The difference between an ERP implementation that transforms a business and one that drains its budget often comes down to the questions that were or were not asked before the contract was signed.
Most businesses evaluate ERP consultants based on a combination of first impressions, pricing, and general credibility. The consultant seems knowledgeable. The proposal looks professional. The price fits the budget. So the business signs and hopes for the best.
Hope is not a strategy. Structured questioning is.
The 40 questions in this guide are organized into eight categories that cover every dimension of a consulting engagement. Each question is designed to surface specific, verifiable information rather than vague reassurances. The answers will tell you whether a consultant has the experience, methodology, capacity, and character to deliver a successful ERP implementation for your business.
Print this list. Bring it to every evaluation conversation. Compare answers across candidates. The consultant who provides the most specific, transparent, and substantiated answers is almost always the right choice.
Category 1: Experience and Track Record
These questions verify whether the consultant has actually done what they claim. Credentials and certifications indicate baseline knowledge. Verified project history indicates competence.
Question 1: How many ERP implementations have you completed on this specific platform?
Why it matters: Platform-specific experience is the strongest predictor of implementation quality. A consultant who has completed 30 implementations on your chosen platform has encountered and resolved problems that a newly certified practitioner has never seen. Ask for a number, not a generality like "many" or "extensive."
Question 2: Can you describe three recent projects similar to mine in terms of company size, industry, and scope?
Why it matters: Relevant experience is more valuable than total experience. A consultant with 50 implementations for large enterprises may struggle with the constraints and priorities of a 25-person company. Ask for examples that mirror your situation specifically.
Question 3: What industries have you served, and which do you specialize in?
Why it matters: Industry experience translates directly to faster requirements gathering, more relevant configuration decisions, and fewer missed requirements. Consultants who have worked in manufacturing, healthcare, legal services, real estate, or non-profit management understand the regulatory, operational, and workflow nuances of those sectors.
Question 4: What certifications do you hold, and what do they require?
Why it matters: Certifications provide baseline verification but vary enormously in rigor. Some require passing a technical examination. Others require only attending a training course. Understand what the certification actually tested before weighting it in your evaluation.
Question 5: Can you provide three references from clients I can contact directly?
Why it matters: References are the most reliable qualification because they come from people who experienced the consultant's actual work. A consultant who cannot provide references after years of practice is either too new or has a history of unsatisfied clients. Ask for references from businesses similar to yours. Read our guide on how to hire the right ERP consultant for specific reference check questions.
Category 2: Methodology and Approach
These questions reveal whether the consultant follows a structured implementation process or operates informally. Informal implementation is the single biggest risk factor for scope creep, budget overruns, and missed requirements.
Question 6: What is your implementation methodology? Walk me through the phases.
Why it matters: A qualified consultant should articulate a clear, phased process: discovery, requirements gathering, configuration, customization, data migration, testing, training, go-live, and post-go-live support. If the description is vague, the methodology is vague. Compare their answer against our comprehensive ERP implementation guide for a reference framework.
Question 7: How do you handle requirements gathering? What deliverables does that phase produce?
Why it matters: Requirements gathering is the foundation of every implementation decision that follows. The answer should include stakeholder interviews, process mapping, gap analysis, and a documented requirements specification. If the consultant gathers requirements through a single meeting or a generic questionnaire, the discovery will be superficial.
Question 8: How do you distinguish between requirements that need configuration and those that need custom development?
Why it matters: This question tests the consultant's understanding of the configure-first philosophy that prevents over-customization. The ideal answer describes a hierarchy: standard functionality first, configuration second, custom development only when necessary. A consultant who defaults to custom development for every requirement will inflate your costs and create long-term maintenance burdens.
Question 9: How do you manage scope changes during the project?
Why it matters: Scope changes are inevitable. New requirements surface during configuration. Stakeholders realize they forgot to mention a critical workflow. The question is not whether scope will change but how those changes are evaluated, priced, and approved. Look for a formal change order process with documented impact assessment before any scope addition is executed.
Question 10: What project management tools and practices do you use?
Why it matters: Structured project management prevents the most common implementation mistakes. The consultant should describe specific tools (project management software, time tracking, issue tracking) and practices (status meetings, milestone reviews, risk registers, decision logs). If the answer is "email and phone calls," expect communication gaps and missed deadlines.
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Category 3: Team Composition and Availability
These questions apply primarily to consulting firms but are also relevant when an independent consultant plans to subcontract work.
Question 11: Who specifically will work on my project? Can I see their backgrounds?
Why it matters: The person who attends the sales meeting is often not the person who does the work. Ask for the names, roles, and experience summaries of everyone who will be assigned to your project. If the firm cannot name specific individuals, your project may be staffed with whoever is available rather than whoever is most qualified.
