For many organizations still running Microsoft Dynamics GP, the question is no longer whether modernization should happen. The question is how to approach it successfully.
A migration from Dynamics GP to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is about more than moving data from one system to another. It is an opportunity to improve financial processes, strengthen reporting, increase visibility, and create a foundation for future growth.
Wet & Forget recently completed that journey with Crestwood Associates. After migrating from , the company reduced month-end close from eight days to five days, improved reporting visibility, accelerated accounts payable processes, and strengthened financial controls.
While every organization's situation is unique, several important lessons emerged from the project that can help other GP users prepare for a successful migration.
Lesson #1: Start with Business Goals, Not Software Features
One of the most common mistakes organizations make is evaluating ERP projects primarily through a technology lens.
The most successful projects begin by identifying business objectives.
Questions leadership teams should ask include:
- What processes are slowing us down?
- Where do we lack visibility?
- What reporting challenges exist today?
- What risks are created by manual processes?
- How will growth impact our current system?
For Wet & Forget, the migration was driven by a desire to improve reporting, strengthen financial controls, and create a platform capable of supporting future growth following private equity investment.
Business Central became the technology platform that enabled those business outcomes.
When business goals drive the project, software decisions become much easier.
Lesson #2: Data Cleanup Should Begin Earlier Than You Think
Many organizations underestimate the effort required to prepare data for migration.
Years of historical transactions, reporting workarounds, and reconciliation issues often become visible once migration planning begins.
During the Wet & Forget migration, the finance team spent significant time validating balances, reconciling data, and correcting historical issues before go-live.
While this work can feel tedious, it creates the foundation for accurate reporting in the new system.
Organizations evaluating a move to Business Central often benefit from a structured migration framework that addresses data quality, readiness, testing, and process improvements before implementation begins.
The cleaner your data is before migration, the more successful your implementation will be afterward.
Lesson #3: User Adoption Matters as Much as Technology
Even the best ERP system will struggle if users are not prepared to use it.
Successful implementations require more than technical configuration. They require training, communication, and change management.
At Wet & Forget, role-based training helped departments understand how Business Central would support their day-to-day responsibilities before the system went live.
This approach reduced uncertainty and helped accelerate user adoption across the organization.
Organizations that invest in user readiness typically realize value from their ERP investment much faster than those that treat training as an afterthought.
Lesson #4: Reporting Improvements Deliver Immediate Value
One of the most impactful outcomes Wet & Forget experienced after moving to Business Central involved reporting visibility.
Prior to Business Central, answering management questions often required extracting data, validating spreadsheets, and reconciling information from multiple sources.
After implementation, many of those same questions could be answered in hours rather than days.
The finance team also gained improved visibility into profitability, reporting, and operational performance.
As a result, leadership gained faster access to information, finance teams spent less time gathering data, and decision-makers gained greater confidence in the numbers they were reviewing.
For many organizations, reporting improvements become one of the earliest and most visible wins following modernization.
You can read more about Wet & Forget's results in this .
Lesson #5: The Right Implementation Partner Makes a Difference
ERP implementations involve hundreds of decisions.
Data migration strategies.
Reporting design.
Security configuration.
Training approaches.
Process improvements.
Testing plans.
Organizations rarely make these decisions often enough to develop deep expertise internally.
One theme that emerged repeatedly throughout the Wet & Forget project was the value of having experienced guidance throughout the implementation process.
ERP modernization projects involve uncertainty. Teams are often making decisions that will impact reporting, operations, and financial processes for years to come.
Amir, Wet & Forget's finance leader, offered simple advice to organizations considering a similar journey:
"During an implementation, you're walking in blind. You need an expert to guide you."
An experienced implementation partner provides structure, best practices, and practical advice that helps organizations avoid costly mistakes.
The software matters.
The implementation approach matters more.
Successful projects happen when technology, process, and people are aligned around a common objective.
Final Thoughts
A successful Dynamics GP to Business Central migration is rarely the result of a single decision.
It is the result of thoughtful planning, clean data, strong user adoption, improved reporting, and experienced guidance.
Wet & Forget's results demonstrate what is possible when organizations approach modernization strategically.
The company achieved:
- A 37.5% reduction in month-end close time
- Faster reconciliations
- Faster accounts payable processing
- Improved executive reporting
- Stronger financial controls
- Better visibility into business performance
For organizations evaluating the future of Dynamics GP, these lessons provide a useful framework for planning a successful transition.
Is Your Organization a Fit for a 90-Day Rapid Start?
For qualifying Dynamics GP customers, Crestwood's 90-Day Rapid Start approach provides a structured path to Business Central with a focus on readiness, configuration, data migration, testing, training, and go-live success.