Microsoft Dynamics 365 · Implementation
As a Microsoft Dynamics 365 partner we have been building Microsoft Dynamics CRM adoptions since the CRM 3.0 era — in four phases with clear deliverables and transparent implementation cost. SMB adoption €60,000–€180,000 net, mid-market €180,000–€600,000 net. Teams of 2–6 people, with the person who advises also at the code editor and in hypercare. No handover to offshore. No PowerPoint cascade.
30 days free
We set up the trial tenant in 48 hours, train your key users (2 hours), hold weekly office hours with the architect, and prototype your target use case. After 30 days you receive an architecture recommendation — you decide on adoption or shutdown.
Four phases
Four clearly separated phases, each with its own deliverables and budget logic. No endless "build-and-test" loop — instead, milestones where you, as the client, can deliberately say yes or no.
Workshops with subject-matter experts and power users. Solution blueprint, module mapping, license architecture, data-model sketch, migration plan. Fixed price. You can end the project after phase 01 if something doesn't fit — we do not require a build commitment.
Configuration in two-week sprints. Weekly demos. You see the system grow — no black box. Customizations, plug-ins, Power Apps extensions, integrations with ERP. T&M with a budget corridor and transparent burn rate.
Data migration from Salesforce, NAV, Excel, or a legacy system. Three migration runs: dry run, pre-production test, final cutover. End-to-end tests with real users. Training wave 1. Fixed-price phase.
Live cutover in a defined cutover window. 4 weeks of hypercare with daily check-ins, fast response, adoption guidance. Transition to Application Care or pay-per-hour support. Fixed price.
Migrations
A migration is not just "copying data". It is a question of which records still have value today, which we carry over only as an archive, and which we deliberately leave out.
Accounts, contacts, opportunities, custom objects, tasks, and email history. We use Skribbla or our own pipelines. Tricky areas: custom-field mapping for heavily customized Salesforce implementations, approval processes, and Process Builder logic. Typically a 4–8 week migration track, parallel to the build.
Classic on-prem NAV (4.0 to 2018) to Business Central in the cloud — or, for pure CRM needs, directly to Dynamics 365 Sales. Includes master data, documents, and historical contracts. Note: NAV-specific customizations must be manually rethought; a 1:1 lift-and-shift rarely works.
Sales pipeline in Excel. Customers in Access. Contract data in SharePoint lists. We consolidate, deduplicate, and normalize addresses. Often the most underestimated migration — because "Excel" sounds simple, but in reality hides organically grown data models.
In recent years we have run migrations from Sage CRM, SAP Cloud for Customer, Oracle Sales Cloud, SugarCRM, Vtiger, Pipedrive, and HubSpot. The technical approach is always similar: export, mapping, cleansing, import in multiple waves, and validation.
Example timeline
Sales implementation for a sales team, with migration from Pipedrive, Outlook integration, and one Power BI dashboard. Discovery 2 weeks, build 8 weeks, migration 3 weeks, hypercare 4 weeks. Investment range: approximately €80,000–€110,000 net plus licenses.
Sales, Customer Service, and Field Service with ERP integration (NAV) and migration from Salesforce. Discovery 4 weeks, build 24 weeks, migration 6 weeks, hypercare 4 weeks. Investment range: approximately €280,000–€420,000 net plus licenses.
Note. Both ranges are honest corridors from real projects of the last 5 years — not wish-list numbers. A concrete statement for your plan comes after the 30-min discovery, or at the latest at the end of phase 01.
What sets us apart
From discovery to hypercare you speak with the same people. No account manager as translator. No handover to an offshore delivery team. When something is on fire, you call the person who wrote the plug-in.
2 to 6 people per project. Solution architect, functional consultant, developer, migration engineer. No more is needed. Fewer rows of chairs, fewer status meetings, and less slippage between plan and code.
We use Microsoft Dynamics 365 for our own project business — based on our own Project & Service Management solution. When we recommend a workflow, we have usually tested it ourselves.
