ERP change brings everyday operating decisions into view. How should an order be promised? Who can change a plan? When should an exception be escalated? If those questions remain unresolved, a design workshop can become a negotiation between departments with different definitions of success.
You do not need every detail settled at the start. You do need a shared direction, the right people making decisions and a way to resolve disagreement. Four conversations help establish that foundation.
1. What must improve?
Start with the business problem. “A better system” is too broad to guide trade-offs. More reliable customer promises, clearer stock ownership or less manual reconciliation describe changes people can examine. Establish the current position and agree how progress will be assessed.
Ask: which operating outcomes matter most, where is the evidence of the problem, and what would people do differently if the programme succeeds? Keep the priorities short enough to use when a difficult choice arises.
2. How should work flow across teams?
Review a complete business journey, such as order to delivery, with the people involved. Departmental efficiency does not automatically produce a reliable end-to-end process. A handover may leave work waiting even when every team believes it has completed its part.
Agree the intended sequence, the information needed at each handover and the owner of the overall outcome. Ask where a common process is valuable and where a genuine customer or operating requirement justifies a difference. Record the reason for each exception.
3. Who has authority to decide?
A programme can gather plenty of feedback and still lack a decision. Name business owners who can agree process changes, settle competing requirements and take responsibility for the consequences. Give them time to participate and a clear route for escalating decisions beyond their remit.
Ask: who decides when sales, operations and finance disagree? Which decisions need leadership approval? How will affected teams hear what has been agreed? A simple decision record helps prevent the same question returning with a different answer.
4. What will make the business ready?
Readiness includes people, information and day-to-day control. Teams need to understand their responsibilities, practise realistic work and know how to handle exceptions. Business information needs accountable owners who can judge whether it is fit for its intended use.
Ask what a normal working day and a difficult working day will look like after the change. Who will support the teams? What evidence will show that operations can continue? Agreeing those expectations early makes readiness a business responsibility throughout the programme.
Make the decisions visible
Capture the outcomes, process principles, owners and unresolved choices in a brief that leaders can actually use. Review it as the design develops. The purpose is to keep business intent connected to the decisions being made, and to identify uncertainty while there is still time to address it.