"We just need one Epicor consultant."
It's a phrase that sounds straightforward enough.
Until you start asking a few questions.
Which version of Epicor? Which modules? What industry? How heavily customised is the environment? Is this an upgrade, an optimisation project, a new implementation or simply ongoing support?
And when do they need to start?
Suddenly, finding "an Epicor consultant" becomes a much more specific conversation.
Epicor experience isn't one-size-fits-all
One of the things that stands out when speaking to businesses about Epicor projects is how different each requirement can be.
Two organisations might both be looking for an Epicor consultant, but need completely different people.
One may need someone with deep experience across Epicor Kinetic and manufacturing processes. Another may need a consultant who has worked extensively with a particular module or has experience navigating a heavily customised environment.
Then there are the projects where understanding the existing setup is just as important as understanding the technology itself.
It's why simply searching for someone who has "Epicor experience" doesn't always get you very far.
The more useful question is:
What kind of Epicor experience does this particular project actually require?
The project may be small. The requirement isn't always simple.
Another phrase that comes up regularly is:
"It's only a small project."
Perhaps it is.
But a three-month requirement can still call for highly specific expertise.
Short-term projects often have very little room for a long learning curve. If someone is brought in to resolve a particular issue, support an upgrade or help with a defined piece of optimisation work, they may need to understand the environment quickly and start adding value from the outset.
That can make previous experience particularly relevant.
The same applies to timelines.
"We'd ideally like them to start Monday" is not unusual in the world of project-based ERP work. But the more specific the requirement, the smaller the pool of people who are likely to have the right combination of experience and availability at that exact point in time.
Kinetic is changing the conversation
The wider Epicor market is also moving through a period of change.
Epicor has announced that Kinetic 2028.1 is expected to be the final on-premises feature release, with future innovation moving exclusively to Epicor Cloud. That gives businesses another reason to think carefully about their longer-term plans, rather than viewing an individual upgrade or migration as an isolated project.
For some organisations, the immediate focus may be getting through an upgrade or migration.
For others, the bigger questions will come afterwards:
How do we optimise the new environment?
Are our integrations working as they should?
Are there processes that could now be improved?
Do our teams have the right expertise to make the most of the platform?
The skills needed at each stage aren't necessarily the same.
"They need to know a bit of everything."
This is another requirement that sounds reasonable.
And sometimes, it is exactly what a project needs.
But there's a difference between someone with broad Epicor knowledge and someone with the specific experience needed to solve a particular problem.
A consultant might have worked with Epicor for years, for example, but have limited experience with the version, modules or industry processes involved in your project.
Equally, someone who specialises in a particular area may be exactly the right person for a defined piece of work, even if they don't have experience across every part of the system.
The key is understanding where breadth is useful and where depth matters more.
So, what should businesses define before looking for expertise?
The more clearly a project can be defined at the beginning, the easier it becomes to identify the right expertise.
It can help to establish:
- Epicor version - what are you currently running and where are you going?
- Modules - which areas of the system are involved?
- Industry and processes - how important is sector-specific experience?
- Customisations and integrations - what does the consultant need to understand beyond the core platform?
- Project stage - implementation, upgrade, migration, optimisation or BAU support?
- Type of expertise - functional, technical, development, project management or a combination?
- Duration - is three months genuinely three months, or is there likely to be a longer requirement?
- Start date - how flexible is the timeline?
None of these questions are particularly complicated.
But answering them can make a significant difference to the search.
It's about the right experience, not just Epicor experience
The Epicor market continues to evolve, and so do the projects businesses are working on.
For some, the focus will be Kinetic and cloud migration. For others, it will be upgrades, optimisation, integrations or making better use of an existing environment.
The common thread is that the requirement is rarely as simple as "we need an Epicor consultant".
The more specific the project, the more important it becomes to understand the combination of skills, experience and availability that will actually make a difference.
Because finding someone who knows Epicor is one thing.
Finding someone who knows your version, your modules, your industry, your customisations, your project and your timeline?
That's where the conversation gets interesting.
