What an ERP is for
An ERP, or enterprise resource planning system, keeps sales, purchasing, stock, accounts and often payroll in one connected record. It is not a better spreadsheet. Its value is that a sale reduces stock, creates an invoice, updates the customer balance and feeds the VAT return without anyone retyping it. Businesses outgrow spreadsheets and simple accounting tools when the same information has to be copied between places, when errors appear in the copies or when owners cannot see the real position without asking several people.
How to read the score
Each answer scores 0, 1 or 2 points. A low score means your current tools probably still fit, and the best step is to tidy them. A middle score means you are near the point where an ERP starts to pay back, and a short evaluation is worthwhile. A high score means you are likely losing time and accuracy every week and should shortlist systems now. The scoring is a simple guide and not a scientific test.
What to do next
- Write down your five most common transactions and who touches each one.
- List the spreadsheets and tools you use, and what data they share.
- Compare a ready-made system with a custom build; many UAE companies start with a ready-made system and adapt it.
- Run the same scenarios in every demonstration, as in our guide to comparing vendors fairly.
For the difference between ERP and accounting software, see ERP or accounting software and our complete guide to ERP in the UAE.
Signs the score cannot show
A questionnaire cannot see everything. Two other signals matter. First, key-person risk: if only one employee understands how the spreadsheets fit together, the business is exposed even with a low score. Second, growth: a company that expects to double its orders or open a second branch in the next year should plan for the system that will be needed then, not the one that fits today. Talk to the people who do the daily work, because they usually know where the double entry and the delays are. Then compare options using a written scorecard, as described in our ERP demo day agenda.