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Planning for 2027? Start With Your Systems, Skills, and Team

Planning for another year isn’t just about setting budgets and deciding which projects make the list.

Technology touches almost everything across the business. An ERP change can affect production. An EDI issue can hold up an order. A problem with data can make an automation project much harder than expected.

As 2027 gets closer, it may be worth stepping back and asking a simpler question:

Do we actually have the systems, skills, and people needed to execute our technology plans?

Here are three questions worth asking before the end of the year:

1. Are our systems ready for where the business is going?

The issue isn’t necessarily having older technology. It’s knowing whether those systems can support where the business is headed.

A few questions to ask:

• Are our critical systems still supported and reliable?
• Where are we still relying on manual processes?
• If we upgraded or replaced something, what else would be affected?

Whether you’re considering SAP S/4HANA, another ERP platform, or a major upgrade, the technology itself is only part of the project. Data migration, integrations, testing, training, and ongoing support all need to be considered as well. Sometimes the biggest opportunity isn’t adding another system. It’s getting the systems you already have to work better together.

2. Do we have the skills and expertise to actually get the work done?

Having a technology roadmap is one thing. Having the people to execute it is another. You may be planning upgrades, improvements, and automations, all while existing IT teams are already managing day-to-day operations. But before committing to another major project, take a realistic look at the skills you have available.

Make sure you have the right experience on hand:

• SAP and S/4HANA
• EDI and systems integration
• APIs and integration platforms
• Cloud and data
• Cybersecurity
• Manufacturing applications
• Project and program management

And don’t overlook on-hand institutional knowledge. You probably have someone who “knows everything.” The one everyone calls when something breaks or needs an explanation. That’s valuable knowledge, but it’s also a risk if this info isn’t documented or shared.

Not every gap means you need to hire another full-time employee. Some projects require specialized expertise for six months, while others may need additional support during an implementation or migration. The important part is knowing what you need before the project starts.

3. Are we being realistic about what our team can take on?

This may be the simplest question, but it’s one of the easiest to overlook.

A project can make perfect sense on paper and still struggle because the people responsible for it are already stretched too thin.

Before adding another initiative to the 2027 roadmap, ask:

• Who is actually going to do the work?

Will your IT team have enough bandwidth? Will the project pull people away from other critical priorities? Are there skills you’ll only need temporarily? Are there areas where bringing in outside expertise would help your team move faster? This is especially important when you’re looking at AI and automation. Instead of starting with “Where can we use AI?” start with “What problem are we trying to solve?” Maybe employees are spending hours on repetitive work. Maybe forecasting could be better. Maybe there’s a manual process that creates unnecessary delays… And before investing in new technology, make sure the underlying data and processes are ready for it. Automation doesn’t fix a broken process, and better technology can’t make poor data useful on its own.

Looking Ahead to 2027

Preparing for 2027 doesn’t mean having every new technology figured out or trying to predict what’s coming next. It means honestly assessing where your business is going and whether your technology, systems, and people can support it.

For a manufacturer, that might mean finally addressing a legacy system. For another, it could mean improving integrations, preparing for an ERP migration, automating a manual process, or bringing in specialized expertise for a major project.

The companies that are prepared may not necessarily be the ones with the biggest technology budgets. They may simply be the ones asking these questions early enough to do something about the answers.

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