Stop Calling It a System Gap: The Process Problems Hiding Behind Software Customization Requests

After years of leading NetSuite implementations, one pattern has become unmistakably clear: most so-called ERP “gaps” are not gaps at all. They are artifacts of legacy habits, inherited workflows, and outdated assumptions that have gone unchallenged for years.

Teams naturally look for solutions when they encounter friction, and customization often feels like the most direct path forward. It is an understandable instinct because modern ERP platforms are powerful, flexible, and built to adapt. At the same time, the most effective teams recognize that many challenges do not originate in the system. They begin in the underlying processes that shape how work gets done.

Applying the Five Whys to Uncover True Process Needs

This is where the Five Whys become especially valuable. This method encourages teams to move beyond symptoms and explore the deeper dynamics behind a request. When applied thoughtfully, it brings clarity to long-standing workflows, highlights controls that may no longer serve the business and uncovers opportunities to simplify rather than customize.

Industry research consistently supports this approach. Reducing unnecessary customization leads to cleaner upgrades, lower complexity, and healthier long-term system performance. Root-cause techniques such as the Five Whys also reveal that what appears to be a system limitation is often a process that has evolved over time.

Modern ERP success grows from this mindset. Instead of shaping software around legacy behaviors, high-performing organizations use implementation as a chance to re-evaluate those behaviors. The result is a system that is easier to maintain, a process that aligns with current business needs, and a team that feels empowered by clarity rather than constrained by history.

What the Five Whys Reveal in Real ERP Work

Many teams are familiar with the Five Whys, but it is common to stop after the first or second question. Early answers can create a sense of progress, yet they often leave deeper insights undiscovered. A more disciplined approach unlocks far greater clarity.

• Why #1: Why is this a problem right now? This shifts the conversation away from the system and toward the underlying process.
• Why #2: Why does the process work this way? This is where history becomes visible. Teams often uncover legacy systems, inherited controls, or decisions made for a business environment that no longer exists.
• Why #3: Why was it designed that way in the first place? At this stage, many discover the workflow was never intended to be permanent. It was a tactical response to a specific moment in time.
• Why #4: Why is that original constraint still relevant today? This question encourages honest evaluation. Does the risk still exist? Does the control still add value? Or has the process simply gone unreviewed?
  
  By this point, many previously assumed customizations begin to lose their urgency.
  
  
• Why #5: Why are we solving this at the system level at all? The final why distinguishes true business requirements from preferences or habits. If a request cannot be tied to regulatory needs, competitive advantage, or measurable business value, it is often a sign that the process, not the system, deserves attention.

A Real World Example: When a Customization Request Fades Away

During a recent ERP implementation, a client believed they needed a custom approval workflow. Leadership felt confident that every customer credit memo required four layers of approval, and the system should mirror that structure.

The first two whys surfaced the practical challenges. Approvals were slowing billing, and the workflow had simply been carried over from a prior system that offered limited visibility. The third why uncovered the origin – years earlier, a single write off had prompted the team to add extra controls as a precaution.

By the fourth why, the team recognized that the business had evolved. Reporting was stronger, controls were more mature, and the original risk no longer applied.

Then came the fifth why: Why solve this at the system level when the underlying issue no longer exists?

The answer became clear. No customization was needed. The team moved to a streamlined, standard workflow supported by better dashboards and clearer ownership. Month end closed faster, sales friction eased, and the system stayed clean.

This is the value of the Five Whys. It helps teams see when a customization request is not a true requirement but a process that is ready for improvement.

A Better Default: Process First, Configuration Second, Customization Last

The most successful ERP programs follow a simple and reliable hierarchy:

• Ask the Five Whys before making any system decisions.
• Prioritize process improvement and configuration.
• Customize only when it delivers true differentiation or meets a regulatory requirement.

This approach encourages teams to understand the purpose behind each workflow before deciding how the system should support it. When leaders start with “why,” they gain clarity about what the business truly needs and avoid adding complexity that does not create value.

This philosophy is central to Citrin Cooperman’s NetSuite Now offering. It is built on proven industry best practices and focuses on clarity, simplicity, and long-term maintainability. Clients respond to it because it helps them scale without unnecessary reinvention.

For organizations embarking on an ERP initiative this year, the challenge is straightforward. Before defining system requirements, take a close look at the process itself. The insights that emerge will reveal whether customization is truly needed or whether the business is ready to let go of legacy habits and move forward with a cleaner, more efficient design.