Question 12: What is the availability commitment for the assigned team members?
Why it matters: If your primary consultant is simultaneously working on four other client projects, your project receives 20% of their attention. Ask what percentage of their working time will be dedicated to your implementation and what happens if a scheduling conflict arises.
Question 13: What happens if my assigned consultant becomes unavailable?
Why it matters: Illness, resignation, or personal circumstances can remove a consultant from your project unexpectedly. A firm should have a backup plan: documented project knowledge, a secondary consultant who can step in, and a transition process. An independent consultant should address this scenario honestly. If there is no backup plan, you are accepting single-point-of-failure risk.
Question 14: Will any work be subcontracted to third parties?
Why it matters: Some consultants and firms subcontract development, data migration, or other tasks to external freelancers without informing the client. If subcontracting will occur, you need to know who the subcontractors are, what their qualifications are, and who is accountable for the quality of their work.
Category 4: Technical Capabilities
These questions evaluate whether the consultant can handle the technical dimensions of your implementation.
Question 15: What is your experience with data migration? Describe your process.
Why it matters: Data migration is one of the highest-risk phases of ERP implementation. The answer should describe a structured process: data auditing, cleaning, mapping, staging, validation, and post-migration verification. A consultant who treats data migration as a simple export-import task will introduce data quality problems into your new system.
Question 16: What integrations have you built with third-party systems?
Why it matters: If your implementation requires connections to e-commerce platforms, payment gateways, shipping carriers, or industry-specific applications, verify that the consultant has built similar integrations before. Ask for specific examples, including the systems connected, the integration method (API, middleware, custom connector), and any challenges encountered.
Question 17: How do you handle customization requests that could affect future platform upgrades?
Why it matters: Poorly built customizations break during platform upgrades, creating expensive rework and delaying access to new features. A qualified consultant designs customizations that are upgrade-safe by following the platform's recommended development practices. This question tests whether the consultant thinks about long-term maintainability or just immediate functionality.
Question 18: Can you demonstrate the platform with a scenario relevant to my business?
Why it matters: Generic product demonstrations showcase the platform's best features. A consultant who can configure and demonstrate a scenario based on your actual business process proves both platform knowledge and the ability to translate your requirements into system functionality. This is one of the most revealing evaluation exercises you can conduct.
Category 5: Timeline and Project Planning
These questions establish realistic expectations for how long the implementation will take and what influences the schedule.
Question 19: What is your estimated timeline for this project, and what assumptions is that estimate based on?
Why it matters: A timeline estimate without documented assumptions is meaningless. The answer should specify assumptions about scope, client resource availability, data readiness, customization complexity, and decision-making speed. If any assumption proves incorrect, the timeline should be adjusted accordingly. Compare the estimate against our analysis of how long ERP implementation typically takes.
Question 20: What are the most common causes of timeline delays in your projects?
Why it matters: This question tests self-awareness and honesty. Every experienced consultant has encountered delays. Common causes include scope changes, slow client decision-making, data migration complexity, and insufficient testing time. A consultant who claims their projects never experience delays is either inexperienced or dishonest.
Question 21: What is expected from my team in terms of time commitment during implementation?
Why it matters: ERP implementation requires significant participation from internal staff: answering questions, validating configurations, testing workflows, providing feedback, and participating in training. If the consultant does not clearly define internal time requirements, the project will suffer from inadequate client engagement. Understanding this commitment helps you assess organizational readiness.
Question 22: How do you structure the go-live process? Do you recommend a phased approach or a full cutover?
Why it matters: The go-live strategy significantly affects risk. A phased approach (implementing one module or department at a time) limits the blast radius of any issues. A full cutover (switching everything simultaneously) is faster but riskier. The consultant's recommendation should be based on your specific project scope and organizational capacity, not a one-size-fits-all preference.
Category 6: Pricing and Contract Terms
These questions protect the business from unexpected costs and unfavorable contract structures. Ask them before any agreement is signed.
Question 23: What is your pricing model? Fixed-price, time-and-materials, or retainer?
Why it matters: Each model allocates risk differently. Fixed-price provides cost certainty but may incentivize the consultant to cut corners. Time-and-materials provides flexibility but creates open-ended cost exposure. Retainer provides ongoing access but may not align with project-based work. Understand which model the consultant proposes and why.
Question 24: What is included in the quoted price, and what costs extra?
Why it matters: The most common source of budget surprises is unanticipated costs for items the client assumed were included. Specifically ask whether the following are included or additional: data migration, custom report development, integration development, training, documentation, post-go-live support, and travel expenses. Read our detailed cost analysis for a complete breakdown of ERP cost categories.
Question 25: How are scope changes priced and approved?
