ERP & PMO Glossary

The terms below come up repeatedly in ERP and PMO programs. These are not textbook definitions — they are the way each term actually shows up on the ground, explained from a sponsor's point of view.

Go-live

Definition: The moment the new system starts being used for real business operations. The exit from testing, the entry into production.
Common misconception: Treated as the finish line. In practice go-live is only the starting point — the real validation happens during the weeks that follow (hypercare).
For executives: Go-live is a business-continuity decision, not a technical one. Do not approve without a written rollback plan.

Where should this term connect in practice

The definition alone is not enough; the guide, related article, and resource make it more useful.

Relevant guide

Go-live readiness guide

Read the readiness and cutover side as a guide.

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Related reading

Canias go-live

Read the real field pressure around go-live.

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Relevant resource

Resources and checklists

Use the resources surface when you want a checklist, decision note, or downloadable asset to make this topic more concrete.

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Hypercare

Definition: The post go-live stabilization period (typically 2–6 weeks) during which the team provides high-intensity support and closes critical defects fast.
Common misconception: Seen as an IT-only task. Business key users and the sponsor must stay actively engaged during hypercare as well.
For executives: Define the hypercare exit criteria up front: open critical count, user acceptance signal, and return-to-normal on business KPIs.

Useful follow-up after hypercare

Use these surfaces to understand hypercare beyond the raw definition.

Related reading

What is hypercare?

Use this for the field-level meaning behind the term.

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Relevant guide

Go-live readiness guide

Read this to understand the readiness discipline before hypercare starts.

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Conversation

If this is active, let us talk

If this topic matches a live project, sponsor decision, or delivery pressure, a direct conversation is the most sensible next step.

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Fit-gap analysis

Definition: Documenting the distance between a business requirement and the standard system. Each requirement is tagged as fit (standard covers it) or gap (customization or configuration needed).
Common misconception: Reduced to a spreadsheet. The real value is in writing down acceptance criteria and the decisions to drop requirements.
For executives: If the gap count goes past 100, fit-gap cannot close without a scope conversation. The sponsor should ask “is this really necessary?” for each gap.

After the fit-gap term

Use the guide and the field note together to understand the actual weight of fit-gap.

Relevant guide

Fit-gap guide in Canias ERP

Use this to move from analysis to acceptance clarity.

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Related reading

Canias fit-gap

Use this for the field interpretation and managerial impact.

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Conversation

If this is active, let us talk

If this topic matches a live project, sponsor decision, or delivery pressure, a direct conversation is the most sensible next step.

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Steering committee

Definition: The senior decision body that sets direction and priorities for the program. Attended by sponsors, business leads and the project manager.
Common misconception: Used as a status-reporting meeting. A steering committee exists to take decisions, not to listen to updates.
For executives: Walk into every steering with 2–3 explicit decisions to close. A meeting without decisions is not a steering.

After the steering committee term

The decision-rhythm side becomes clearer when paired with the guide and PMO context.

Relevant guide

Steering committee guide

Use the guide for a decision-rhythm view, not just a meeting view.

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Governance

See the PMO and governance layer

If this topic touches risk, decision cadence, or steering discipline, the PMO page is the stronger next step.

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Conversation

If this is active, let us talk

If this topic matches a live project, sponsor decision, or delivery pressure, a direct conversation is the most sensible next step.

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PMO (Project Management Office)

Definition: The function that establishes governance, standards, reporting and delivery discipline across projects. Provides portfolio visibility, decision rhythm and execution quality.
Common misconception: Assumed to collect reports. A good PMO produces decisions, not reports — and makes bottlenecks visible to the sponsor.
For executives: When setting up a PMO, be clear about three things from day one: which decisions it will accelerate, which reports it will standardize, which conflicts it will escalate.

After the PMO term

The PMO term becomes more useful when paired with the operating framework and decision mechanisms.

Governance

See the PMO and governance layer

If this topic touches risk, decision cadence, or steering discipline, the PMO page is the stronger next step.

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Relevant guide

PMO guides

If you want a more structured follow-up, the guides hold the checklists, decision frameworks, and implementation discipline.

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Conversation

If this is active, let us talk

If this topic matches a live project, sponsor decision, or delivery pressure, a direct conversation is the most sensible next step.

Continue →

Man-day

Definition: The effort of one person spending one full working day on a task. The base unit for estimates and cost planning.
Common misconception: Confused with calendar days. 20 man-days is a month for one person, four days for five — but only if the work actually parallelizes.
For executives: Do not accept estimates as a single total. Ask which role is loaded in which week on the critical path.

TROIA Web Service

Definition: The service layer Canias ERP exposes for integrating with external systems, allowing other applications to invoke Canias business logic over HTTP.
Common misconception: Treated as a thin API wrapper. The correct use requires validating and logging business logic on the service side as well.
For executives: On integration projects, lock the service inventory and SLA expectations early. The number of services is a proxy for project complexity.

Next steps for TROIA

The guide and technical insight layer add more value after the term.

Relevant guide

TROIA Web Service guide

Use this to read session, callService, and response logic in one place.

