Ripping Out Your ERP Might Be the Most Expensive Mistake You Make This Year

Following up on my recent posts on small language models, I wanted to delve again into how they are revolutionizing business. 

When operations get messy, leadership often turns to the same blunt instrument: the ERP overhaul. 

It makes sense at first glance — too many tools, too many spreadsheets, too many gaps in visibility. But pulling out your ERP and replacing it with a shiny new platform is almost always a distraction, not a solution. 

The real problem isn’t your ERP. It’s what’s happening in between it and everything else. That’s where Small Language Models (SLMs) come in — and where true ROI lives. 

The Cost of ERP Overhaul Is Bigger Than You Think 

Swapping ERPs isn’t just a software upgrade. It’s: 

• 12–24 months of disruption 

• Millions in licensing, consulting, and re-training costs 

• Lost productivity during implementation 

• “Phantom scope” creep as teams try to replicate custom workflows 

And all to solve problems that could have been addressed at a fraction of the cost. 

The Real Problem Is the Glue 

Your teams aren’t frustrated because your ERP can’t do everything — they’re frustrated because: 

• Data lives in 6 different systems 

• Reports require manual stitching from 10 spreadsheets 

• Close processes rely on tribal knowledge 

• No one trusts the numbers until the 5th version 

These are integration and process automation problems — not ERP problems. 

How SLMs Solve the Right Problem 

Small Language Models operate across your actual workflows, automating: 

• Multi-source data pulls 

• Excel-driven reconciliations 

• Report generation and refreshes 

• Cross-system lookups 

• Forecasts and dashboards 

They don’t replace your systems — they connect them. 

Instead of paying millions to move platforms, spend thousands to eliminate the specific workflow that's driving your team crazy. No vendor lock-in, no user revolt, no replatform drama. 

Real Example: One Client’s Choice 

One industrial firm came to us ready to rip and replace their mid-2000s ERP. Our team asked one question: “What’s the one thing it absolutely can’t do that you need?” Their answer? Real-time margin reports by product line. 

Four weeks later, we delivered a tool that: 

• Pulled cost and sales data from their ERP and three spreadsheets 

• Normalized the data, applied business rules, and calculated margins 

• Generated a daily dashboard by BU, product, and customer 

They didn’t just save the ERP. They saved the team 65 hours per month and made better decisions faster. 

Bottom Line 

Before you commit to tearing out your ERP, ask yourself this: 

• Do you really need new software — or do you need a smarter layer that brings your existing tools together? 

We bet it’s the second. You can start realizing value in 2–4 weeks, with results from Day 1.