contributors
Brett Wells
Vice President, Business Technology Leader
December 7, 2025 • 4 Min Read
Most finance leaders can point to a moment when they start to wonder whether their ERP is holding them back. It might be after another month-end that drags on too long, an acquisition that feels impossible to integrate, or the tenth time someone quietly admits they’re running critical processes in a spreadsheet because “the system can’t do it.”
These moments matter. They’re early signals that your ERP strategy might be drifting out of sync with the business you’re running today, and even further out of sync with the one you’re trying to build. Reassessing your ERP doesn’t automatically mean you’re replacing it; often it means stepping back, taking stock, and asking whether the system and strategy still serve the path ahead.
Here’s a clearer, more approachable way to see when that reassessment is due.
When the Business Moves Faster Than the System
One of the first signs comes from the business itself. Growth, M&A, or expansion into new markets can quickly stretch an ERP that wasn’t built for multi-entity consolidation, new revenue models, or large spikes in volume. If you’re adding new services, shifting to subscriptions, or operating in more countries, you’ll feel it when the ERP can’t keep up.
Often, the stress shows up in finance workflows long before it becomes a headline issue: more manual reconciliations, more exceptions, more workarounds. When the system can’t model the business accurately, people will find their own ways to fill the gaps—and that’s your cue.
When the Technology Starts to Show Its Age
Another common trigger is simply the age of the platform. Many CFOs are still running on systems that are approaching end-of-life or that require costly upgrades just to stay compliant.
When connecting the ERP to your CRM, analytics tools, or supply chain systems becomes painful or impossible, you know the architecture is falling behind.
When Process Inefficiencies Become Business as Usual
You might notice it in the daily rhythm of your team: month-end closes drag on, reports are delayed, and cash flow tightens. Core processes like order-to-cash, procure-to-pay, and record-to-report are no longer streamlined; they are stitched together with manual workarounds.
As trust in the system fades, so does proper usage. Employees turn to unofficial solutions—spreadsheets, shadow databases, and unauthorized tools—forming an underground workflow. The ERP becomes an afterthought, a place to upload final results rather than manage the process. At that point, your so-called “single source of truth” is no longer trustworthy.
When Strategy Outgrows System Capability
Sometimes the signal is more subtle. Your business wants more real-time visibility, predictive insights, and better decision support, but the ERP can only produce static reports. You’re expected to guide the organization with agility, but the system was built for a different era, one where decisions were slower, and data wasn’t expected to be instantaneous.
When the system doesn’t support where the business wants to go, that’s a strategic misalignment—and a clear sign it’s time to reevaluate.
When Costs and Risks Keep Rising
Finally, the economics tell a story. Your total cost of ownership—maintenance, customizations, upgrades—keeps increasing. Compliance and audit risks creep up. Data quality issues start to undermine confidence. And the value you expected at implementation simply isn’t showing up.
When you’re investing more but getting less, it’s time to take a closer look.
How to Step Back and Reassess
A productive reassessment starts with a clear baseline.
- How long does the close take?
- How much manual effort sits behind your reconciliations?
- How many people are using the system the way it was designed?
- How often does downtime affect operations?
From there, compare what the system does today with what your business needs tomorrow.
- Map your growth plans, new capabilities, and emerging requirements.
- Look hard at the architecture: can it scale? Can it integrate? Does the vendor’s roadmap match your direction?
- Equally important is understanding your process maturity and data governance. A modern ERP can’t fix broken processes or poor data quality—but it can make both much more visible.
And finally, audit the value you’re actually getting.
- Are you realizing the benefits you projected?
- Where is ROI weakening?
- Where is technical debt accumulating?
Choosing Your Path Forward
Once you understand the gaps, several paths open up:
- Some organizations find that their existing ERP is fine, it just needs tuning. Better configuration, cleaner processes, or additional modules can unlock meaningful improvements.
- Others discover that the next big step is an upgrade or cloud migration. This is often the fastest way to tap into modern capabilities like automation, embedded analytics, and AI.
In some cases, the system is simply too limited or too burdened with technical debt. That’s when a full replacement becomes the smart long-term move, aligned with a broader business transformation.
And for many companies, a hybrid approach works best: keep a stable ERP core and surround it with best-of-breed applications, as long as the integration strategy is strong and governed.
The Bottom Line
Reassessing your ERP strategy ensures your systems can keep pace with your business. With the RGP Streamline 360™ ERP Assessment Framework, we help you pinpoint what’s working, what’s not, and what to tackle first.
Not sure where to begin? Start with Streamline 360™, or talk with one of our experts about the right next step in your finance and ERP transformation.