ERP
system development

Before investing in the development of an ERP system, it is important to identify the problem we are facing. How unique is this problem? Is there a ready-made solution? If so, how much is it worth in the long run? Sometimes off-to-shelf or SaaS subscription software are more limitated and their price is more expensive and in the long run than a program designed specifically for business.

It is worth considering how much advantage and disadvantage arises from having a business in a closed system. Because of this, there are few opportunities to develop individual requests, and the Customer is dependent on the service provider (vendor lock in).

Custom development is a pretty much time-consuming process, so you need to check the time available for that, and it's also important how much budget you have to start the development.

For companies that are no longer satisfied with off-to-shelf IT solutions or they want to integrate off-to-shelf solutions into their system. Custom developed software represents tipically high added value, but it is specifically more expensive than off-to-shelf solutions. That is why cost-benefit analysis and detailed specification are very important.

A good management system, through its automaticities, can free up significant resources within the organization and this benefits any business. Depending on the size and revenue of the company it is recommended for retailers and wholesalers, online businesses, and for manufacturing and service sectors as well to start and think in this direction, because you can gain a significant competitive advantage over competitor companies that use off-to-shelf software most of the time.

It depends on the Client's demands. In most cases, it is a good idea to run an ERP system in a high-availability server environment in order to being available all the time.
In addition, it is worth considering whether the system can only be accessed locally, from an internal network, or from anywhere (via Internet). A hybrid version of these is not excluded either, when some parts of the ERP system can be accessed by anyone on the Internet (eg the webshop for customers), while some parts can only be accessed from the Client's internal network.
If the system is only accessible from an internal network, it is worth running the server locally, at one of the premises of the company.
If it needs to be available to anyone, you may want to rent a VPS or server unit space in a server room with dedicated internet bandwidth.

The framework in which we create a unique business system varies. We like to work with open source software because there are many add-ons available for it, and this can make future developments very flexible. For example, there are many software available for the Joomla framework, such as a webshop system, error ticketing system, online chat, and more. If we implement the ERP system as a separate component into this framework then later, many other software will be suitable to install as well.

Typically, we record errors and feature requirements in an error ticket management system and in consultation with the Client, we prioritize them according to their importance. Occasionally, we also use our Client’s task management software and connect it to our development system in some way.

It depends on the corporate decision. The system forwarded typically includes an update manager that can be used either by us or the Client to initiate an update. The update package in this has been tested. In the case of complex, individual business systems, updates can be released on a daily basis and are usually updated at a pre-arranged time.

Most of the time we trigger the update package in the end of the automated work process, so it can be tested immediately in the live environment. If there is a bug in the code, there is still time to either revert to the previous version or fix the problem parts quickly.

Nowadays, most Clients have a claim to receive all the property and proprietary rights to the generated software code, so we transfer it to them upon execution. We clarify the client's need in this direction during the pricing phase, when preparing the contract. In some cases, it is sufficient to fully transfer certain parts of the software, like the ownership / property rights parts which are specifically affected by individual business logic, while the rest of the system receive a so-called permissive license, so these parts can be used in other projects.

The advantage of this is that it protects the Client and gives us the freedom to use open source, free software for his/her project. This saves a lot of resources when creating (and maintaining) a project. A stable, open source system can add years to a development. With this hybrid mode, even small companies have the opportunity to work with custom systems in the market.