If you recently implemented Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central (D365 BC) but feel the system is harder to use than your old software, you aren’t alone. Research suggests implementation failure affects approximately 60% of organizations.
You do not need a generic definition of what Business Central is; you need to know why yours isn’t working.
A System Review is a forensic audit of your ERP. It identifies where the “people, process, and technology” gap exists so you can stop bleeding money on workarounds. This guide covers the red flags that demand a review, the specific costs of inaction, and the step-by-step process to recover your ROI.
The “Red Flag” Checklist: Does Your Business Central Implementation Need a Review?
If you are experiencing more than two of the following symptoms, your BC implementation requires expert remediation.
- You are running “Shadow IT”: Finance staff has to rely on Excel spreadsheets outside of Business Central to complete daily tasks because the system “doesn’t work right.”
- Data Migration “Debt”: You see duplicate vendors, un-reconciled sub-ledgers, or dirty legacy data.
- The Cost: Uncleaned ERP data migration costs an average of $25,000 in manual remediation efforts later.
- Over-Customization: You paid for custom code rather than adapting processes to standard Dynamics 365 workflows.
- The Cost: Unnecessary customization often costs $40,000+ and breaks during Microsoft updates.
- Underutilization: You are paying for full licenses but only using basic GL features.
- The Reality: Most struggling organizations utilize only 30% of available features.
Why Business Central Implementations Fail (The 3 Root Causes)
We have analyzed dozens of distressed projects. The failures rarely stem from the software itself, but rather how it was deployed.
1. The “Lift and Shift” Mistake
Many Business Central partners simply replicate your old accounting software’s bad habits into Business Central. This leads to integration failures and broken workflows.
Impact: Workflow disruptions from poor integration cost approximately $15,000 in lost productivity per incident.
2. The Training Gap
Training is often the first budget item cut. However, placing 100 staff members on a new ERP with a PDF manual is a recipe for disaster.
Impact: Support costs for untrained teams can exceed $10,000/month due to user error and resistance.
3. Weak Governance
Without a clear project roadmap, scope creep sets in. Scope creep leads to “Frankenstein” systems where customizations conflict with core functionality.
Impact: Missed specifications lead to project overruns averaging $30,000.
The Recovery Path: The System Review Process
A proper review isn’t just troubleshooting; it’s a strategic realignment. Here is the methodology we use to turn failing projects around.
Phase 1: Business Impact Assessment (BIA)
We ignore the software initially and focus on the business. We interview stakeholders to document:
- Current workflow inefficiencies.
- Specific pain points (e.g., “It takes 10 clicks to post an invoice”).
- Forward-looking goals (scaling, acquisitions).
Phase 2: Technical & Security Audit
We look “under the hood” of your environment:
- Configuration Check: Is your Chart of Accounts optimized for dimension-based reporting?
- Security Review: Are permissions set correctly (e.g., Segregation of Duties)?
- License Optimization: Are you paying for “Premium” users who only need “Team Member” access?
- Data Integrity: We assess the quality of the data migrated from your legacy system.
Phase 3: The Remediation Roadmap
We deliver a prioritized plan. This includes opportunities to automate manual processes using Power Automate and AI-driven Copilot features that were likely skipped during your initial go-live.
Expected ROI: Fixing vs. Replacing
Repairing a botched implementation is significantly cheaper than starting over. Properly optimized implementations can deliver a 265% ROI over three years (based on Forrester TEI data).
| Metric | Struggling Implementation | Optimized System |
| Productivity | Low (Heavy manual entry) | +12.5% efficiency for Finance/Ops |
| Reporting | Slow (Excel dependent) | Real-time Dimensional Analysis |
| Upgrades | Risky (Custom code breaks) | Seamless (Standardized flows) |
| Security | Fragmented | Integrated M365 Security |
Summary: Stop Struggling, Start Optimizing
If your team is fighting the system rather than using it, you are losing money every day. You don’t need to rip and replace Business Central; you likely just need to finish the implementation that wasn’t done right the first time.
Schedule a 15-Minute Discovery Call to discuss your current roadblocks and see if a System Review is the right next step.
