A successful Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central implementation starts with a thorough discovery process. The goal is to understand the organization’s business processes, pain points, goals, and technical requirements before configuring the system.
Below are over 100 discovery questions organized by functional area.
1. Company Overview
- What does your company do?
- What products or services do you offer?
- How many employees do you have?
- How many Business Central users do you anticipate?
- How many legal entities do you manage?
- What countries do you operate in?
- What is your annual revenue?
- What are your strategic goals for the next 3–5 years?
- Why are you replacing or implementing a new ERP?
- What are your biggest business challenges today?
2. Current ERP Environment
- What ERP are you using today?
- How long have you used it?
- What works well?
- What doesn’t work well?
- What manual workarounds exist?
- Which departments use the ERP?
- Which processes occur outside the ERP?
- Are there any unsupported customizations?
- What third-party applications are integrated?
- Why are you selecting Business Central?
3. Executive Goals
- What does success look like?
- What KPIs matter most?
- What improvements are expected?
- What ROI do you expect?
- Are cost reductions a goal?
- Are faster reporting and analytics priorities?
- Are acquisitions planned?
- Is international expansion expected?
4. Finance
- How is your chart of accounts structured?
- Do you use dimensions?
- How many bank accounts exist?
- How many companies require consolidation?
- Do you perform multicurrency transactions?
- What budgeting process do you use?
- How are fixed assets managed?
- What is your month-end close process?
- What financial reports are required?
- What approval workflows are used?
5. Accounts Receivable
- How are customers created?
- How is credit managed?
- What payment methods are accepted?
- How are invoices generated?
- Do customers require electronic invoicing?
- Are recurring invoices needed?
- How are collections handled?
- How are disputes tracked?
6. Accounts Payable
- How are vendors approved?
- How are invoices received?
- Is OCR used?
- What approval workflows exist?
- How are payments processed?
- Are ACH payments required?
- Do vendors submit invoices electronically?
- How are expenses tracked?
7. Sales
- How are quotes created?
- How are orders entered?
- Are prices customer-specific?
- Do you use contracts?
- How are discounts managed?
- What approval process exists?
- Are commissions calculated?
- How are returns processed?
- Do you use blanket orders?
- Are sales forecasts maintained?
8. Purchasing
- How are purchase requests initiated?
- Who approves purchases?
- Do you use blanket purchase orders?
- How are vendors selected?
- Are lead times tracked?
- Do you use purchase contracts?
- How are receipts processed?
- Are landed costs tracked?
9. Inventory
- How many warehouses exist?
- Do you use bins?
- What costing method is used?
- How often is inventory counted?
- Do you perform cycle counting?
- Is lot tracking required?
- Is serial tracking required?
- Are expiration dates managed?
- How are transfers managed?
- What inventory KPIs are tracked?
10. Manufacturing
- Make-to-stock or make-to-order?
- Do you use production orders?
- How are BOMs maintained?
- Are routings defined?
- How is capacity planned?
- How are machine centers managed?
- How are labor costs tracked?
- Is subcontracting used?
- Are quality inspections required?
- How are scrap and rework tracked?
11. Warehouse Management
- Receiving process?
- Put-away process?
- Picking process?
- Shipping process?
- Barcode scanning?
- Mobile devices?
- Directed put-away?
- Cross-docking?
- Wave picking?
- Warehouse KPIs?
12. Projects
- Do you track projects?
- Time entry?
- Resource planning?
- Budget tracking?
- Expense management?
- Customer billing?
- Revenue recognition?
- Project profitability?
13. Service Management
- Do you manage service contracts?
- Field service?
- Warranty tracking?
- Preventive maintenance?
- Technician scheduling?
- Service history?
- Parts inventory?
14. CRM
- Which CRM do you use?
- Microsoft Dynamics Sales?
- Salesforce?
- HubSpot?
- Opportunity management?
- Marketing automation?
- Customer segmentation?
