You’ve invested in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central (or previously, Dynamics NAV) to streamline operations and support your business growth. But lately, something doesn’t feel right.
Maybe your implementation is dragging on. Maybe every small feature or support request comes with a hefty invoice. Or maybe you’re just starting to feel like your partner is more focused on billables than your business.
If any of that sounds familiar, it might be time for a second opinion.
What happens when the partner you trusted to lead your ERP journey is now the one holding it back? If you’re encountering mounting costs, missed milestones, or radio silence from your partner, you’re not alone. In fact, 99% of our clients at Tigunia came to us after a bad partner experience (we call these our “rescue” projects). Whether you’re running on Dynamics NAV or have upgraded to Dynamics 365 Business Central, it’s critical to know when your partner has become more of a liability than an asset.
The True Cost of a Bad ERP Partner
An underperforming partner doesn’t just impact your implementation timeline. It affects your total cost of ownership, system stability, user confidence, and even employee satisfaction and retention.
Dynamics 365 Business Central, like NAV before it, is an incredibly flexible system. But that flexibility can be abused through over-customization, lack of documentation, and misaligned support models. Some partners create dependency on their services, making you reliant on them for every report, change, or upgrade.
And when it’s time to upgrade or add new functionality? That’s when the costs really escalate.
What Should a Good Partner Do Differently?
A great ERP partner is transparent, communicative, and aligned with your long-term success. They don’t just complete tasks; they educate, enable, and document.
Here’s what a better partner relationship looks like:
- Clear documentation of code, customizations, and processes
- User empowerment, not dependence
- Realistic roadmaps with milestone tracking
- Proactive recommendations that align with your goals
- Open communication (no ghosting, no surprises)
Read: 7 Winning Strategies for a Successful Business Central Implementation
When to Seek a Second Opinion
Just as you would get a second opinion before a serious medical procedure, your ERP system deserves the same scrutiny. The reality is, Dynamics 365 Business Central is the operational backbone of your business.
Here are common red flags that signal it’s time to get another expert involved:
- Your partner is pushing customizations you don’t actually need
- You’re consistently missing deadlines or milestones without explanation
- Your implementation has stalled, with little to no communication
- You feel pressured to spend more than you originally planned
- Your users are frustrated, undertrained, and not adopting the system
- You’re reliant on your partner for every change or report
- You’re seeing unexplained reconciliation errors or performance issues
- Upgrade costs are comparable to your initial implementation
When these issues appear, trust starts to erode. And without trust, your implementation is already in jeopardy.
What to Expect from a Quality Second Opinion
A comprehensive second opinion assessment should evaluate these critical areas:
- Implementation Plan
What holes are in your existing plan? Why were milestones missed? A fresh set of eyes can identify gaps your current partner may have overlooked or created intentionally.
- Customizations
Are there unnecessary customizations in your existing solution? Is the underlying code going to lock you into relying on your current partner for maintenance in years to come? Often, what’s been “customized” could be handled by standard functionality.
- User Adoption
How is your team actually using the solution? They may need more training, or the system could be better optimized for their workflows.
- Longevity and Upgrade Path
What does the upgrade process look like? Will your custom reports and workflows need to be rebuilt for every upgrade? This is a major consideration for the total cost of ownership.
- Documentation
Has your current partner documented everything properly? If not, it’s a sign of disorganization and can pose challenges to any partner taking over your project.
- Reporting and Business Intelligence
Has your partner addressed how users will create and share reports after go-live? Reporting is fundamental to your business and should never be an afterthought.
Don’t Settle for Less Than ERP Success
At Tigunia, we’ve spent decades rescuing struggling Dynamics NAV and Dynamics 365 Business Central projects. We know what good partners and implementations look like, and we know how to fix the bad ones (the implementations, that is!).
Our team offers second opinion assessments for businesses just like yours. We’ll evaluate your current setup, review documentation, assess code quality, and provide clear, actionable feedback.
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