ERP Upgrade & Cloud Migration Process

Moving an ERP to a current release or to the cloud without losing the customizations the business depends on.

PROCESS LIBRARY

What are the steps in the DESSS erp upgrade & cloud migration process?

6 steps: current-state assessment; target and deployment decision; customization rationalization; upgrade build and remediation; regression testing; cutover and stabilization. Each step closes with named deliverables, and the first step starts weeks 1–3.

THE WORKFLOW

6 steps, start to finish

Every engagement follows a documented sequence, so you always know which stage the work is in and what closes it.

Current-state assessment — Know what you have
Target and deployment decision — Cloud, hosted, or on-premise
Customization rationalization — Retire what you can
Upgrade build and remediation — Rebuild cleanly
Regression testing — Prove nothing broke
Cutover and stabilization — Go live carefully

WHAT YOU GET

Named deliverables, signed off

Each step closes with deliverables you review and approve before the next one begins — progress you can audit rather than a status colour on a slide.

Customization inventory
Usage analysis
Technical debt register
Target architecture
Deployment comparison
Licensing model
Rationalization decisions
Retained customization plan
Upgraded environment
Remediated customizations

HOW WE DELIVER

6 steps, start to finish

A documented, stage-by-stage delivery sequence for ERP Upgrade & Cloud Migration Process, with named deliverables at every step.

Step 01

Weeks 1–3

Current-state assessment

Version, customizations, integrations, reports, and unsupported components are catalogued, with the ones nobody uses identified for retirement.

Deliverables:

Customization inventory
Usage analysis
Technical debt register

Step 04

Weeks 6–12

Upgrade build and remediation

The target environment is built, retained customizations are remediated, and integrations are re-pointed and re-tested.

Deliverables:

Upgraded environment
Remediated customizations
Re-pointed integrations

Step 02

Weeks 3–4

Target and deployment decision

Deployment options are modeled on cost, control, compliance, and performance, with licensing implications made explicit.

Deliverables:

Target architecture
Deployment comparison
Licensing model

Step 05

Weeks 12–15

Regression testing

Automated and scripted regression testing covers core processes, month-end, and the reports the business checks first.

Deliverables:

Regression test results
Defect log
Performance comparison

Step 03

Weeks 4–6

Customization rationalization

Each customization is re-tested against current standard functionality; many exist only because the 2014 release lacked a feature that now ships.

Deliverables:

Rationalization decisions
Retained customization plan

Step 06

Weeks 15–18

Cutover and stabilization

Cutover follows a rehearsed runbook with fallback criteria, and hypercare covers the first close in the new environment.

Deliverables:

Cutover runbook
Hypercare log
Decommission plan

HOW TO ENGAGE

Advice, delivery, or managed service

Engage DESSS at whatever depth the work needs — independent advice before you commit budget, full delivery against an agreed blueprint, or ongoing support from the team that built it.

Consulting & Advisory

Assessment, platform selection, business case, and roadmap — before you commit budget.

Implementation Services

Full delivery to an agreed blueprint, with weekly demos and named deliverables at every step.

Managed Support Services

Monitoring, incident handling, enhancements, and release management from the team that built it.

Related processes

The documented DESSS processes that sit closest to this one, sequenced so each phase stands on its own.

ERP Selection & Evaluation Process

A vendor-neutral selection process that ends in a defensible decision — with the option of keeping your current system on the table throughout.

View process

ERP Implementation Process

The six-step implementation method DESSS runs on every ERP platform, with the deliverables that close each step.

View process

ERP Data Migration Process

Data is where ERP projects slip. This is the multi-pass process DESSS uses so cutover data is reconciled and signed off rather than hoped for.

View process

ERP Integration Process

How DESSS designs and delivers ERP integrations that survive volume, failure, and the next upgrade.

View process

ERP Managed Support Process

What happens after go-live: how DESSS takes on an ERP estate and runs it with visible service levels.

View process

COMMON QUESTIONS

Frequently asked questions

The 6 steps run from weeks 1–3 to weeks 15–18 in a typical engagement. Scope, data quality, and how quickly decisions get made are what move that timeline, and the discovery session produces dated milestones for your case.

Yes — many clients engage for the assessment and roadmap stages, then deliver internally, or bring us in mid-programme. The steps are designed to stand alone, and we will tell you plainly which ones cannot safely be skipped.

17 named deliverables across the process, including Customization inventory, Cutover runbook, Decommission plan, Defect log, Deployment comparison, Hypercare log, Licensing model, Performance comparison. They are yours, written to be usable by whoever picks up the work next.

Fewer people than you fear, but the right ones: a decision-maker who can approve scope, the process owners who know how the work really runs, and a technical contact for access. We schedule around operational reality rather than asking for open-ended availability.

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