15. Reporting
- What reports are required?
- Excel exports?
- Power BI?
- Financial statements?
- Operational dashboards?
- Executive dashboards?
- Regulatory reporting?
- Custom reports?
16. Security
- Role-based security?
- Segregation of duties?
- MFA?
- Audit trail?
- Compliance requirements?
- External auditors?
- Data retention?
- User provisioning?
17. Integrations
- CRM integration?
- Payroll?
- Banking?
- Tax software?
- Shipping carriers?
- E-commerce?
- EDI?
- Manufacturing systems?
- HR?
- Data warehouse?
18. Data Migration
- What master data will migrate?
- Historical transactions?
- Open balances?
- Inventory?
- Customers?
- Vendors?
- Items?
- Fixed assets?
- Employees?
- Attachments?
19. Technical
- Cloud or hybrid?
- Microsoft 365?
- Azure AD?
- Single Sign-On?
- APIs?
- Custom extensions?
- ISVs?
- Performance concerns?
20. Project Management
- Executive sponsor?
- Project manager?
- Subject matter experts?
- Timeline?
- Budget?
- Risks?
- Training plan?
- Testing approach?
- Go-live strategy?
- Post-go-live support?
Bonus “Pain Point” Questions
These often reveal the highest-value improvement opportunities:
- What takes the longest every day?
- Which process frustrates users the most?
- Where do errors happen most often?
- Which reports require Excel manipulation?
- What keeps management awake at night?
- What process depends on one employee’s knowledge?
- Which department has the most manual work?
- If you could automate one thing, what would it be?
- What is your biggest customer complaint?
- What is your biggest operational bottleneck?
Best Practices for Discovery Workshops
- Meet with each department separately before conducting cross-functional sessions.
- Ask users to demonstrate their current processes rather than only describing them.
- Document both the current state (“As-Is”) and the desired future state (“To-Be”).
- Identify gaps between standard Business Central functionality and current processes, then determine whether configuration, process changes, or extensions are appropriate.
- Prioritize requirements using categories such as Must Have, Should Have, Could Have, and Won’t Have (for now).
- Confirm assumptions and decisions at the end of each workshop and maintain a formal requirements log with owners and priorities.
A structured discovery process using questions like these helps reduce implementation risk, uncover hidden requirements early, and build a Business Central solution that aligns with the organization’s operational and strategic goals.
What are the different phases of an ERP implementation project?
The phases of an ERP implementation project provide a structured framework for moving from planning to a successful production environment. While methodologies vary slightly among vendors (Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, SAP, Oracle, Odoo, Infor, Epicor, etc.), most implementations follow a similar lifecycle.
1. Project Initiation
Objective: Establish the foundation for the project.
Typical activities:
- Define project scope
- Identify stakeholders
- Appoint the project manager and project team
- Develop the project charter
- Establish governance and communication plans
- Identify high-level risks
- Develop the initial project schedule and budget
Deliverables:
- Project Charter
- Project Plan
- Risk Register
- Stakeholder Register
2. Discovery and Requirements Gathering
Objective: Understand how the business operates and define what the ERP system must support.
Typical activities:
- Conduct discovery workshops
- Interview department leaders
- Document current (“As-Is”) processes
- Define future (“To-Be”) processes
- Identify pain points
- Gather business, functional, and reporting requirements
- Identify integration requirements
Deliverables:
- Business Requirements Document (BRD)
- Process Maps
- Requirements Matrix
- Gap Analysis
3. Solution Design
Objective: Design how the ERP will meet the organization’s requirements.
Typical activities:
- Configure business processes
- Design workflows
- Design security roles
- Define master data structure
- Design reports and dashboards
- Design integrations
- Decide where customizations are needed
Deliverables:
- Solution Design Document
- Functional Design Specifications
- Technical Design Specifications
- Security Model
4. Build and Configuration
Objective: Configure the ERP system and develop required customizations.
