IFS Consulting in five phases, from analysis and design to training

The value you get from IFS is largely decided before go-live, by the choices made before and during implementation. Every phase ends with a concrete result.

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See the five phases

Where the pressure shows up first

In our experience, IFS implementations use 60 to 70 percent of what the platform can do, and the gap shows differently per role. Management and finance know there is more to get out of IFS, but not where to start or what it is worth. A data-driven blueprint of your processes and a roadmap, as in analysis and design, settle the business case before the project starts. Eqeep is IFS Specialized Partner in the Benelux and delivers IFS Consulting in five phases.

Programme leads face scope creep, delays and a project team that does not know the operation. We configure, build and test your IFS environment to a solid design, together with the experts in your organisation. CIOs and IT leads carry expensive custom code from older IFS versions: in development and optimisation we analyse the customisations, replace what we can with standard configuration and assess each R1 and R2 release. For organisations still on IFS Applications 10, Extended Support ends on 27 March 2028; read how we plan technical upgrades.

Operations managers do not want a support partner that waits for a ticket, when the damage is already done. Active monitoring, updates that are scheduled and impact-assessed in advance, and advice on which new features are worth it keep IFS stable. Process owners see knowledge erode as people leave and workarounds appear, so training and education per role, in your own configuration, belongs in the route.

From analysis to adoption: five steps to a better outcome

Analysis and design, implementation and realisation, development and optimisation, maintenance and support, training and education: each phase has a concrete result. Enter at any point.

Analysis and design

You want to know where the gains are before you start

Implementation and realisation

You want a go-live without surprises

Development and optimisation

You want less custom code in your way

Maintenance and support

You want IFS to stay stable without tickets

Training and education

You want people to keep using IFS properly

Customer stories

Emergya Wind Technologies: optimising IFS in phases while the business kept running

After a third-party implementation, many EWT users had shifted to Excel because they found IFS too complicated. EWT chose a phased approach, with interviews of management and key users to set the needs of operations, supply chain and finance. IFS handled the technical upgrade from version 8.2 to 9, while Eqeep took care of functional verification and testing. Mobile Work Order bookings replaced monthly material bookings, and data such as lead times, MOQ and lot sizes was screened and updated.

Read the EWT story

One chain from analysis to training

The value you get from IFS is largely decided before go-live. Every phase ends with a concrete result, and you can enter at any point.

Analysis
Analysis and design
A data-driven blueprint and roadmap. Result: a Business Value Overview, before the project starts.
People decide: the business case is settled before the build begins.
Implementation
Implementation and realisation
Configured, built and tested to the design, with your own experts. Result: a working system and trained key users.
Optimisation
Development and optimisation
Customisations replaced by standard configuration where possible, and each R1 and R2 release assessed.
Training
Training and education
Training per role in your own configuration. Result: higher user satisfaction and better data quality.

Start with analysis and design

Themes that run through every IFS programme

AI readiness

IFS.ai keeps prediction, decision and execution inside IFS Cloud, not in a separate analytics layer.

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IFS Cloud releases

Two major releases a year, R1 and R2. Fall too far behind and support is at risk.

Technical upgrades

Value after go-live

Go-live is not the finish line. The business case is earned when adoption and data quality stay in focus.

IFS Success

Process insight

Data from your ERP, FSM or CRM shows where waste, errors and delays sit in your processes.

Explore process mining

Questions before an IFS programme starts

What does an IFS implementation partner do?

An IFS implementation partner takes you through the phases that decide the value of IFS: analysis and design, IFS implementation, development and optimisation, maintenance and support, and training. For implementation, that means we configure, build and test your IFS environment to the design, together with your own experts. Every phase ends with a concrete result; an IFS training plan per role keeps adoption up.

What do IFS ERP consultants do during an IFS implementation?

IFS ERP consultants translate your processes into IFS Cloud. They run the analysis, design the configuration, build and test it together with your own experts, guide the go-live and train your people. Not sure which role your IFS implementation needs? Discuss your IFS question.

Where should an IFS project start, and do we need a full analysis first?

Start with the business decision behind the project: which result must improve, which process carries it and which teams need to work differently. Analysis and design makes that visible before delivery starts. A full analysis is not always the entry point: it follows your situation, such as a stalled project, a selection or one process under pressure, and scales from a first verdict to a full blueprint.

Where does AI readiness belong?

AI readiness belongs in the design phase. Data quality, approval rules and ownership decide whether IFS.ai, digital workers or automation can be trusted later.

What happens after go-live?

Delivery hands over to a run rhythm: upgrades, application management and a named team that knows your environment. That is IFS Support, and the handover is part of the plan from day one.

Can we start directly with implementation?

Yes. If you already have a blueprint or an active project, we start with a compact design process based on conversations with your team. Without data analysis we work from assumptions and interviews, which carries more risk, so we advise at least a basic analysis of your transaction data first. More on implementation Discuss your IFS question.

Who you will talk to

The consultant behind analysis, implementation and training.

Robert Kool
Solution Architect
Utrecht, Netherlands