When Business Central Is Live — But Still Not Delivering Value

What is a Business Central Second Opinion?

A Business Central Second Opinion from Elliott Clark Consulting is an independent, post-implementation review of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central that evaluates system configuration and business processes to identify why expected value hasn’t been fully realized and where alignment can be improved.

If you’ve already implemented Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, you probably recognize this moment:

The project is technically complete. Users are logging in. Transactions are posting.

And yet… leadership still isn’t confident in the results.

Inventory numbers don’t quite line up with reality. Costing feels harder to explain than it should. Teams are working around the system instead of through it.

That’s not a failed implementation — but it’s not a successful one either.

A Familiar Pattern We See After Go-Live

Enterprise software rarely falls short because features weren’t turned on. It falls short when the system never fully connects back to how the business actually operates.

After go-live, we often see the same patterns emerge:

• Inventory and costing workflows that don’t reflect real operational practices

• Accounting, operations, and production teams interpreting the same data differently

• Reports that technically work — but don’t support confident, timely decisions

• Leadership uncertainty about whether the system is truly enabling growth

Many of these challenges are common among Business Central teams after implementation. We’ve outlined the most frequent issues — and why they persist — in more detail here.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is powerful. But power alone doesn’t create clarity.

The gap between implemented and realized value is where many organizations get stuck — and it’s exactly where a Second Opinion can help bring alignment back into focus.

Why We Talk About “Second Opinion”

A Second Opinion isn’t about re-implementing Business Central. And it’s not about assigning blame for past decisions.

It’s about stepping back and asking:

• Is the system configured in a way that reflects how the business actually operates today?

• Are core workflows supporting — or working against — your teams?

• Are inventory, costing, and financial results telling a story leadership can trust?

Our Second Opinion service blends a technical system review with business process alignment — so Business Central stops feeling like “the accounting system” and starts functioning as an operational platform.

What Prompted This Conversation at Community Summit

At Community Summit NA, I had the opportunity to sit down with ERP Software Blog to talk candidly about why so many Business Central customers feel uncertain after go-live — even when implementations were considered “successful.”

That conversation is now featured in their article,“A Second Opinion Approach to Business Central Projects with Elliott Clark Consulting.”

In the interview, we talk openly about:

• Why post-go-live discomfort is more common than people admit

• How small configuration decisions can create long-term operational friction

• Why independent review often surfaces issues internal teams can’t see

Several organizations we’ve worked with shared that the value wasn’t just the insights — it was the confidence they regained in how their system supported the business.

Read the full interview (or watch/listen to the video) on ERP Software Blog here.

You’re Not Alone — and This Isn’t Unusual

We’re proud to be part of the broader Dynamics ecosystem through Dynamic Communities, the independent hub for education, collaboration, and real-world learning across Microsoft Business Applications.

Events like Community Summit create space for honest conversations — not just about features, but about what actually works in practice.

And one thing is clear: Many Business Central customers are quietly asking the same question —

“Are we really getting the value we expected?”

When a Second Opinion Makes Sense

A Second Opinion is a good fit if:

• Your team is live on Business Central but leadership lacks confidence in the numbers

• Inventory, costing, or operational workflows feel harder than expected

• Reporting exists, but decisions still feel risky

• You want clarity before making additional investments or changes

This is about regaining control, not starting over.

If your Business Central investment isn’t delivering what your leadership team expected, a Second Opinion can help bring clarity — and confidence — back to the project.

Let’s talk about whether a Second Opinion is the right next step for your team.