Prioritization
What not to fix in your ERP backlog.
Keep work that protects close, reporting or critical operations; defer requests whose business payoff no one can explain.
May 13, 2026 · 2 min read · Published by MVP First
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You know what not to fix in ERP when a change does not reduce financial risk, improve reporting reliability, or support critical business outcomes. If it does not meet one of those tests, it may be adding complexity rather than value.
Why fixing everything feels reasonable
ERP environments generate a constant stream of issues and requests. Reports need improvement, processes need refinement, and teams want changes that make their work easier. Responsiveness feels like progress.
But ERP is a shared system. Every change affects other parts of the environment. When everything is treated as something that should be fixed, the system expands without enough control.
What should move forward
Useful ERP governance gives leaders clear criteria. Work should usually move forward when it reduces financial risk, meets a compliance or security obligation, improves reporting reliability, protects critical operations, or removes a constraint that is limiting growth.
Work that mostly improves convenience may still matter, but it should not be treated as equal to work that protects reporting, close, operations, or leadership decisions.
Why backlogs create a false sense of priority
ERP backlogs are often treated as roadmaps. They contain valid issues, reasonable enhancements, and requests that make sense in isolation. The problem is that the presence of an item in the backlog creates the assumption that it deserves attention.
Without clear criteria for exclusion, the backlog becomes a list of everything that could be done instead of what should be done.
Why this is a financial decision
Every ERP change carries a cost. It consumes budget, introduces dependencies, and competes with higher-value work. Deciding what not to fix is not merely technical. It is a financial control decision.
- Not all ERP work creates value.
- Backlogs often reflect noise, not priorities.
- Every change introduces cost and risk.
- Control comes from deciding what to leave out, not from doing more.
FAQ
Should all ERP issues eventually be fixed?
Not always. Fix defects that affect compliance, security, financial controls or critical operations. Optional enhancements can wait or be dropped; record the reason, the owner and a review date.
How do you decide what to defer?
Evaluate whether the work affects financial outcomes, risk, reporting confidence, or critical operations.
Who should own these decisions?
Finance should help lead prioritization, with input from IT, operations, and ERP project leadership.