Advisory Services

Clarity before
commitment — strategic ERP guidance

Whether you're evaluating a migration, restructuring your ERP approach, or trying to get more from a system you already have, our advisory services give you the clarity to make better decisions with less risk.

When advisory makes sense

Guidance for organizations at a crossroads

Advisory engagements are most valuable when significant decisions are on the horizon — and when the cost of a wrong move is high. Here's where we see the most impact.

You're evaluating a migration

Your current system is aging — or Microsoft has announced end of support for Great Plains or NAV. You need an objective assessment of what migration actually involves, what it costs, and what the right path forward looks like for your organization specifically.

Business Central readiness assessment
Legacy system gap analysis
Migration path and timeline planning
Vendor and partner evaluation support

You're underperforming on a current system

You've already implemented Business Central — but adoption is low, reporting is still manual, or the system doesn't reflect how your business actually works. We identify what's broken and what to fix first.

Current state environment review
Process and configuration gap identification
User adoption and training assessment
Prioritized improvement roadmap

You need executive-level visibility

Finance and operations leaders need better data — faster close cycles, real-time dashboards, and reporting that actually supports decisions. We design reporting architectures that deliver insight without requiring IT involvement for every request.

Financial reporting strategy
Power BI and Business Central integration planning
KPI framework design
Close cycle improvement planning

You're planning for growth or change

You're expanding into new markets, acquiring another business, or restructuring operations — and you need to know whether your current ERP can scale, or what needs to change before it can.

Scalability and capacity planning
Acquisition integration assessment
Multi-entity and intercompany configuration review
Compliance and audit readiness evaluation
What we advise on

Advisory focus areas

Our advisory practice covers the full range of ERP strategy — from readiness and selection through operational improvement and long-term roadmap planning.

01

ERP roadmap and strategy

A clear, sequenced plan for modernizing your technology — with realistic timelines, cost ranges, and risk mitigation built in from the start.

02

Business Central readiness

A structured assessment of your current environment, business processes, and data quality against Business Central's capabilities and implementation requirements.

03

Financial process and close cycle advisory

Analysis of your finance team's workflows, close cycle, and reporting — with specific recommendations for improvement in Business Central or adjacent Microsoft tools.

04

Operational efficiency review

A review of how your operations team interacts with the system — identifying manual processes, duplicate data entry, and workflow gaps that erode productivity.

05

Executive reporting strategy

Design of a reporting architecture that gives leadership real-time visibility without requiring finance or IT to build custom exports on demand.

What you get from an advisory engagement

Advisory engagements are structured, time-bound, and deliver concrete outputs — not open-ended consulting retainers with vague deliverables.

Written assessment with specific findings and prioritized recommendations
Sequenced roadmap with realistic timelines and cost ranges
Decision framework for evaluating implementation paths
Executive-ready summary for leadership and board presentation
Optional follow-on support to implement the recommended plan
Engagement structure

How advisory engagements work

Our advisory process is designed to be efficient, focused, and immediately actionable — with no ambiguity about what you'll receive.

01

Discovery call

A focused conversation to understand your situation, goals, and constraints. We'll confirm whether advisory is the right next step and what scope makes sense.

02

Structured assessment

We conduct interviews with key stakeholders, review your current environment and processes, and analyze the data that matters to your specific advisory question.

03

Findings and recommendations

A written deliverable with specific findings, prioritized recommendations, and a sequenced roadmap. We present it to your team and walk through each component.

04

Optional: implementation support

Many advisory clients move forward with Optimal IQ to implement the recommended plan — whether that's a full implementation, a managed services engagement, or targeted optimization work.

Typical advisory timeline

Readiness assessment: 2–3 weeks
Current state review: 3–4 weeks
Full ERP roadmap: 4–6 weeks
Executive reporting strategy: 2–4 weeks

Advisory is right for you if…

You need clarity before committing to an implementation
You've had a failed or disappointing implementation and want an honest assessment
Leadership needs a business case before approving budget
You're selecting between implementation partners and want independent input
Not sure where to start?

Start with a conversation — not a commitment

Advisory engagements begin with a no-cost discovery call. We'll help you understand what questions you should be asking and whether an advisory engagement is the right next step for your organization.