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Related reading

TROIA callService()

Use this for a faster read of the technical request flow.

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Relevant resource

Resources and checklists

Use the resources surface when you want a checklist, decision note, or downloadable asset to make this topic more concrete.

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Kickoff

Definition: The formal project start meeting. Alignment on objectives, scope, roles, timeline and communication rules.
Common misconception: Treated as a morale or introduction meeting. A good kickoff is where the first scope and risk negotiation actually happens.
For executives: Fix the kickoff output on a single summary slide: objective, out-of-scope, decision rhythm, sponsor escalation path.

After the kickoff term

Use the related insight and ERP framework so kickoff does not stay at the level of a kickoff meeting.

Related reading

ERP kickoff insight

Use this to see the real weight of kickoff in the field.

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Framework

Return to the ERP framework

Use the ERP framework when you need the wider sponsor, delivery, and transformation picture beyond a single topic.

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Conversation

If this is active, let us talk

If this topic matches a live project, sponsor decision, or delivery pressure, a direct conversation is the most sensible next step.

Continue →

Cutover

Definition: The planned and executed window for switching from the old system to the new. Data migration, opening balances, parallel run and downtime management happen here.
Common misconception: Seen as a single weekend effort. Real cutover is rehearsed over weeks before the event.
For executives: Run at least two cutover rehearsals and update go/no-go criteria after each one. A cutover without rehearsals is high risk.

Useful follow-up after cutover

Cutover becomes more useful when paired with the guide, the go-live article, and resources.

Relevant guide

Go-live readiness guide

Use the guide for cutover and rollback discipline.

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Related reading

Canias go-live

Use this to see how cutover connects to go-live pressure.

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Relevant resource

Resources and checklists

Use the resources surface when you want a checklist, decision note, or downloadable asset to make this topic more concrete.

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RAID (Risks, Assumptions, Issues, Dependencies)

Definition: A single register that tracks risks, assumptions, open issues and dependencies across the project. Core governance artefact.
Common misconception: Treated as just a risk list. The real value sits in the assumptions and dependencies columns — most disruptions come from there.
For executives: Only bring five items from the RAID log into each steering. The agenda is decisions pending, not the full list.

After this governance term

The term alone is not enough; it becomes more useful when paired with PMO and the relevant guide layer.

Governance

See the PMO and governance layer

If this topic touches risk, decision cadence, or steering discipline, the PMO page is the stronger next step.

Continue →

Relevant guide

Continue inside the guides

If you want a more structured follow-up, the guides hold the checklists, decision frameworks, and implementation discipline.

Continue →

Conversation

If this is active, let us talk

If this topic matches a live project, sponsor decision, or delivery pressure, a direct conversation is the most sensible next step.

Continue →

Stage-gate

Definition: An approval point with explicit criteria the project must meet before moving from one phase to the next. Opened by the sponsor or steering committee.
Common misconception: Treated as a rubber-stamp signature. A real stage-gate can say “no” or “yes with conditions”. It does not always pass the project through.
For executives: Write the gate criteria at project start. If criteria are being negotiated at the gate, governance is weak.

After this governance term

The term alone is not enough; it becomes more useful when paired with PMO and the relevant guide layer.

Governance

See the PMO and governance layer

If this topic touches risk, decision cadence, or steering discipline, the PMO page is the stronger next step.

Continue →

Relevant guide

Continue inside the guides

If you want a more structured follow-up, the guides hold the checklists, decision frameworks, and implementation discipline.

Continue →

Conversation

If this is active, let us talk

If this topic matches a live project, sponsor decision, or delivery pressure, a direct conversation is the most sensible next step.

Continue →

Change request

Definition: A formal request to alter agreed scope, schedule or budget. Goes through impact analysis, cost review and an approval chain.
Common misconception: Seen as bureaucracy and handled verbally. Verbal changes become the biggest post go-live conflict source.
For executives: Fix the CR rule at kickoff: who raises it, within how many days it is assessed, and above which threshold it needs steering approval.

After this governance term

The term alone is not enough; it becomes more useful when paired with PMO and the relevant guide layer.

Governance

See the PMO and governance layer

If this topic touches risk, decision cadence, or steering discipline, the PMO page is the stronger next step.

Continue →

Relevant guide

Continue inside the guides

If you want a more structured follow-up, the guides hold the checklists, decision frameworks, and implementation discipline.

Continue →

Conversation

If this is active, let us talk

If this topic matches a live project, sponsor decision, or delivery pressure, a direct conversation is the most sensible next step.

Continue →

To move beyond the glossary

Terms are useful, but not sufficient on their own. You still need the guide and resource layer for application and decision context.

Relevant guide

Continue inside the guides

If you want a more structured follow-up, the guides hold the checklists, decision frameworks, and implementation discipline.

Continue →

Relevant resource

Resources and checklists

Use the resources surface when you want a checklist, decision note, or downloadable asset to make this topic more concrete.

Continue →

Conversation

If this is active, let us talk

If this topic matches a live project, sponsor decision, or delivery pressure, a direct conversation is the most sensible next step.

Continue →