What is go-live?

A company has spent months on a new system. It has been tested, data has been moved and staff have been trained. Then comes the day the first real invoice leaves the new system. That is the go-live.

It is not a surprise but a planned moment. A good go-live has a fixed date, a list of what must be ready and someone who decides whether it goes ahead. Choose the timing carefully: the start of a new period is often easier than the middle of a busy one, because you avoid booking half a period in two systems.

What goes wrong? Data has not been fully moved, staff do not know how to enter an order, or the old way of working carries on alongside the new one and nobody knows which system leads. A good data migration beforehand prevents the first, proper practice the second, and a clear agreement on when the old system ends the third.

Plan extra attention after the start. There are always questions, small mistakes and situations nobody thought of. Make sure someone is reachable who can help quickly and that your own team knows whom to ask. A first invoicing round that you check more closely helps to catch errors early.

Starting to use an ERP or a cloud ERP is not the end point. After go-live you look at what works well and what still needs adjusting.

Also decide what you will do if it goes wrong. Know beforehand under which circumstances you fall back on the old way of working, and who takes that decision.