Typical activities:
- Configure modules
- Create workflows
- Develop extensions
- Build integrations
- Create reports
- Develop dashboards
- Configure approval processes
Deliverables:
- Configured ERP environment
- Custom extensions
- Reports
- Interfaces
5. Data Migration
Objective: Prepare and migrate business data into the new ERP.
Typical activities:
- Clean existing data
- Remove duplicates
- Standardize master data
- Map legacy data to ERP fields
- Perform trial migrations
- Validate migrated data
- Execute final migration
Common data includes:
- Customers
- Vendors
- Items
- Inventory
- Open transactions
- Fixed assets
- Chart of accounts
Deliverables:
- Data Mapping Document
- Migration Scripts
- Migration Validation Report
6. Testing
Objective: Ensure the ERP works correctly before going live.
Testing types include:
- Unit Testing
- System Testing
- Integration Testing
- Performance Testing
- Security Testing
- User Acceptance Testing (UAT)
- Regression Testing
Deliverables:
- Test Scripts
- Test Results
- Defect Log
- UAT Sign-Off
7. Training and Change Management
Objective: Prepare users for the new system and encourage adoption.
Typical activities:
- Create training materials
- Conduct user training sessions
- Train super users
- Communicate project updates
- Manage organizational change
- Update standard operating procedures
Deliverables:
- Training Guides
- User Manuals
- Communication Plan
- Training Attendance Records
8. Go-Live Preparation
Objective: Ensure everything is ready for production.
Typical activities:
- Final data migration
- Go-live checklist review
- Verify integrations
- Confirm user access
- Backup legacy systems
- Conduct readiness assessment
- Execute cutover plan
Deliverables:
- Cutover Plan
- Go-Live Checklist
- Production Readiness Assessment
9. Go-Live
Objective: Transition to the new ERP system.
Typical activities:
- Switch users to the new system
- Monitor transactions
- Resolve critical issues
- Validate financial balances
- Confirm system performance
Deliverables:
- Production ERP System
- Go-Live Sign-Off
10. Hypercare (Post-Go-Live Support)
Objective: Stabilize the system after implementation.
Typical activities:
- Daily issue review
- User support
- Bug fixes
- Performance monitoring
- Additional training
- Process optimization
Deliverables:
- Issue Log
- Support Documentation
- Performance Reports
11. Project Closure
Objective: Formally complete the implementation project.
Typical activities:
- Final project review
- Lessons learned workshop
- Transition to support team
- Close project budget
- Archive project documentation
- Measure project success against objectives
Deliverables:
- Project Closure Report
- Lessons Learned Register
- Final Acceptance Document
ERP Implementation Lifecycle at a Glance
| Phase | Primary Goal | Key Deliverable |
| Project Initiation | Launch the project | Project Charter |
| Discovery & Requirements | Understand business needs | Business Requirements Document |
| Solution Design | Define the future solution | Solution Design Document |
| Build & Configuration | Configure and customize the ERP | Configured System |
| Data Migration | Move business data | Migrated Data |
| Testing | Validate functionality | UAT Sign-Off |
| Training & Change Management | Prepare users | Training Materials |
| Go-Live Preparation | Ensure readiness | Cutover Plan |
| Go-Live | Deploy the ERP | Production System |
| Hypercare | Stabilize operations | Issue Resolution |
| Project Closure | Complete the project | Closure Report |
Critical Success Factors
Across all phases, successful ERP implementations typically depend on:
- Strong executive sponsorship
- Clearly defined project scope
- Active engagement from business users
- High-quality, cleansed data
- Comprehensive testing
- Effective change management and user training
- Realistic timelines and budgets
- Ongoing communication and risk management
Although the terminology varies by methodology (for example, Microsoft’s Success by Design, SAP Activate, Oracle Unified Method, or Odoo’s implementation approach), these core phases are common to most ERP implementation projects and provide a proven roadmap from planning through long-term operational success.