ERP Implementation2 min read
ERP Implementation Team: Roles and Responsibilities
Who you need on an ERP implementation team: sponsor, project lead, key users, data owner, consultants and developers, with realistic time commitments.
Industry · Services
Professional services ERP for firms that sell time and expertise
In a services firm, inventory goes home every evening. Profit depends on how much of people's time is billable, how accurately it is billed, and whether fixed-fee projects stay within budget.
- M01Projects
- M02Timesheets
- M03CRM
- M04Sales
- M05Accounting
- M06Expenses
Context
ERP in professional services
A professional services ERP connects proposals, projects, timesheets, expenses, billing and accounting so utilisation and project margin are visible every week, not at year end.
01Operational challenges
What usually breaks before the ERP project starts
01
Unbilled time
Timesheets submitted late or incomplete, so billable work never reaches an invoice.
02
Fixed-fee overruns
Projects exceed budget with no early warning.
03
Resource conflicts
Key people double-booked while others are under-utilised.
04
Slow invoicing
Invoices compiled manually from timesheets and expense reports.
02Core flows
How the ERP should handle each part of the business
- Sales flow
- Proposals with roles, rates and phases; won deals become projects with budgets.
- Procurement
- Subcontractors and project expenses purchased and charged to projects.
- Inventory
- Not applicable for most firms.
- Warehouse
- Not applicable.
- Accounting
- Revenue by project, client and practice; WIP for unbilled time; expense reimbursement.
- CRM
- Pipeline with forecast by practice, client relationships and renewal tracking.
03Industry workflows
Workflows specific to professional services
01
Timesheet to invoice
Approved timesheets generate time-and-materials invoices automatically.
02
Fixed-fee milestones
Milestones invoiced on completion with budget tracked against hours.
03
Resource planning
Forward allocation of staff to projects with capacity views.
04
Expense rechargeing
Project expenses captured and rebilled where contracts allow.
04 — Reporting
Reports that should come out of the system, not a spreadsheet
- Utilisation by person, team and practice
- Project budget vs actual
- Unbilled WIP
- Realisation rate (billed vs standard value)
- Revenue forecast from pipeline and bookings
- Client profitability
05 — Compliance
Compliance considerations
Typically tax, invoicing and data protection obligations, plus professional standards for regulated professions. Time and billing records support client disputes and audits.
Regulatory requirements vary by jurisdiction. We configure the system to support your obligations; confirm specific rules with your auditor or compliance advisor.
06 — Integrations
Systems the ERP needs to talk to
Calendar and email (Microsoft 365, Google Workspace), CRM, e-signature for contracts, payroll and BI tools are typical integrations.
07AI opportunities
Where AI is genuinely useful here
Practical uses that sit on top of clean ERP data. None of them replace getting the core transactions right first.
01
Timesheet assistance
Suggest timesheet entries from calendar events for review.
02
Proposal drafting
Draft proposals from past engagements and templates.
03
Overrun warnings
Flag projects trending over budget.
08ERP modules
Modules a typical deployment includes
- M01Projects
- M02Timesheets
- M03CRM
- M04Sales
- M05Accounting
- M06Expenses
- M07Planning
- M08Documents
09Roadmap
Implementation roadmap
- 01
Project and rate structure
Roles, rates, project templates.
- 02
Time and billing
Timesheets, approvals and invoicing.
- 03
Planning
Resource allocation and capacity.
- 04
Insight
Utilisation and profitability reporting.
10Common mistakes
Mistakes we see repeatedly
01
Weekly timesheets not enforced
Late timesheets mean late invoices and poor data.
02
No budgets on projects
Without budgets, overruns are invisible.
03
Separate CRM and projects
Re-keying deals into projects loses information.
04
Overly granular tasks
Too many tasks make time entry tedious.
Explore further
Related services, solutions and platforms
Insights
Related reading
ERP Implementation2 min read
ERP User Adoption: Training That Actually Works
Why ERP adoption fails and how to fix it: role-based training, key users, floor-level sessions, quick reference guides, and measuring adoption after go-live.
ERP Implementation3 min read
How to Choose an ERP Consultant (and Avoid a Bad One)
How to compare ERP consultants and implementation partners: references, delivery model, pricing, contract terms and questions that expose weak firms.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Can we bill time and materials and fixed fee?
Yes, projects can use different billing methods, including milestones, retainers and T&M.
Can staff log time from their phone?
Yes, through mobile timesheets.
Can we forecast resource needs?
Planning tools show allocations against capacity by person and role.
Similar industries
Industries with related workflows
Field ServiceWork orders, technician scheduling, mobile job completion, parts, contracts and service billing.Equipment RentalRental ERP for availability, contracts, check-out and returns, damage charges, maintenance and utilisation.Maintenance ServicesFacilities and maintenance contractors: planned maintenance, reactive jobs, contracts and asset history.
Next step
Is all your billable time getting billed?
We will review your project-to-invoice flow.