When it comes to managing ERP projects, one of the most common mistakes we see is teams focusing too much on how much they have spent and how much was originally budgeted. They are not spending enough time on the more important question:

What is the estimated cost to complete the project?

In complex projects like ERP implementations, what you have spent so far only tells part of the story. The real financial health of your project comes down to what it will take to finish, and whether your remaining budget lines up with that reality.

Why Watching Only “Spent vs. Budget” Can Be Misleading

Early stages of an ERP project are often heavy on planning, discovery, and initial configuration. At that point, you might have spent a relatively small portion of your total budget. But that does not mean you are under budget. It simply means you are early in the journey.

Without a clear Estimate to Complete (ETC), it is easy to fall into a false sense of security. By the time the heavier stages hit, including integration, testing, data migration, user training, and go-live support, the costs can climb fast. If you are not constantly updating your view of what it will take to finish, you could be caught off guard.

What “Estimate to Complete” Means

Your Estimate to Complete is your best view of the cost and effort needed to finish the project from where you are today. It is not a fixed number. It changes as the project evolves.

A good ETC gives you answers to key questions like:

• Based on what we know now, what will it take to reach go-live?
• Are there new risks or scope changes that will impact costs?
• Is our remaining budget enough to finish the project properly?

ETC is a proactive tool that lets you spot challenges early, make smarter decisions, and protect both your timeline and your investment.

How to Manage ERP Budgets Smarter

At BHC Group, when we manage ERP implementations, we are not just tracking what you have spent. We constantly update the full financial picture.

Here is what we focus on:

• Regular ETC Updates — Reforecasting the cost to complete at key milestones, so the budget reflects the project’s reality
• Change Management — Capturing scope changes and understanding their budget impact early
• Risk Monitoring — Identifying extra effort needed, such as unexpected data migration issues or additional user training
• Budget Alignment — Comparing the updated ETC to the remaining budget to spot gaps before they cause major problems

By focusing on these areas, you are not just checking receipts. You are actively steering the project toward success.

Final Thoughts

ERP budgets do not fail because people are not paying attention. They fail because teams are looking at the wrong indicators.

Tracking spend is important. But it is not enough. You need to know what it will take to get to the finish line. You need to check whether your remaining budget matches the reality of the project today, not just the original plan from months ago.

Managing by Estimate to Complete is how you stay ahead and how you finish strong.

Ready to make sure your ERP project stays on track financially? Let’s talk.