Most companies celebrate when their Dynamics 365 Business Central system goes live. Champagne pops. Emails fly. Everyone breathes a sigh of relief.
Then reality hits.
The truth? Go-live isn’t the finish line. It’s mile marker one in a much longer race. What happens in the next 90 days determines whether your investment becomes a competitive advantage or an expensive headache.
Here’s what actually works.
Week 1-2: Stabilize and Support
Your users are scared. They won’t admit it, but they are.
They’re clicking around nervously, comparing everything to the old system, and probably keeping spreadsheets “just in case.” This is normal. Your job isn’t to eliminate their anxiety – it’s to give them confidence through rapid support.
Set up a war room. Not a metaphorical one – an actual space or dedicated chat channel where people can get answers fast. Response time matters more than perfection right now. A quick “here’s the workaround, we’ll fix the root cause by Friday” beats a delayed perfect solution.
Track every question. You’ll see patterns emerge. The same five issues pop up repeatedly? That’s your training gap showing itself. Address those immediately with quick reference guides or short video tutorials.
Week 3-4: Validate Your Data
This is where things get interesting.
Your data migrated successfully – or so you thought. Now users are actually working with it, and guess what? They’re finding problems. An item code that looked fine in the old system doesn’t make sense in Business Central. A customer record is missing crucial details. Inventory counts feel off.
Don’t panic. Schedule daily reconciliation sessions with your key users. Compare critical reports between your old system (yes, keep it accessible for a bit) and Business Central. Focus on:
- Financial balances
- Inventory levels
- Customer and vendor records
- Open transactions
Fix discrepancies immediately. Every day you let bad data sit is another day it multiplies through your system.
Week 5-8: Optimize Workflows
Here’s the thing: your team is still working like they did in the old system. They’re forcing Business Central to behave like the software they left behind.
Time to change that.
Watch how people actually work. Sit with them. You’ll discover they’re taking seven clicks to do something Business Central can handle in two. Or they’re exporting data to Excel because they don’t know about a built-in feature that does exactly what they need.
This is gold. Document these inefficiencies and fix them. Sometimes it’s about training. Sometimes it’s about adjusting configurations. Either way, this is where you start seeing real productivity gains.
Week 9-12: Measure and Refine
What’s actually better since you went live?
You need numbers, not feelings. Pull reports on the metrics that matter to your business:
- Order processing time
- Invoice accuracy
- Inventory turnover
- Month-end close duration
Compare them to your pre-implementation baseline. If something isn’t improving, dig into why. Maybe a feature isn’t configured right. Maybe users need more training. Maybe you discovered a legitimate gap that needs a workaround or extension.
This is also when you should conduct formal feedback sessions. Not “how do you like the new system” meetings—those are useless. Ask specific questions: What takes longer than it should? Where do you still use workarounds? What would make your job easier?
The Real Secret
Success isn’t about the software. Business Central is powerful, but it’s just a tool. Success comes from committed leadership, responsive support, and continuous improvement. The companies that thrive after implementation treat these 90 days as seriously as they treated the implementation itself.
Moving Forward
Direction Software LLP brings over 20 years of hands-on experience helping businesses succeed with Microsoft Dynamics 365 solutions across multiple industries. Our team understands that go-live is just the beginning. We stick around during those critical first 90 days – and beyond – to make sure your investment delivers real results. Want to talk about your implementation or post-go-live support? Reach out for a demo or custom quote. You can also contact with us on social media for practical insights and updates.
Your 90-day window is closing faster than you think. Make it count.
About the author:
Biju Kurup
Biju Kurup is the Head of Dynamics 365 Business Central and Dynamics Navision at Direction Software. With over 25 years of experience in the tech industry, he has been a part of Direction Software for more than 17 years. Biju excels at assisting clients in solving real-life problems and overcoming daily challenges by developing effective, technology-driven solutions