP

software” applications needed to run the business. These shadow
ERP components are rarely understood by management and never
investigated in the software selection process. This typically leads to
incomplete project plans and cost overruns.

RESOURCE LIBRARY
Insite Productivity Analyzer

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Click here to learn more!
 7. IMPLEMENTATION
PLANNING
Implementations delivered over budget, past projected deadlines, and
with disappointing user adoption are all too common. If a majority of ERP
implementation partners follow the same tried-and-true implementation
formula, then something suggests that the recipe may be flawed.
Developing a complete picture of your ERP software platform’s efficiency
prior to selection and implementation is paramount. Insite can help here,
too, by exposing critical issues and identifying gaps such as:

Improper training
Poor software set-up
Wrong software selection
for critical business
requirements
Click below for an article on how
the lack of insight into this data
leads to challenged or failed
implementation
projects.

RESOURCE LIBRARY
Insite & the Five Whys

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 ACT III:
IMPLEMENTATION

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 8. Implementation Begins Implementations
REIMAGINED
Since this guide was designed to help you answer the important questions in
the “Should I upgrade GP?” journey, this is where we’ll leave you.
The Pelorus Technology website has resources and plenty of information. Our
“Implementations Reimagined” series can get you started:

9. Testing, User Training, Customizations

A perfect new system isn’t perfect until your team gets on board.

10. Success!
You did your homework: GP had to go. You chose the best partner(s) for the
journey. You determined your needs for now and future growth. You endured a
grueling implementation. With Insite, monitor the effectiveness of your new ERP
platform. Are you getting the most out of your investment?
Insite is a great training and post-implementation tool to make sure that shadow
ERP elements aren’t creeping back in and to measure the efficiency of your new
system, whether it is the day after implementation, or years down the road.
You can rest easy with your new ERP, knowing your business is poised for growth.
A true hero’s reward.
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CONTACT US

(800) 948-6482
info@pelorustechnology.com

www.pelorustechnology.com