The Wayferry Navigator

See how your requirements guide ERP selection and carry through implementation.

Requirements Engineering

Define what your ERP must do for your business

Before comparing ERP products, you need a clear account of what the software must accomplish and why each need matters. Each requirement describes one business need that can be evaluated and tested separately, without prescribing how a particular ERP must deliver it.

In the Navigator, each requirement can include:

1. Requirement ID uniquely identifies a requirement.

2. Descriptions specify WHAT the new ERP must deliver to create value for the buyer.

3. Examples frame the requirement in a context, reducing misunderstandings and ambiguity.

4. Reasons for requirement describe the business value created by the new software meeting the requirement.

5. Notes, e.g. Instructions for evaluating the software against the requirement or other relevant notes.

6. Demo instructions tell the vendor exactly what to show when demonstrating the software.

These requirements give you a consistent basis for comparing ERP products. After selection, they help you control implementation scope and test whether the finished system does what your business needs.

See how your requirements fit together

Your requirements are organized under the business processes they support. You can start with a process and drill down to individual, testable needs. This makes it easier to spot details that might be lost in a long spreadsheet list.

During ERP evaluation, you can follow any branch to see precisely where a product meets your needs and where it falls short. We identify requirements common to modern systems as foundational for your review, leaving more time to examine the needs that distinguish your business. You can exclude any process outside the project’s scope from the evaluation.

The highlighted branch in the screenshot extends seven levels, showing how a broad process connects to the specific requirements you need to assess.

Focus your ERP evaluation on what matters most to your company

For each requirement, you can record who needs it, why they want it, and how important it is to them. This helps your team resolve differing priorities and focus ERP evaluations and demonstrations on the requirements that matter most to your business.

You can also see which requirements still need prioritization before evaluation proceeds. Once agreed, those priorities carry into implementation, helping you assess scope-change requests against the business needs you established before selecting the ERP.

See how each ERP handles the work that matters to you

An ERP demonstration should answer your questions, not take you on a tour of the vendor’s favorite features. Your prioritized requirements provide the basis for a demo script focused on the processes, exceptions, and business needs that matter most to your company.

Ask each vendor to demonstrate the same scenarios using your examples. You can then compare what the products actually do, identify gaps, and understand where an ERP may require configuration, an add-on, or customization. Demo instructions attached to individual requirements help make those comparisons specific and consistent.

Software Evaluation

Compare ERP products against your requirements

See how each ERP scores against your prioritized requirements and how the products rank overall. You can also track which requirements have been assessed, so you know how complete the comparison is.

The ranking helps you identify candidates worth investigating further. Before choosing a finalist, look beneath the overall score to see which important requirements each product meets, where gaps remain, and what evidence supports the ratings.

Understand how each ERP would meet your requirements

For each requirement, see both how well an ERP meets your need and how it would deliver the functionality. A product might use standard features or configuration; another might need an optional module, an add-on, or customization. Similar fit scores can therefore conceal very different costs and implementation demands.

Look closely at those differences before choosing an ERP. Customization may be worthwhile when it preserves a process that gives your company a competitive advantage. If the request simply preserves a familiar way of working, consider whether the ERP’s standard approach would be faster and easier. This helps you make an informed decision about cost, risk, and future maintenance.

Compare ERP products with the Evaluation Heat Map

The heat map shows how competing ERP products measure up against your requirements. Scan across products to find areas of strong or weak fit, then drill down to see the specific requirements behind each score. A weak area raises a question to investigate; it doesn't automatically mean you should remove that need from the project.

Each cell shows a score and its status: white means “Fully meets”, pink means “Partly meets”, red means “Does not meet”, and black (not shown) means the requirement has not yet been rated. Do not mistake an unrated requirement for a confirmed failure.

In the example, the first column shows a system integrator’s self-assessment of its ERP product. The next shows an independent AI assessment of the same product, followed by assessments of competing products. The differences show where you need more evidence. Ask for clarification, a demonstration, or other verification before relying on either the vendor’s claim or the AI assessment.

Find the gaps behind an ERP’s overall score

An overall fit score can hide important compromises. Start with a functional area, then drill down to the specific requirements behind its score.

In the screenshot, you can move from a high-level view of an ERP’s Financials, which scored 88.4% to the details of Budgets, which scored only 43.1%.

This lets you see whether a gap affects a business need you can work around or one you cannot. Investigate significant gaps before signing a contract, while you still have the opportunity to compare alternatives and decide what the selected ERP must deliver.

Keep your requirements working after selection

The requirements and evaluation findings carry into implementation. Use them to check proposed scope changes against the business needs you agreed on, keep known gaps and vendor commitments visible, and prepare user acceptance tests. This helps you verify that the finished system delivers what your business needs before go-live.

Already decided to replace your ERP?

See how your requirements can guide product comparisons, vendor demonstrations, and the handoff to implementation. The ERP Evaluation and Selection page explains the engagement and includes a short inquiry form.

Still deciding whether replacement makes sense? Start with the ERP Replacement Decision Assessment to consider whether to improve your current ERP, replace it, or wait.