“How long until we’re up and running?” is the second question every operations lead asks, right after cost. The honest answer for a small-to-mid setup is about 90 days — an 8 to 12 week plan. Here is what actually happens in each step, and what moves the date. (ERPNext is all-in-one business software: accounting, inventory, sales, HR, and projects in one place.)
Step 1 — Move your data in (Days 1–30)
The first month is planning and groundwork, not settings. We review your current systems, set up your own private, walled-off section of Google Cloud that no other company shares, and start bringing your old data across.
What sets the pace here is almost always how clean your data is, not technology. Tidy, well-organized records move fast; a decade of messy records in an old NetSuite or QuickBooks system takes longer to move and tidy. Spending real time here is what makes the switch-over boring — which is exactly the goal.
Step 2 — Set it up (Days 31–60)
The second month is where the system takes shape: we get the core software running, turn on the parts you actually use (accounting, inventory, manufacturing, and your customer list), steady everything, and let Google’s business AI learn from your real past records.
What sets the pace here is staying focused. Every “while we’re at it” extra is a schedule risk. We turn on the standard, proven ways of working first and treat custom-built extras as a deliberate, separately-planned choice rather than a default.
Step 3 — Go live (Days 61–90)
The final month is going live: the switch-over to your new system, training your people, and switching on any AI assistants that do repetitive work for you. Because the data work happened in Step 1, the switch-over itself is a calm, controlled event, not a leap of faith.
What sets the pace here is people, not software — training, easing the change, and getting every team comfortable before the old system is retired.
What can push a setup back
In practice, timelines move for a short list of reasons:
- Messy old data that needs a lot of cleaning before it can be moved.
- Adding more mid-project — custom features tacked on before things have settled.
- Slow decisions on your side: approvals, access, and sign-offs that stall a step.
- Heavy compliance rules (for example FDA 21 CFR Part 11 or ISO 13485), which add extra checking steps — planned for, but real.
How to keep it on schedule
The single biggest lever is starting the data conversation early and keeping the first setup standard. Own the software first; customize second. That order is why most of our setups land inside the 90-day window.
If you want a timeline mapped to your specific systems and headcount, a free architecture review gives you a step-by-step 90-day plan and a full cost comparison. The ERPNext FAQ covers the related cost and ownership questions.