Why it matters: This question complements Question 9 by focusing on the financial impact of scope changes. The answer should describe a formal change order process where every addition is documented, estimated, and approved by the client before work begins. Without this process, small additions accumulate into large unbudgeted expenses.
Question 26: What are the payment terms? Are payments tied to milestones or calendar dates?
Why it matters: Milestone-based payments align the consultant's financial incentives with project progress. If payment is tied to deliverable completion (requirements document delivered, configuration completed, testing passed), the consultant is motivated to meet milestones. Calendar-based payments (monthly invoicing regardless of progress) provide less incentive for timely delivery.
Question 27: What happens financially if the project is terminated early?
Why it matters: You need to understand the financial exposure if the engagement does not work out. Ask about termination fees, payment for work completed to date, and ownership of deliverables produced before termination. A fair contract allows either party to terminate with reasonable notice and clear financial terms.
Category 7: Training and Change Management
These questions evaluate whether the consultant treats user adoption as a critical success factor or an afterthought.
Question 28: What is your approach to end-user training?
Why it matters: Training directly determines adoption rates. The answer should describe role-specific training (different content for different user types), hands-on exercises using the configured system (not generic screenshots), and training materials that users can reference after the sessions conclude. A single two-hour "overview" session for all users is inadequate.
Question 29: Do you provide training materials that we retain after the project?
Why it matters: Training does not end at go-live. New employees join the organization. Existing employees need refreshers. Process changes require updated documentation. If the consultant delivers training but no lasting materials, the business must recreate training resources from scratch or pay for repeated training sessions.
Question 30: How do you handle change resistance from employees who prefer existing processes?
Why it matters: Change resistance is one of the primary causes of ERP adoption failure. A consultant who acknowledges this reality and has strategies for addressing it (stakeholder communication, early involvement, super-user programs, leadership reinforcement) is far more likely to deliver a system that people actually use. A consultant who dismisses resistance as "not my problem" is leaving a critical success factor unaddressed.
Question 31: Do you help identify and train internal super-users or system champions?
Why it matters: Super-users are internal employees who receive advanced training and serve as first-line support for their departments after go-live. Developing super-users during implementation builds internal capability, reduces long-term dependency on the consultant, and improves adoption rates. A consultant who builds this into their methodology is investing in your long-term success, not just the project deliverable.
Category 8: Post-Go-Live Support and Long-Term Relationship
These questions address what happens after the system goes live, which is when many consulting engagements fall apart.
Question 32: What post-go-live support do you provide, and for how long?
Why it matters: The first 30 to 90 days after go-live are critical. Issues surface that were not caught in testing. Users encounter scenarios they were not trained on. Configuration adjustments are needed as real operational data flows through the system. If the consultant disappears at go-live, the business faces these challenges alone. Read our guide on what post-implementation support involves to understand what adequate support includes.
Question 33: What are the response times for support requests after go-live?
Why it matters: A vague promise of "we will be available" is not the same as "critical issues receive a response within 4 hours, non-critical within 24 hours." Defined response times create accountability and ensure that urgent problems do not languish in an unanswered inbox.
Question 34: Do you offer ongoing support packages beyond the initial stabilization period?
Why it matters: ERP systems require ongoing maintenance: configuration adjustments, new user setup, module additions, performance optimization, and version upgrades. A consultant who offers structured ongoing support packages provides continuity of expertise. A consultant who only does project work may not be available when you need routine assistance six months after go-live.
Question 35: What documentation do you deliver at project completion?
Why it matters: Documentation is the bridge between the consultant's involvement and your team's long-term system ownership. The deliverable set should include system configuration documentation, custom development specifications, data migration records, user guides, administrator guides, and training materials. Ask to see sample documentation from a previous project to evaluate quality and completeness.
Question 36: How do you handle platform upgrades for systems you have implemented?
Why it matters: ERP platforms release new versions regularly. Upgrades can affect customizations, integrations, and configurations. A consultant who has a process for evaluating upgrade impact, testing customizations against new versions, and executing the upgrade provides long-term value. A consultant who builds systems and walks away leaves upgrade risk entirely to the business.
Bonus Questions: Platform-Specific (Odoo)
If your business has selected Odoo as its ERP platform, these additional questions address Odoo-specific evaluation criteria.
Question 37: What is your experience with Odoo Community edition versus Enterprise edition?
Why it matters: Odoo Community and Enterprise editions share a codebase but differ in available features, hosting, and support. The consultant should clearly articulate the differences and recommend the appropriate edition based on your needs rather than defaulting to the more expensive option.
Question 38: Which Odoo modules have you implemented most frequently, and which are you least experienced with?
Why it matters: Odoo offers over 80 modules. No consultant has equal depth across all of them. An honest answer about strengths and gaps is more valuable than a claim of universal expertise. Verify that their strongest modules align with your priority modules.
