ERP readiness: what has to be true before you buy

A finance system does not fix a process. It industrialises whichever process it finds, which is why an implementation on top of an unreconciled ledger and an inconsistent chart of accounts produces faster wrong answers.

This guide sets out the nine conditions the Centre looks for before it supports a procurement. Among them: a stable chart of accounts, a closed prior year, and documented approval thresholds. Also a named internal project owner, a data migration plan with an owner, and a budget covering the years after go-live.

It also states plainly what the Centre does not do. The Society contracts the vendor. The Centre advises, oversees and assures. It does not sign for software.

What it is for

Stop a Society from buying a system that its processes cannot yet support.

Who it is for

Finance directors and secretaries general considering a finance system replacement.

How to use it

Read it before the vendor conversation, not after. The chart of accounts section alone changes most procurement documents.

Related resources

• FD service menu, full catalogue Tool
• What an IFRC Reference Centre is, and what it is not Policy brief