Updated September 2026: the original 2021 post outlined how an enterprise platform implementation runs, from assessment through design documents to delivery and business validation. I have expanded it into a clearer walk-through of the phases and what the business should do in each.
Businesses adopt enterprise platforms, such as ERP or CRM systems, to run operations more consistently and serve customers better. The implementation is usually delivered by an IT vendor, but its success depends as much on the business as on the vendor. Each phase has a job for both.
What are the main phases of an implementation?
- Assessment: the vendor studies current processes, systems and pain points.
- Solution outline: a proposed approach, reviewed and approved by the business owner.
- Design: functional and technical design documents that define exactly what will be built.
- Build: configuration, integrations, data migration and reports.
- Testing: system testing by the vendor, then user acceptance testing by the business.
- Cut-over and go-live: final data migration and switching to the new system.
- Hypercare: intensive support in the first weeks after go-live.
Why do the design documents matter so much?
They form the baseline for what is delivered. Anything not in them is, formally, a change. If the business signs off design documents without reading them closely, gaps appear at testing, when they are most expensive to fix. Reviewing design documents carefully is the single most valuable thing business experts can do.
What should the business contribute?
Nominate key experts from each area with real time set aside for the project. They explain processes, review designs, validate every requirement during testing and sign off. Projects where business experts are squeezed in around their normal jobs are the ones that slip.
What is user acceptance testing for?
To confirm the system supports the business's real processes, using realistic scenarios and data. It is not a formality. Testers should follow actual end-to-end processes, such as order to invoice, and record every issue, however small.
How do you know the implementation succeeded?
By outcomes agreed at the start: faster processes, fewer manual steps, better reporting. Measure them a few months after go-live. A system that went live on time but did not change how the business works has not really succeeded.