Question 39: How do you evaluate whether an Odoo community module is safe and maintainable for production use?
Why it matters: Odoo's open source ecosystem includes thousands of community-developed modules. Some are excellent. Some are poorly maintained, insecure, or incompatible with current versions. A qualified consultant has a vetting process for evaluating community modules before deploying them in a client's production environment.
Question 40: Have you worked with businesses that use Odoo for multi-company operations?
Why it matters: If your business operates multiple legal entities, the consultant needs specific experience with Odoo's inter-company transaction handling, consolidated reporting, and multi-company access controls. This functionality is powerful but requires careful configuration that generalist experience may not cover.
For additional Odoo-specific evaluation criteria, read our guide on the essential questions to ask an Odoo partner before hiring.
How to Use These Questions Effectively
Asking 40 questions in a single interview creates an interrogation, not a conversation. Use these questions strategically across multiple evaluation stages.
Initial Screening Call (30 Minutes)
Ask 5 to 7 questions from Categories 1 and 2. This filters candidates based on experience and methodology before investing time in detailed evaluation.
Recommended questions for initial screening: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 19
Detailed Evaluation Meeting (60 to 90 Minutes)
With your 2 to 3 finalists, go deeper into Categories 3 through 6. Focus on team composition, technical capabilities, timeline, and pricing.
Recommended questions for detailed evaluation: 7, 10, 11, 12, 15, 16, 18, 23, 24, 25, 26
Final Evaluation and Reference Checks
Use Category 7 and 8 questions to differentiate between finalists who are equally strong on experience and pricing. Training approach, change management capability, and post-go-live support often reveal the most meaningful differences.
Recommended questions for final evaluation: 28, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35
Reference Check Calls
When speaking with references, ask the following adapted versions:
Did the project finish on time and on budget? (Validates answers to Questions 19, 24)
How did the consultant handle scope changes? (Validates answers to Questions 9, and 25)
How would you rate the training and documentation? (Validates answers to Questions 28, 29, and 35)
Were there any surprises the consultant should have anticipated? (Validates overall competence)
Would you hire them again? (The single most important reference question)
Scoring Framework
Use this weighted scoring matrix to compare finalists objectively after completing the evaluation process.
Category | Weight | Candidate A | Candidate B | Candidate C |
Experience and track record | 25% | |||
Methodology and approach | 20% | |||
Team composition and availability | 10% | |||
Technical capabilities | 15% | |||
Timeline and planning | 10% | |||
Pricing and contract terms | 10% | |||
Training and change management | 5% | |||
Post-go-live support | 5% | |||
Weighted Total | 100% |
Score each category on a 1 to 5 scale based on the quality and specificity of the candidate's answers. Multiply by weight. Sum the weighted scores. The highest total score identifies the strongest candidate.
Adjust weights based on your priorities. A business implementing ERP for the first time might increase methodology to 25% and reduce pricing to 5%. A business with deep internal technical expertise might reduce technical capabilities to 10% and increase post-go-live support to 10%.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many of these 40 questions should I actually ask each candidate?
You do not need to ask all 40 questions to every candidate. Use the staged approach described above: 5 to 7 questions for initial screening, 10 to 12 for detailed evaluation, and 5 to 7 for final differentiation. The specific questions you choose should reflect your project's priorities and areas of greatest concern.
What if a consultant cannot answer a question?
An honest "I do not have experience with that" is far better than a fabricated answer. Every consultant has gaps. What matters is whether those gaps align with your critical requirements. A consultant who lacks data migration experience is a problem if you have complex legacy data. It is less concerning if your data migration is straightforward.
Should I share these questions with the consultant in advance?
Sharing the general categories (experience, methodology, pricing, support) in advance is reasonable and allows the consultant to prepare thoughtful answers. Sharing every specific question defeats the purpose of evaluating spontaneous knowledge and honesty. A middle ground works best: tell the consultant what topics you will cover without providing the exact question list.
What is the most important single question on this list?
Question 5: "Can you provide three references from clients I can contact directly?" References are the only evaluation method that validates every other answer. A consultant who provides great answers to every question but cannot produce satisfied references should not be hired.
How do I evaluate answers if I do not have ERP expertise myself?
Look for specificity, consistency, and transparency. Strong candidates provide specific numbers, concrete examples, and honest acknowledgment of limitations. Weak candidates provide vague generalities, deflect detailed questions, and claim perfection. You do not need ERP expertise to distinguish between these patterns. You need critical listening skills and the structured framework this article provides.
Should I use these questions for both independent consultants and consulting firms?
Yes. All 40 questions apply to both engagement models. For independent consultants, Questions 12 to 14 (availability, backup plan, subcontracting) are particularly critical. For consulting firms, Question 11 (who specifically will work on my project) is essential to prevent bait-and-switch staffing.
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