Narrowing the ERP Shortlist

We're two weeks into formal ERP evaluation, and the shortlist is taking shape. Started with four serious contenders - Microsoft Dynamics 365 F&O, Aspen Canopy, Infor CloudSuite F&B, and Oracle NetSuite. Here's how we're narrowing it down.

The Evaluation Matrix

Our weighted criteria: Functionality (35%), Integration (20%), Ease of Use (20%), TCO (15%), Admin Simplicity (10%). Every demo, every reference call, every technical deep-dive gets scored against this framework.

The discipline is important. Without a framework, evaluations become "vibes-based" - whoever gave the best sales presentation wins. That's how you end up implementing a system that looked great in demos but can't handle your actual business processes.

What We're Learning

D365 F&O is impressing on integration. The Power Platform story is real - we've seen demos where business users build functional apps in hours. The catch weight handling is mature. The concern is implementation complexity and finding the right partner.

Aspen Canopy knows food distribution cold. Zero translation required when we explain our business. But the platform is smaller, the ecosystem is thinner, and the long-term roadmap dependency on a single vendor makes me nervous.

Infor CloudSuite has enterprise credibility and solid food & beverage references. The implementation timeline they're quoting seems aggressive given what we've heard from reference customers.

NetSuite is strong for mid-market, but the food distribution vertical depth isn't matching the others. They might be better suited for companies simpler than us.

The Reference Call Reality

Vendor-provided references are always positive - that's why they were selected. The trick is asking the right questions: What surprised you during implementation? What would you do differently? What functionality did you expect to work that didn't?

One D365 reference told us their data migration took twice as long as planned because historical data from their legacy system had inconsistencies nobody had documented. That's exactly the kind of intel that helps us plan realistically.

Another reference for Aspen warned us about their support response times during a critical issue they had last year. Good product, but when something breaks, how fast do you get help?

Next Steps

Scripted demos start next month. We're bringing actual SKUs, actual customer scenarios, actual exception cases. If the software can handle Jasper Hill Blue cheese with variable weights, customer-specific pricing, lot tracking, and a partial shipment scenario, it can probably handle our business.

The shortlist is likely moving from four to two by end of Q1. Right now, D365 and Aspen are the frontrunners, but we're not making final calls until we see how they handle our demo scripts.