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
ERP for SaaS companies that have outgrown spreadsheets and Stripe exports
Early-stage SaaS companies run on a payment provider, accounting software and spreadsheets. That works until there are annual contracts, multiple currencies, implementation fees, resellers and a finance team asking for deferred revenue and MRR that match the books.
- M01CRM
- M02Sales
- M03Subscriptions
- M04Accounting
- M05Helpdesk
- M06Projects
Context
ERP in saas & software
A SaaS-ready ERP brings subscriptions, invoicing, payments, revenue recognition, support and services projects onto one database, so MRR in the board deck agrees with the ledger.
Free Odoo setup
Free open-source saas & software ERP, set up for free
We install and set up Odoo Community, the free open-source edition of Odoo, at no cost. There is no licence fee for the software and no charge for the setup.
01
Free open-source software
Odoo Community is licensed under LGPLv3: no licence fee, no user limit and no expiry.
02
Free setup
We install Odoo Community on your server and set up the core apps your business needs.
03
Hosting is yours
Hosting is not included. You run Odoo on your own server or cloud account and pay your hosting provider directly. We can recommend options.
04
Paid work is quoted first
Data migration, customisation, integrations and training go beyond setup. We quote them up front, so nothing is billed without your agreement.
01Operational challenges
What usually breaks before the ERP project starts
01
MRR that does not match the books
Billing, CRM and accounting each report a different number.
02
Manual revenue recognition
Deferred revenue schedules kept in spreadsheets and posted by hand.
03
Contract complexity
Annual prepay, mid-term upgrades, discounts and multi-year deals.
04
Services and support costs invisible
Onboarding projects and support time not tied to customers or revenue.
02Core flows
How the ERP should handle each part of the business
- Sales flow
- Quotes with recurring plans, one-off setup fees and contract terms; renewals and upsells from the subscription.
- Procurement
- Hosting, software and contractor spend tracked by department and project.
- Inventory
- Usually not applicable; hardware bundles where relevant.
- Warehouse
- Not applicable.
- Accounting
- Recurring invoicing, automatic card or direct-debit collection, deferred revenue, multi-currency and multi-entity accounting.
- CRM
- Pipeline, renewal tracking and expansion opportunities per account.
03Industry workflows
Workflows specific to saas & software
01
Quote to subscription
Signed quotes become subscriptions with billing schedules and payment methods.
02
Upgrade and downgrade
Mid-term changes prorated and invoiced automatically.
03
Dunning
Failed payments retried and followed up, with suspension rules.
04
Onboarding projects
Implementation fees billed by milestone with time tracked against the project.
04 — Reporting
Reports that should come out of the system, not a spreadsheet
- MRR and ARR by plan, region and cohort
- Churn, contraction and expansion
- Deferred and recognised revenue
- Customer lifetime value and payback
- Support cost per customer
- Services margin by project
05 — Compliance
Compliance considerations
Revenue recognition under ASC 606 / IFRS 15 for multi-element contracts, VAT and sales tax on digital services across jurisdictions, and data protection obligations for customer data.
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
Payment providers (Stripe and others), the product's own usage data for metered billing, CRM, help desk, and data warehouses for analytics 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
Churn signals
Flag accounts with falling usage or rising tickets.
02
Ticket triage
Classify and route support tickets automatically.
03
Renewal prep
Summarise account history before renewal calls.
08ERP modules
Modules a typical deployment includes
- M01CRM
- M02Sales
- M03Subscriptions
- M04Accounting
- M05Helpdesk
- M06Projects
- M07Timesheets
09Roadmap
Implementation roadmap
- 01
Plans and pricing
Model plans, add-ons and contract terms.
- 02
Billing and payments
Recurring invoicing and automatic collection.
- 03
Revenue and reporting
Deferred revenue, MRR and churn reporting.
- 04
Support and services
Helpdesk and onboarding projects tied to accounts.
10Common mistakes
Mistakes we see repeatedly
01
Usage data copied by hand
Metered billing needs an automated feed from the product.
02
Ignoring revenue recognition
Annual prepay without deferred revenue distorts the P&L.
03
Too many plan variants
Every custom deal as a new plan makes reporting meaningless.
04
Separate support tool with no account link
Support cost and churn risk stay invisible to finance and sales.
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 an ERP handle usage-based billing?
Yes, when usage data is fed in automatically from the product. The ERP prices and invoices it on the billing cycle.
Do we still need Stripe?
Usually yes, as the payment processor. The ERP owns subscriptions, invoices and accounting; Stripe collects the money.
Can it handle multiple entities and currencies?
Yes, with intercompany rules and consolidated reporting.
Is there a free ERP for saas & software?
Yes. Odoo Community is free, open-source ERP that covers sales, purchasing, inventory, invoicing and more for saas & software businesses. ERP Builders sets it up for free; you pay only for your own hosting and any extra work you choose to add.
Is hosting included in the free Odoo setup?
No. The setup is free, but hosting is not included. You run Odoo on your own server or cloud account and pay the hosting provider directly. We can recommend hosting that suits your size.
Similar industries
Industries with related workflows
Professional ServicesProjects, timesheets, utilisation, billing and resource planning for consultancies and agencies.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.
Next step
Want MRR that matches your books?
We will map your plans, billing and revenue rules onto one system.