Building a Custom ERP Solution: The Ultimate Step-by-Step Guide

Introduction

As companies transform into digital businesses, they need accurate planning and real-time control of processes and resources. ERP systems are great for this. Find out below. You'll learn what ERP is, its benefits, and how to build a complete ERP system in this blog post. Get ready to dive into the world of ERP!

What is an ERP system?

Are you sick of juggling multiple software applications? Are you looking to streamline your operations and make your business more efficient? You should build an ERP if the answer is a resounding yes to both.

ERP stands for enterprise resource planning.

ERPs integrate all your business processes and data into one database for easier management and analysis.

ERP systems simplify business operations and processes by centralizing and integrating them. It has modules for finance, accounting, human resources, supply chain management, and customer relationship management. All these modules work together seamlessly, so businesses can make informed decisions based on real-time data. For businesses looking to boost operational efficiency, reduce costs, and boost customer satisfaction, ERP systems are essential. So now that we've defined what ERP is, let's talk about how to build one!

How Do You Build An ERP System?

1. Defining your expectations:

You have to define what your business needs are before you can make an ERP software. Decide if you're building it for internal use or for sale as a SaaS product. To increase success, a company needs to define its expectations from the start.

2. Make sure you know the market:

After you define the requirements, you need to research the market to see what's out there. An analysis of similar startups in the same niche and region is necessary in order to identify what makes them unique.

3. MVP features to consider:

The next step is to identify the most important features the ERP should have. Each module has its own set of features based on the organization's needs.

4. Design the ERP system:

Create a blueprint of how the ERP system should look so it's easy to use. UI prototypes and clickable prototypes are included to better understand how ERP modules interact.

5. Make sure you pick the right tech:

It's important to choose the right tech toolkit for developers when building a web-based ERP application. We're talking about cloud technologies, programming languages, databases, and frameworks.

Cloud technologies

A cloud-based ERP system is a must for any digital business.

Consult your team's tech leader before choosing a cloud service. Check out these five cloud providers: AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, IBM Cloud, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure.

Programming language

Your ERP development team can make this decision on your behalf, or you can make it together with your technical leader.

Database

Choose a reliable database to store company info. Databases can be relational or non-relational.

Extensions

Handover data extraction and integration to the ERP team before starting development. Using third-party integrations and extensions will help you speed up ERP development. Plan all the uses cases you can think of when you're integrating ERP. Sort them by how often you think they'll happen. Build and deploy based on the most common cases, but also ensure the integration can handle edge cases.

As soon as you and your team have decided on design schemes, shortlisted features for the MVP, and chosen a technology stack for the product development, you can begin the next phase of software development lifecycle - ERP development marathon.

6.ERP Software Development:

Software will be built according to the specifications and requirements outlined in the last step. Usually, the team works in sprints to develop and test the software iteratively.

Along with developing the ERP system, the team will integrate all the modules and test it. Additionally, the team will customize the ERP system based on the company's specific needs.

7.Test the ERP System:

After the development is done, the ERP system will be tested extensively to make sure it works like it's supposed to. Testing may involve automated tools as well as manual testing by stakeholders and the development team. Once the ERP system passes testing, it will be deployed to production. Deployment can involve migrating data from legacy systems to the new ERP system and training users.

8. Support, maintenance, and continuous improvement:

Afterwards, the development team will maintain and support the ERP system to keep it up-to-date and meet the organization's needs. Depending on the situation, this might involve fixing bugs, providing regular updates, and adding new features.