Make the ERP the only place work gets recorded. Staff return to Excel when the new system is slower, does not match how they work, or is optional. Fix all three: map real workflows, train each role on its own data, and retire parallel spreadsheets after go-live. Prosci links excellent change management to 88% of projects meeting objectives.
Why do employees keep going back to Excel?
Spreadsheets are familiar, flexible and nobody has to ask permission to change them. A new ERP feels slower at first, even when it saves time overall. Usually one of these is behind the drift back:
- The system does not match the real process. It was configured around how management thinks work happens, not how the warehouse or accounts team actually does it.
- Both systems are allowed. If the old sheet is still accepted, people will use whichever is faster today.
- Training was generic. Staff watched a demo of every feature but never practised their own daily tasks.
- A report is missing. If a manager still asks for the weekly Excel summary, the team keeps maintaining it.
- Nobody owns it. No one inside the business is accountable for the system being used.
Panorama Consulting’s ERP research has repeatedly found that the people side is harder than the technical deployment, and its 2017 report advised investing upfront in end-user buy-in.
What should happen before go-live to prevent this?
- Map each role’s daily work. List the five to ten tasks each person does every day and confirm the ERP handles each one with as few steps as possible.
- Pick internal champions. One respected person per department who tests early, answers colleagues’ questions and reports problems.
- Clean and migrate the live data. Staff trust a system that shows their real customers, products and balances. Empty or wrong data sends them back to the sheet.
- Train by role, on real scenarios. A cashier needs the POS flow, not the accounting menu.
- Agree the cut-off date. Announce when the spreadsheets stop being accepted, and who signs that off.
How do you enforce the switch without a revolt?
Make the ERP the easiest path, then the only path. Practical rules that work:
- Approvals, purchase orders and invoices are only accepted from the system.
- Management meetings use ERP dashboards and reports, not emailed spreadsheets.
- Old shared sheets are made read-only after the cut-off, then archived.
- Daily stand-ups in the first two weeks to collect problems and fix them fast.
The fastest way to kill adoption is to ignore complaints. When a user says a task takes longer, check it. Sometimes it is a training gap; sometimes the configuration really does need adjusting.
What does good adoption look like after go-live?
| Signal | Healthy | Warning sign |
|---|---|---|
| Where transactions are recorded | Only in the ERP | Same data in ERP and Excel |
| Month-end reports | Pulled from the system | Rebuilt manually in spreadsheets |
| Support requests | Falling week by week | Same questions repeating |
| Who users ask for help | Internal champions | Nobody, or an outside consultant for everything |
| Management attention | Uses dashboards in meetings | Asks for the old Excel summary |
How much does change management affect the result?
A lot. In Prosci’s Best Practices in Change Management research, projects with excellent change management met or exceeded objectives 88% of the time, against 13% for poor change management, about seven times more likely. Prosci sells change management training, so treat the figures as indicative, but the direction matches what most implementers see in practice.
For an Odoo project, that means budgeting time for process mapping, role-based training and post-go-live support, not only for configuration.
Get your team working in one system
Tenxora helps businesses get their operations running in one place: we map how your teams really work, set up Odoo around it, train each role on its own tasks and stay with you through the first weeks after go-live until the spreadsheets are retired. If your team is still running the business from Excel, we can show you where to start.
FAQ
Should we ban Excel completely after moving to Odoo?
No. Ban duplicate records, not the tool. Excel is fine for one-off analysis that reads from Odoo exports or reports. What has to stop is keeping a separate sheet as the source of truth for stock, orders, invoices or payments.
How long does it take for staff to get comfortable with a new ERP?
Most teams need a few weeks of daily use on live transactions before the system feels normal, and expect slower work in the first days after go-live. Plan extra support for that period instead of judging the project in week one.
What if senior staff refuse to use the new system?
Treat it as a leadership issue, not a training issue. The owner or sponsor should make clear that reports and approvals only come from the ERP, then find out what specifically blocks that person. Often it is one missing report or one slow screen that can be fixed.
Related service: Odoo Implementation
Sources: Prosci: The Correlation Between Change Management and Project Success, Panorama Consulting: 2017 ERP Report, Solutions Review: 2019 ERP Report finds change management as ERP’s biggest hurdle
