The day an ERP goes live is not the end of the project; it is the beginning of its most sensitive phase: stabilisation. From day one, organisations must ensure visibility, communication and incident control to prevent issues from escalating into crises.
This post combines best practices from Project Management (PMI) and Scrum, backed by official sources, to show how incidents can be managed strategically in ERP SaaS projects.
According to the PMBOK Guide (PMI), incident management is closely tied to risk and communications management, stressing that every issue must be visible to stakeholders from the outset.
In Scrum, transparency is one of the three pillars (alongside inspection and adaptation). Incidents should be added to the backlog, discussed in daily stand‑ups, and prioritised based on impact.
Practical example:
During a Business Central SaaS go‑live, an error in Excel integration should be logged in a visible board (Azure DevOps, Jira). Both the Project Manager and Product Owner must see its status in real time.
Communication: From Noise to Clarity
The PMBOK Guide emphasises that communication must be structured and tailored to the audience. Not everyone needs the same level of detail, but all stakeholders require clear, timely information.
In Scrum, communication is continuous and concise: daily stand‑ups allow the team to share blockers and progress in under 15 minutes.
Practical example: After go‑live, a critical billing incident should be communicated to the sponsor with an executive summary (impact, estimated resolution time), while the technical team receives detailed instructions.
Control: From Reaction to Discipline
The PMBOK Guide states that incident control requires defined processes: logging, classification, assignment, monitoring and closure. This prevents improvisation and ensures traceability.
In Scrum, control is achieved through inspection and adaptation: each sprint reviews open incidents, adjusts priorities and measures resolution speed.
Practical example: In an ERP SaaS project, a minor reporting issue may be scheduled for the next sprint, while a critical payment incident is addressed immediately with a hotfix.
Tenant and Stabilisation in Business Central SaaS
In ERP SaaS, incident management also depends on proper tenant configuration and environment administration. Microsoft explains that a tenant is automatically created when cloud licences are acquired, and environment management is key to post go‑live stability.
To conclude
Go‑live is not the end of the project but the start of its most delicate phase. Organisations that apply PMI and Scrum best practices achieve:
- Full visibility of incidents from day one.
- Clear communication across teams and stakeholders.
- Disciplined control that turns problems into learning opportunities.
The combination of project discipline (PMI) and agility (Scrum) is the formula for transforming go‑live chaos into confidence and stability.
