Implementing SAP Business One? How long should it take? (2024)

The team at Leverage Technologies gets asked this question on a daily basis – “I am implementing SAP Business One – how long should it take”.

Over the last 10 years, I have heard companies quote 2 weeks to 12 months (and everything in between) for an SAP Business One implementation. The truth is that there is no one single right or wrong answer to the implementation timeframes for SAP Business One. Most standard (mid-range) SAP Business One implementation take three months to complete and require 30-50 consultancy days – including reporting.

Let’s take a quick look at some influencing factors:

  • The number of SAP Business One entities to be implemented – are you implementing a single entity / ABN or multiple different companies?
  • Data conversion? How much data needs to be converted into the new SAP Business One system and is this data in a suitable format where it can be easily exported from your current legacy solution into SAP Business One?
  • Reporting? Does your business require user-specific reporting or will your business be able to use the standard SAP Business One reporting?
  • Development? Does your business require any industry or site-specific development?
  • Add-on solutions – is your SAP Business One implementation partner recommending any specific third-party integrated solutions?
  • Functional requirements – what broad category of functional requirements does your business have – finance, CRM, manufacturing, distribution?
  • The number of users and the location of these users (distributed across multiple offices or in a single location)?
  • The current skill set of users? Are the users skilled at using an ERP / Business Management Solution like SAP Business One?
  • Project managementwill you have access to an internal project manager to help streamline the implementation of SAP Business One?
  • Cloud Vs on-premise SAP Business One implementation?
  • The depth of functional requirements – is your business looking to implement a broad level of simple functionality or a very deep functional footprint utilizing all of the modules and configurations available in SAP Business One?

As you can see there are multiple factors which need to be considered before finalizing timeframes and implementation days for an SAP Business One implementation.

[Featured Article: SAP Business One Implementation Success – what resource is required?]

It’s a good idea to scope out your SAP Business One implementation and timeframes as a part of your assessment process. This will give you, the customer, a clear understanding of the timeframes and associated investment required to implement SAP Business One. The SAP Business One scope of work will also provide your SAP Business One partner with a clear understanding of the functionality and consultancy days required to implement SAP Business One for your business.

Implementing SAP Business One? How long should it take? (2024)

FAQs

Implementing SAP Business One? How long should it take? ›

Most standard (mid-range) SAP Business One implementation take three months to complete and require 30-50 consultancy days – including reporting.

How long does it take to implement SAP business One? ›

On average, an SAP Business One implementation can take anywhere from 2 to 6 months for a small to medium-sized business. Factors that can influence the implementation timeline include: Project scope and complexity: The more complex the project, the longer it will take to implement.

What is the average duration of SAP implementation? ›

A small business with a few dozen employees and a simple business model may be able to implement SAP in 6-12 months. However, a large enterprise with thousands of employees and a complex business model could take 12-18 months or even longer to implement SAP.

What are the disadvantages of SAP Business One? ›

Customization Limitations: While SAP Business One offers customization options,
  • Cost: SAP Business One can be expensive to implement, especially for small businesses. ...
  • Complexity: The system can be complex, and customization often requires a high level of expertise.
Sep 8, 2023

Is SAP Business One easy to use? ›

Yes, SAP Business One is an extremely easy to use ERP solution. It offers an effective solution for companies lacking the time or resources for an extensive training program.

What is the fastest SAP implementation? ›

SAP Cloud ALM

This application lifecycle management tool controls and monitors the entire implementation. It provides a central platform for project management, testing and deployment. Thanks to the integrated best practices and templates, Cloud ALM enables a fast and standardized implementation of SAP S/4HANA.

How long should it take to implement an ERP? ›

When implementing an ERP, businesses should aim to get the project completed within 4 to 6 months, nothing longer. While it's true that ERP implementations are a massive project to take on, long implementation timelines only lead to ERP projects stalling and failing — leaving your business in worse shape than before.

What is the recommended response time for SAP? ›

In a database system that is functioning properly, the times for direct reads and changes should not be more than 10 milliseconds. The time for sequential reads should not be more than 30-40 milliseconds.

How difficult is SAP implementation? ›

The Complexity of SAP Implementations: At the heart of many failed SAP projects lies the underestimation of their inherent complexity. SAP systems are not mere IT tools but comprehensive solutions that integrate various business processes.

Is SAP implementation tough? ›

The sheer scope of SAP, designed to automate and optimize complex processes across all facets of an organization, naturally makes it difficult to implement successfully. However such challenges and difficulties should not deter businesses from leveraging its benefits.

What is better than SAP Business One? ›

We have compiled a list of solutions that reviewers voted as the best overall alternatives and competitors to SAP Business One, including NetSuite, Acumatica, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, and Kinetic. Have you used SAP Business One before?

Is SAP Business One worth it? ›

The Bottom Line

SAP Business One Professional has good features and flexibility overall, but is designed as an "old school" enterprise resource planning (ERP) platform. It may be too complex for many users especially small to midsize businesses (SMBs). PCMag editors select and review products independently.

How many companies are using SAP Business One? ›

Customers of SAP Business One

Around the world in 2024, over 10945 companies have started using SAP Business One as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) tool.

How much does a SAP Business One consultant make in the US? ›

Sap Business One Salary
Annual SalaryMonthly Pay
Top Earners$157,500$13,125
75th Percentile$140,000$11,666
Average$124,186$10,348
25th Percentile$104,500$8,708

How much does SAP B1 cost? ›

Sap business one software plans & pricing
StarterProfessional
Monthly Software Subscription$199/user 0$199/user $ 29
One-time Implementation Fixed-Price$40,000$3,500/user
Go-Live Guarantee90 Days150 days
Calculate Your Starter Plan PriceCalculate Your Professional Plan Price
11 more rows

What are the 13 modules of SAP Business One? ›

The widely used modules in SAP are sales, financials, banking, business partners, and inventory. The SAP features include administration, financials, opportunities, CRM, sales, purchasing, business partners, banking, inventory, production, project management, MRP, service, human resources, and resources.

How long does it take to implement an ERP system for a small business? ›

ERP implementation averages 4-6 months in an absolute best case scenario. Some small SaaS solutions can be up and running within a few weeks. Large-scale enterprise solutions can take over a year to fully complete.

How long does it take to implement SAP HANA? ›

At a minimum, you can implement SAP within 6 months with most of the key modules - MM, PP, SD, FI, CO.

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