{"id":2297,"date":"2026-06-08T17:42:15","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T17:42:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/versimarket.com\/blog\/?p=2297"},"modified":"2026-06-08T17:42:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T17:42:15","slug":"agile-vs-waterfall-which-approach-is-ideal-for-your-erp-setup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/versimarket.com\/blog\/agile-vs-waterfall-which-approach-is-ideal-for-your-erp-setup\/","title":{"rendered":"Agile vs. Waterfall: Which Approach is Ideal for Your ERP Setup?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Last week, a potential client inquired about the typical methodology employed to implement NetSuite. With the current buzz around Agile, Sprints, and Releases, he struggled to see how these concepts aligned with his company&#8217;s aim of utilizing NetSuite effectively from day one. I completely understand his concerns. The notion of Release is commonly referenced in the app or software development arena, yet it is seldom mentioned in the context of ERP implementations.<\/p>\n<p>Without delving too deeply, I would argue that more consideration should be given to the methodologies surrounding project implementation before hastily opting for Agile or reverting to the traditional Waterfall model. However, when discussing ERP implementations, one critical aspect must not be overlooked: DEFINING YOUR IMPLEMENTATION METHODOLOGY!<\/p>\n<p>But here&#8217;s the good news: You don\u2019t have to limit yourself to a single methodology. It\u2019s possible to combine various strategies to create the most effective approach for your implementation. Agile has undeniably become the leading methodology in the software sector, but this does not imply it is universally suitable for all IT projects.<\/p>\n<p>ERP implementation is THE MOST CRUCIAL IT transformation for an organization, and as the scale of the organization increases, so does the risk of failure. Unlike conventional software development, clients may not offer multiple opportunities to rectify mistakes. A minor error in an interface or a transient system outage can lead to substantial financial losses. This requires careful consideration before fully committing to Agile!<\/p>\n<p>A memorable incident from my consulting experience illustrates this point vividly: I once worked with a paper mill factory where an error in the SAP Transportation module caused a mismatch in batch numbers destined for trucks carrying a substantial volume of paper rolls. The New York Times was the customer on the receiving end, and my client had just five business days to resolve this issue. Failing to do so could have resulted in the loss of a five-year, multi-million-dollar contract.<\/p>\n<p>My team worked tirelessly-16 hours a day, including a 12-hour night shift-to diagnose and correct the bug, later manually reprocessing hundreds of shipments. We then devoted three additional weeks-12 hours each night-assisting factory workers in locating the missing rolls and directing truck loads accurately.<\/p>\n<p>So, when is a full Agile Methodology suitable for a project? Generally, it would be agreed that in a B2B or large B2C environment, AGILE is NOT ideal for ERP. However, this doesn\u2019t mean we can\u2019t draw inspiration from Agile principles. My key to successful ERP implementations is my ability to blend Agile and Waterfall concepts whenever feasible.<\/p>\n<p>This can best be described as a hybrid implementation methodology. In simple terms, it allows for the <strong>design, prototype, test, deploy<\/strong> and repeat at a rapid pace while managing a waterfall project.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re interested in learning more about my hybrid methodology, I\u2019d be available for a more in-depth conversation to determine whether this approach aligns with your current or upcoming NetSuite implementation.<\/p>\n<p>Talk to you soon,<\/p>\n<p>Osar<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Last week, a potential client inquired about the typical methodology employed to implement NetSuite. With the current buzz around Agile, Sprints, and Releases, he struggled to see how these concepts aligned with his company&#8217;s aim of utilizing NetSuite effectively from day one. I completely understand his concerns. The notion of Release is commonly referenced in the app or software development arena, yet it is seldom mentioned in the context of ERP implementations. Without delving too deeply, I would argue that more consideration should be given to the methodologies surrounding project implementation before hastily opting for Agile or reverting to the traditional Waterfall model. However, when discussing ERP implementations, one critical aspect must not be overlooked: DEFINING YOUR IMPLEMENTATION METHODOLOGY! But here&#8217;s the good news: You don\u2019t have to limit yourself to a single methodology. It\u2019s possible to combine various strategies to create the most effective approach for your implementation. Agile has undeniably become the leading methodology in the software sector, but this does not imply it is universally suitable for all IT projects. ERP implementation is THE MOST CRUCIAL IT transformation for an organization, and as the scale of the organization increases, so does the risk of failure. Unlike conventional software development, clients may not offer multiple opportunities to rectify mistakes. A minor error in an interface or a transient system outage can lead to substantial financial losses. This requires careful consideration before fully committing to Agile! A memorable incident from my consulting experience illustrates this point vividly: I once worked with a paper mill factory where an error in the SAP Transportation module caused a mismatch in batch numbers destined for trucks carrying a substantial volume of paper rolls. The New York Times was the customer on the receiving end, and my client had just five business days to resolve this issue. Failing to do so could have resulted in the loss of a five-year, multi-million-dollar contract. My team worked tirelessly-16 hours a day, including a 12-hour night shift-to diagnose and correct the bug, later manually reprocessing hundreds of shipments. We then devoted three additional weeks-12 hours each night-assisting factory workers in locating the missing rolls and directing truck loads accurately. So, when is a full Agile Methodology suitable for a project? Generally, it would be agreed that in a B2B or large B2C environment, AGILE is NOT ideal for ERP. However, this doesn\u2019t mean we can\u2019t draw inspiration from Agile principles. My key to successful ERP implementations is my ability to blend Agile and Waterfall concepts whenever feasible. This can best be described as a hybrid implementation methodology. In simple terms, it allows for the design, prototype, test, deploy and repeat at a rapid pace while managing a waterfall project. If you\u2019re interested in learning more about my hybrid methodology, I\u2019d be available for a more in-depth conversation to determine whether this approach aligns with your current or upcoming NetSuite implementation. Talk to you soon, Osar<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":2303,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"q:1_question":"","q:1_answer":"","q:2_question":"","q:2_answer":"","q:3_question":"","q:3_answer":"","q:4_question":"","q:4_answer":"","q:5_question":"","q:5_answer":"","q:6_question":"","q:6_answer":"","q:7_question":"","q:7_answer":"","q:8_question":"","q:8_answer":"","q:9_question":"","q:9_answer":"","q:10_question":"","q:10_answer":"","source_url":"https:\/\/odecloud.com\/odecloud-netsuite-implement-agile-waterfall-erp\/","footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2297","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-erp"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/versimarket.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2297","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/versimarket.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/versimarket.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/versimarket.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/versimarket.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2297"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/versimarket.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2297\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2304,"href":"https:\/\/versimarket.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2297\/revisions\/2304"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/versimarket.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2303"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/versimarket.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2297"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/versimarket.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2297"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/versimarket.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2297"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}