One scoop of vanilla please!

You start with a shiny new platform—clean, well-structured, and full of promise. It’s like a scoop of perfect vanilla ice cream. Dependable. Familiar. Does exactly what it says on the tub.

But then, the requests start.

“Can it automatically sort orders by moon phase?”

“What if it sent an alert every time someone logs in… but only if they’re from Finance?”

Suddenly, your vanilla ERP starts growing new limbs—custom workflows, obscure rules, a side-hustle in email automation, and a strange dependency on that one contractor who hasn’t answered an email since 2019.

Before long, what was once a clean, maintainable system turns into a 7-layer wedding cake of complexity. And that’s where the real trouble begins.

Because here’s the inconvenient truth: software doesn’t stand still. It moves forward—whether you’re ready or not. Vendors release new versions. Support ends. Security standards evolve. Eventually, you have to upgrade.

And when that day comes? Every tiny, well-intentioned customisation you made will come back like a ghost from ERP past. Integrations break. Reports fail. That custom invoice flow? Gone. You can either rebuild it all from scratch or spend months duct-taping it back together.

So here’s the friendly but firm advice: don’t wait until you’re forced into an upgrade to start cleaning things up. The longer you delay, the harder it gets. Start now—untangle the spaghetti, trim the fat, and figure out which customisations really add value. Move everything you can outside the core system. Wrap it in integrations. Use flexible, modern tools that interface with your ERP rather than live inside it.

It might feel like extra work today, but it’s an insurance policy for tomorrow. When upgrade day comes, you’ll be ready—and while others are still knee-deep in regression testing, you’ll be repointing a few connectors and getting on with business.

You get the best of both worlds: a rock-solid core system that’s built to last, and an agile, innovative edge that keeps you competitive.

So, next time someone says, “Can the ERP do this one extra thing?” pause, take a deep breath, and offer them a scoop of vanilla instead.

Trust me—it’s the flavor of long-term success.