Expected Timeline of a NetSuite Implementation

NetSuite Implementation is the process of planning, configuring, and launching a custom NetSuite environment that meets your business needs. The fastest reasonable timeline to implement NetSuite for most companies is 3-4 months, while larger or more leisurely NetSuite implementation projects might take a year or more.

For most of our clients, we end up creating a schedule somewhere between the aggressive and the leisurely approaches: around 6-7 months long. Here's a breakdown of some things that may affect the timeline of a NetSuite Implementation, as well as some of the advantages and disadvantages of different approaches to an implementation project's timeline.

What is an Aggressive NetSuite Implementation Timeline?

Completing an implementation in 3-4 months is aggressive and requires things to go just right:  

• All stakeholders are committed to the effort. You meet at least twice a week to put work into the implementation.
• There is no flip-flopping about requirements – you need to have a clear idea of your processes from the get-go.   
• There is no dillydallying about testing or producing data. The design-build-test process must stay rapid and intolerant of missed deadlines.
• Any 3rd party software vendors play ball.
• There are only a few additional NetSuite modules or customizations required, at least before the initial go-live. Sometimes, a staggered launch schedule makes sense: a rapid implementation of core accounting functionality can be followed by later implementations of other business processes. 

Advantages of an Aggressive Implementation Timeline

One advantage of an aggressive timeline is that it tends to produce a lot of momentum; people stay focused and usually show up more prepared to meetings, since they haven’t had the chance to get too distracted by other responsibilities. But you and your employees certainly need to know what you are signing up for.

Another advantage is that the shorter period reduces the amount of business processes that change during the implementation. That is, there is a good chance that your requirements on day 1 and day 120 are still roughly the same in any given area.

What About Long NetSuite Implementation Timelines?

On the other end of the spectrum, larger or more leisurely NetSuite implementation projects might take a year or more. While extended timelines certainly offer benefits and are occasionally necessary, they also bring a new set of challenges:  

• Key stakeholders often change during a long project, which means you now must read in the new people and adjust to their new priorities and perspectives.
• People forget stuff. It becomes easier to have the same conversation multiple times without realizing it. You spend more time reviewing and reminding. If you find yourself in this situation, I encourage you to dial in your documentation and file management practices, which will reduce how much gets lost to the ghost of implementation past.
• The business that is implementing NetSuite continues to change in the real world, which means that requirements collected many months ago are likely now out of date.

Our Standard NetSuite Implementation Timeline

For most of our clients we end up creating a schedule somewhere between the aggressive and the leisurely approaches: around 6-7 months long. That allows for a little more breathing room and opportunities to pivot as new discoveries occur, but it isn’t so long that you lose tons of momentum. People start forgetting decisions they made previously.  

A 6-7 month timeline is more forgiving of the actual state of our clients’ business requirements, which usually take multiple iterations to finalize. In our experience, our clients almost always discover that there were holes in their initial conception of the requirements – creating space in the schedule to accommodate that very natural process of refinement is prudent.

If this approach sounds appealing and you are interested in learning what a NetSuite implementation timeline with this approach might look like for your business, contact our team for an estimate!

Oracle NetSuite Alliance Partner & Commerce Partner

If you have general questions about NetSuite or more specific questions about how our team can support your business through a NetSuite Implementation, contact us! Anchor Group is a certified Oracle NetSuite Alliance Partner and Commerce Partner equipped to handle all kinds of NetSuite and SuiteCommerce projects, large or small.