ERP and CRM implementations rarely collapse because of a single bad decision. Instead, it’s the small, almost invisible changes layered on top of each other that create the real danger. These are the overlapping customizations, when different teams, often working in good faith, tailor the system in ways that conflict or duplicate effort.
The risk is that no one sees these overlaps until the system is in production, where they surface as broken workflows, bad data, or costly rework that drains budget and credibility.
As one NetSuite consultant (with 20 years experience) we spoke to put it: “The system and the documentation get stale very quickly and no one is updating that.” In other words, the divergence isn’t always deliberate, it’s just invisible.
Let's explore why overlaps happen in ERP and CRM projects, the hidden risks they create, and how implementation firms can spot them before they derail client delivery.
Why Overlaps Happen
ERP and CRM platforms like Salesforce, NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics, and ServiceNow are built for flexibility. That’s their strength, and their weakness. The openness that allows businesses to tailor processes also invites fragmentation.
In practice, overlaps emerge because:
- Different stakeholders solve the same problem differently. Finance might add approval steps to protect compliance, while Operations invents a workaround to speed fulfillment. Both make sense locally, but together they clash.
- Consultants work in silos. Under pressure to deliver quickly, teams often configure in parallel without full visibility into what others are changing.
- Documentation lags reality. A process map created in the design phase is rarely updated once the real-world customizations begin. As one ServiceNow consultant described to our founders: “There are so many external components and processes that need to be mapped out!” The effort feels overwhelming, so alignment slips.
- Static diagrams don’t keep up. Swimlanes and Visio diagrams help in the moment, but they rarely serve as living references. As one veteran ERP consultant said: “Every doc has swimlanes. These are static… helpful but not enduring.”
Overlaps, in other words, are less about incompetence than about visibility.
Where Risks Hide
Finance vs. Operations: Dueling Approvals
At a mid-market distributor, the Finance team configured a custom workflow for invoice approvals, requiring manager sign-off above a certain threshold. At the same time, Operations built a parallel check inside the order management module, designed to flag high-value shipments.
Each customization made sense in isolation. But when invoices began routing through both checks, approvals stalled. Orders stacked up. The root cause wasn’t discovered for weeks; by then, frustrated business users had already lost faith in the upgraded ERP system.
Sales vs. Customer Success: Field Fragmentation
At a SaaS company, the Sales team added custom fields in Salesforce to track niche lead sources. Meanwhile, Customer Success created their own fields to capture onboarding details. Because neither side coordinated, reports that pulled from both objects became riddled with duplicates and mismatches.
Leadership couldn’t get a clean pipeline-to-renewal view, even though both teams thought they were improving the CRM.
Supply Chain vs. IT: Fulfillment Conflicts
At a retailer, the warehouse team adjusted processes in NetSuite to handle exception orders, partial shipments, backorders, alternate carriers. At the same time, IT configured order routing rules inside the ERP.
The result was that orders appeared fulfilled in one view but were still open in another. Customer service was flooded with complaints about missing items.
As one implementation architect observed: “You end up configuring and developing over time. The system and the documentation diverge almost immediately.”
Across industries and regions, the pattern repeats: small, well-intentioned tweaks create hidden overlaps. They don’t appear in testing, but under real-world volume, the cracks widen.
The Cost of Overlaps
The cost of overlaps isn’t just technical, it’s organizational.
- Rework and delays. Once overlaps surface, consultants are forced into reactive mode, untangling logic and re-scoping timelines.
- Fragile systems. Conflicting processes make ongoing maintenance harder. Even minor upgrades risk breaking carefully balanced customizations.
- Eroded trust. When a “finished” system fails basic business needs, clients lose confidence in both the platform and the implementation partner.
- Long-term debt. What looks like technical debt is often really process debt; misaligned workflows that accumulate interest every time the ERP or CRM is touched.
As one NetSuite architect explained to us: “I can now be spot on with my estimate because I see the same thing the customer does. The visual speaks louder than the words or the text.” Without that shared visibility, estimates, and trust, suffer.
How to Spot Overlaps Early
The good news is that overlaps can be identified before they cause damage. It requires both technical diligence and soft skills.
1. Listen for duplicate language.
In workshops, notice when different teams describe solving the same problem. Phrases like “we do approvals this way too” are early-warning signals.
2. Visualize end-to-end processes.
Static documents aren’t enough. Bringing all workflows into a single view often reveals where streams collide. One consultant summarized it bluntly: “If all I have to do is copy-paste a transcript into a diagram, I’ll do it. But I won’t add more process.” The key is making visualization lightweight, not an extra burden.
3. Surface assumptions openly.
Ask why each team solved the problem differently. Sometimes the overlap hides a deeper policy question (compliance vs. speed, control vs. autonomy) that needs executive alignment, not technical fixes.
4. Audit metadata and fields.
Duplicate fields in Salesforce, NetSuite, or Dynamics are almost always a symptom of hidden overlaps. A field inventory across modules often exposes competing processes.
5. Build a shared reference diagram.
The most effective implementation teams create a living source of truth, a single map that captures both the current state and in-progress changes. Without it, each team works from their own snapshot, and overlaps multiply.
Turning Risk into Advantage
Overlapping customizations aren’t evidence of bad consultants or misguided clients. They’re the natural byproduct of flexible platforms and complex organizations. The real danger is letting them remain invisible until they do damage.
Spotting overlaps early is what separates reactive implementers from trusted advisors. The ability to say, “Here’s where your processes collide, and here’s how to fix it,” builds credibility faster than any feature demo.
As one experienced consultant told the team: “Here’s where you are now, here’s where you’re going, here’s where we are in the process. This is the heart of our sales.”
For ERP and CRM firms in competitive markets, tools that make process visualization faster and easier can help turn hidden overlaps into clear insights. Whether using swimlanes, reference diagrams, or Splotch, the point is the same: clarity early beats firefighting later.