ERP software in Jordan: what to check before you buy
An ERP keeps the main records of a company in one place, so the ledger, sales, purchases, stock, payroll and fixed assets agree with each other. This checklist covers what a good system should include, how to compare vendors, and what to settle before you sign.
What an ERP does
An ERP, short for enterprise resource planning, is one system for the records that have to match. When a sale posts to the ledger, the stock moves, the tax is recorded and the reports update from the same data. The gain is not the number of screens. It is that the figures in every module agree, so nobody has to reconcile spreadsheets at month end.
Not every business needs every module at once. The question to ask is whether a module you add later will post to the same ledger. If it will not, you are buying an integration project, not an ERP.
Modules to expect
- General ledger, chart of accounts and financial statements
- Sales and receivables, purchases and payables
- Inventory by warehouse, branch or outlet
- Payroll and employee records
- Fixed assets and depreciation
- Reports that drill down from a total to the transaction behind it
Questions that separate vendors
- Do all modules post to one ledger, or do they sync between separate systems?
- Can you switch modules on per company, so you pay only for what you use?
- Do screens, reports and printed documents work in Arabic and English?
- Which currencies can you record in, and how is the exchange-rate history kept?
- How are tax rules, including sales tax and e-invoicing, kept up to date?
- Where is the data hosted, who can access it, and how often are backups restored in a test?
- What happens to your data if you leave? Can you export all of it in a usable form?
- Who supports you after go-live, in which language, and in which hours?
Plan the move, not only the purchase
Most ERP projects run late because of data, not software. Clean your customer and supplier lists, agree the opening balances and count the stock before the migration date. Then run the old and new systems side by side for at least one full month-end close, and agree in writing who signs off each report.
Where BYTE fits
BYTE is SSByte's cloud ERP for accounting, sales and purchases, inventory, HR and payroll, and fixed assets, on one ledger, in Arabic and English. It is built on Google Cloud, with 99.999% availability, and it is for businesses in Jordan, the UAE and KSA, with more countries soon.
BYTE is coming soon. Before you decide, ask us for its current status and release plan. Our accounting checklist and HR and payroll checklist go deeper into those modules.
Questions people ask
Does a small business in Jordan need an ERP?
Not always. If the ledger, stock and payroll already agree and month-end takes a day or less, a simpler set of tools may be enough. An ERP starts to pay off when several records must match, when you have more than one branch, or when closing the books takes many days.
How long does an ERP implementation take?
It depends on the number of modules, the amount of data to migrate and how many people need training. Ask every vendor for a plan with dated milestones and a named project lead.
Can an ERP handle payroll for Jordan and the UAE?
Ask which statutory rules are built in for each country where you employ people, such as income tax and social security in Jordan, and how the vendor applies changes to those rules.
This guide is general information. Tax and labour rules change, so confirm the current rules with your accountant before you decide. Talk to us for a written answer to any question here.