What digitalisation in mid-sized companies is about
In many companies with 50 to 500 employees, the ERP system was introduced long ago, accounting is digital, and email and file storage go without saying. Even so, important processes depend on Excel spreadsheets, printed forms and people who transfer data from one system to the next. Digitalisation in mid-sized companies therefore rarely means starting from scratch. It means closing the gaps between the existing systems.
This guide describes how to digitalise processes without rebuilding the company all at once. It is written for managing directors and heads of IT and follows the order in which such projects work well in practice.
Step 1: Record processes, not tools
The starting point is not which software you need, but how your processes really work today. The process description in the quality manual and day-to-day work in the department are often two different things. So work along real examples: a specific order, a specific complaint, a specific purchase order.
For each process, it is worth recording these points:
- Trigger: what starts the task, for example an email, a phone call or an entry in the ERP?
- People involved: which departments and roles work on it, and who is ultimately responsible?
- Systems: in which programs, lists and files is the data stored?
- Manual hand-offs: at which points is information transferred by hand?
- Exceptions: what happens when something deviates from the standard, and who knows about it?
The exceptions are the most important part of the stocktake. The standard case is usually described quickly. The effort lies in the special cases that only one person knows.
Step 2: Set priorities
Not every process needs to be digitalised, and not every one first. Assess each recorded process by two questions: how much effort and how many errors does it cause today? And how much work is the implementation? Good candidates for the start are processes that occur frequently, affect several departments and currently depend on an Excel spreadsheet or on a single person.
Just as important is what you deliberately leave alone. If standard software already covers a process almost completely, it is usually the better choice. For accounting, payroll or email there are proven products. Custom software is worthwhile where your process sets you apart from others, or where standard software covers only half of it and the rest is done by hand.
Step 3: Standard software, extension or your own solution
For each prioritised process there are basically three routes: standard software that covers the process, an extension of the existing ERP, or a dedicated business application connected to the ERP and CRM through interfaces. Which route works depends less on the technology than on three questions.
The three questions for choosing a route:
- Coverage: how much of the process does a standard solution cover, and how much manual work remains?
- Interfaces: can the data be exchanged with the ERP and existing systems, through an API, the database or a regular file exchange?
- Dependency: who owns the solution, and what happens if the vendor changes prices or features?
With your own solution, you should set out in the contract that the source code belongs to you. With us, that is standard. The software runs either on your own premises or in a data centre in Austria.
Step 4: Implement in stages
Large digitalisation projects that try to replace everything at once carry a high risk. A staged approach works better: each stage has a clear scope and a fixed date, and is usable in its own right. The first stage should run in day-to-day work early on, so that you can see from real cases whether the direction is right.
During the transition, the old keeps running until the new replaces it piece by piece. This applies especially when a legacy system or a bought-in product is being replaced. An example from our work: for a window manufacturer we brought sales, measurement, capacity planning, service and installation, and training together in one shared software. It has been in daily use since 2022 and is synchronised every night with the ERP of 11 sites. In 2026, four large modules were added within five months, and a third-party product the company had bought in was replaced.
Step 5: Bring people along
New software changes the way people work. The employees who carry out a process every day know best where it gets stuck. So involve them from the start: in the stocktake, in signing off each stage and in the adjustments afterwards. Show working software early instead of concepts on slides. A process that someone has tried out themselves is more convincing than a presentation.
Also clarify who is responsible for the software after launch. Without a clear owner, even good solutions are left orphaned, and a year later someone is keeping an Excel spreadsheet alongside them again.
Step 6: Operation and further development
A digitalised process is not finished at launch. Processes change, new sites are added, the ERP gets an update. So plan operation, maintenance and further development from the outset. This includes updates, monitoring and a dedicated contact. With us, this starts at 300 euros a month.
To keep changes safe even after years, the software needs automated tests. With every change, they check whether the existing processes still work. At the window manufacturer mentioned above, around 6,000 automated tests protect the software.
A digitalised process is not finished when the software goes live. It is finished when nobody keeps the Excel spreadsheet alongside it any more.
What it costs and how to start
The costs depend mainly on the number of processes, the permissions concept and the interfaces. As a guide, all amounts net: a small business application for one process usually costs between 10,000 and 30,000 euros, a system for several departments between 30,000 and 90,000 euros, and a company-wide system starts at 90,000 euros.
A binding fixed price is only possible once the processes have been recorded. That is why we start with a paid analysis lasting one to two weeks, for 3,000 to 6,000 euros net. It delivers requirements based on real examples, a first prototype and a binding offer. The fee is fully credited when you place the order; if there is no usable result, you get it back. Implementation then follows at a fixed price per stage.
If you have a process in mind that currently depends on Excel spreadsheets or on individual people, we are happy to talk it through. In a free initial call of 30 minutes, we clarify whether digitalisation is worthwhile and roughly what size it would be.