I always enjoy attending Community Summit North America. It’s a great opportunity to catch up with other Microsoft Dynamics users, learn what’s new, and hear how businesses are using their systems.
But honestly, some of the best conversations happen outside the sessions. This year, I had several conversations that really stuck with me. Some were with Business Central users who were unhappy with their implementations. Others were about AI, testing, and whether businesses are getting everything they should from their ERP systems.
And I wasn’t the only one on our team hearing these things. So, rather than give you another recap of product announcements, I wanted to share four takeaways from Summit that I think every Business Central user should be thinking about.
1. Just Because You’re on Business Central Doesn’t Mean Your Implementation Was Successful
This one really stood out to me this year. I spoke with several users who were questioning their Business Central implementations. Some were even considering reimplementing because their systems weren’t working the way they’d expected.
One conversation in particular involved a company that had moved from Dynamics GP to Business Central. But instead of looking at how they could improve their processes, their implementation had essentially recreated what they were already doing in GP, including customizations.
It wasn’t until they started attending conferences like Summit that they realized Business Central could do things differently. Let’s be honest. If you’re investing in a new ERP system, you should be getting more than a newer version of your old processes.
Now, does that mean every company with a disappointing implementation needs to start over? Absolutely not. Sometimes we can help businesses improve their existing setup, remove unnecessary customizations, or take advantage of features they didn’t know were available.
Other times, a partial or full reimplementation might make more sense. The important thing is figuring out what’s actually wrong before deciding how to fix it.
2. AI Doesn’t Need to Do Everything
You probably won’t be surprised to hear that AI and Copilot were big topics at Summit. But something our team kept coming back to was whether businesses are approaching AI the right way.
There’s a lot of excitement around building AI agents to handle entire processes. And while that sounds great, I’m not convinced every process needs an agent.
Think about accounting and finance for a minute. There are certain things you want people involved in. You need someone who understands the numbers, knows when something doesn’t look right, and can make decisions based on what they’re seeing. You also need controls in place to protect your business.
AI shouldn’t eliminate those responsibilities. Instead, what if we focused on the smaller tasks that slow people down? Maybe it’s helping someone find information, reducing repetitive data entry, or identifying something that needs attention before it becomes a bigger problem.
Those improvements might not sound as exciting as an AI agent running an entire department, but they can make a real difference in how your team works. Bottom line. Before you start building AI agents, take a good look at your processes and ask where automation would actually help.
3. If You Only Tested the Happy Path, You Didn’t Test Enough
This was another topic that came up in several conversations at Summit. When companies are implementing a new ERP system, there’s a lot to test. And sometimes, teams focus on making sure the process works when everything goes according to plan.
We call that the happy path. For example, you create a sales order, the inventory is available, the pricing is correct, and everything processes exactly as expected. Great.
But what happens when inventory isn’t available? Or the customer changes their order? Or someone makes a mistake that needs to be corrected? Those situations happen in the real world, and your system needs to be able to handle them.
I also had a conversation with some users who were concerned that they weren’t spending enough time on user acceptance testing (UAT). They were only dedicating a small amount of time each week to testing, and they wondered whether that was enough.
My answer? Probably not. UAT isn’t something you should rush through just to check a box before go-live. Your team needs time to work through different scenarios, especially the exceptions that don’t happen every day.
It’s much easier to identify and fix those problems during testing than to deal with them after your system is live and your employees are trying to do their jobs.
4. Your Microsoft Partner Shouldn’t Just Recreate What You’ve Always Done
This last takeaway ties into everything else we heard at Summit. When you’re implementing Business Central, your partner should do more than ask how you do something today and then recreate that process in the new system.
They should be asking why you do it that way in the first place. Sometimes there’s a very good reason. Maybe your business has unique requirements, or there’s a process that really does need to work a certain way.
But other times, you’re following a process simply because that’s how it’s always been done. And that’s where a good consultant can make a difference.
I see this especially with companies moving from older systems like GP or NAV. They’ve spent years building customizations and workarounds to meet their needs. But Business Central may already have functionality that accomplishes the same thing without all that extra work.
If nobody stops to evaluate those processes, you could end up bringing unnecessary complexity into your new system. And this doesn’t just apply to implementations. Your partner should continue helping you identify opportunities to improve your system after go-live, whether that’s through better processes, additional training, or taking advantage of new Business Central capabilities.
At the end of the day, you don’t just need someone who knows the software. You need someone who understands your business and isn’t afraid to recommend a better way of doing things.
There’s More to Talk About After Summit
These are just four of the things that stood out to me and our team at Community Summit this year. And honestly, there’s a lot more to discuss.
Whether you attended Summit or couldn’t make it, I think you’ll find these conversations valuable, especially if you’re questioning whether you’re getting everything you should from Business Central.
That’s why we’re hosting Beyond the Community Summit Sessions: What Matters Now on October 30. We’ll talk more about what we heard from Dynamics users, including implementation challenges, AI, testing, and what businesses should be paying attention to next.
And we’ll leave time for your questions, too. I hope you’ll join us!
Register for Beyond the Community Summit Sessions: What Matters Now
