Step 1 · Current problem

Is it time for a new ERP, or can we wait?

It’s time when your system can no longer answer job-level questions while the job is still running. Revenue size isn’t the signal. Re-keying is.

By Rob Griffin, Founder and Principal · Updated

The short version
If you only read one thing on this page
  1. 1Check the eight statements below. The result updates as you go.
  2. 2Two or fewer: you can probably wait. Six or more: the system is costing you more than a replacement would.
  3. 3Either way, the ERP assessment gives you a platform recommendation in six questions.

The eight-point self-check

Check every statement that is true today. This is the same pattern we look for in the first conversation.

Your read0 of 8Check the statements that apply.Get a platform recommendation →
Why it sneaks up on you

The growth trap

Growth rarely breaks a construction business all at once. It shows up in places you can’t see: another spreadsheet for every new job, another person to reconcile them, and margin problems that surface after the job is closed and it’s too late to fix them.

The trap is that each workaround makes sense on its own. Together, they mean the back office grows with the top line, and leadership is always looking at last month.

“We can see everything now: inventory, vendors, receiving, returns.” (Kyle Lamb, CEO, Universal Glass)

Build your own number

The hidden cost of running construction on QuickBooks

We won’t put a figure on your return that we haven’t measured. These are the four lines to measure it on.

TimeRe-keying and reconcilingHours spent moving the same data between QuickBooks, Excel and field tools.
CashSlow billing and retainageDays between work done and money collected, including retainage nobody is chasing.
MarginOverruns found too lateJobs where the problem showed up after it could be fixed.
HeadcountHires you shouldn’t needBack-office people you’ll add at the next revenue level.
Outgrowing QuickBooks? Start here →

When staying put is right

If you checked two or fewer, the system probably isn’t what’s holding you back. Waiting a year, tightening the process you already have, and revisiting at your next fiscal year end is a legitimate answer.

We’ll tell you that on the first call. Keeping every ask useful, even if you never buy, is how we earn the next one.

Commercial construction site with a crane

Is it time? Common questions

How do I know if my company needs a new ERP?

If three or more of these are true: job cost arrives after the month closes, data is keyed into several systems, AIA billing or retainage lives in Excel, payroll takes a full day, the close takes more than two weeks, the field and office disagree on numbers, or growth requires more back-office hires.

Is it ever right to wait on a new ERP?

Yes. If only one or two signs apply, tightening the process you have and revisiting at your next fiscal year end is a legitimate answer.

What is the growth trap in construction?

Revenue grows faster than the systems behind it, so every new job adds manual work, the back office grows with the top line, and margin problems surface after they can be fixed.

What does running construction on QuickBooks really cost?

Hours of re-keying and reconciliation, delayed billing and retainage collection, overruns found after the job closes, and back-office hires the business would not need on a connected system.

Start where you are. Six questions, and you’ll know which path fits your business.

Where to go next

Step 2Find your starting pointWhere you are →Step 3What will it cost?Cost drivers →GuideWhat a construction ERP doesBefore and after →
1aThe other side