After go-live we take over operations ourselves — as Application Care. No handover to a run partner, no knowledge loss. Whoever built your system supports it afterward.
With direct escalation path to Microsoft support. If a platform bug occurs, we open the ticket with Microsoft directly — you don't have to escalate yourself or hunt for a Microsoft account manager.
We do not take on a project we know will fail. Too little budget, the wrong module, no internal owner — we say so before contract signing. More on this in our advisory overview.
Qualification
Microsoft CRM implementations since 2005 — across every platform shift. From on-prem CRM 3.0 through CRM 2011/2013/2015 to Dynamics 365 in the cloud. We know the migration paths, the platform quirks, and the Microsoft roadmap realities first-hand.
Cost breakdown
A typical D365 implementation budget consists of five line items. The shares vary with module mix, data complexity, and adoption ambition. The table below shows the range from real mid-market projects.
| Line item | Typical share of total 3-year budget | Main drivers |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft licenses | 30–45% | User count, module mix (Sales/CS/FS/PO/CIJ), full-user vs. Team Member ratio, add-ons (Copilot, Power BI Pro) |
| Advisory & build services | 35–50% | Module count, customization depth, integrations (ERP, marketing, BI), plug-ins, Power Apps overlays |
| Data migration | 5–15% | Data volume, source system (Salesforce vs. Excel), custom-field complexity, number of migration waves |
| Training & adoption | 5–10% | User count, role variety, online vs. on-site, repeat waves, certification preparation |
| Change management | 5–10% | Organizational maturity, stakeholder group count, communication needs, external change-coaching support |
Ranges are based on implementations from the last 5 years — SMB (€60,000–€180,000 net services) and mid-market (€180,000–€600,000 net services). A specific budget statement comes via the solution blueprint at the end of the discovery phase. Day rate on request.
The obvious items — licenses, build, migration — appear in every proposal. In practice, budget overruns come from five items that are routinely sized too small during the discovery phase:
A realistic total calculation for a Microsoft Dynamics CRM adoption in the mid-market looks like this in practice: implementation services in year 1 typically equal 1.5x to 2x the annual license cost. Across three years you add ongoing licenses, Application Care (10–20% of the implementation sum per year), and small enhancement waves.
Example TCO mid-market, 180 users, Sales + Customer Service + Field Service, 3 years: implementation €320,000 net, licenses approx. €380,000–€520,000 (depending on full vs. Team Member mix), Application Care €110,000–€160,000, planned enhancements €60,000–€120,000 — TCO corridor €870,000 to €1,280,000 net over 3 years. The License Cost Calculator delivers the license component down to the cent.
Phase diagram
Six steps in a linear sequence — each with a typical duration and a clearly defined output. Each phase is self-contained and represents a decision point.
2–3 weeks
Output: current-state capture, stakeholder map, target picture, license rough-cut.
2–4 weeks
Output: solution blueprint, data model, integration mapping, risk register.
6–24 weeks
Output: configured system, plug-ins, Power Apps, integrations — demo-ready per sprint.
2–6 weeks
Output: UAT sign-off, migration dry run, training wave 1, cutover plan.
1–2 weeks
Output: production cutover, final migration, rollback-plan readiness.
4 weeks
Output: daily standups, fast corrections, transition into Application Care.
Risk matrix
Risks are part of every Microsoft Dynamics 365 adoption. They don't shrink through optimistic planning, but through early visibility and clear mitigating actions.
| Risk | Symptom in practice | Mitigation at arades |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Scope creep | Steadily growing requirements list, build slips by months. | Solution blueprint with clear in-scope/out-of-scope list. Change requests with their own effort and budget impact. Quality gate at the end of every phase. |
| 2. Data quality | Duplicates, missing mandatory fields, inconsistent address formats, owner gaps. | Three migration waves with validation reports. Data cleansing tasks visible in the backlog. Power users own a data domain each. |
| 3. Adoption | 100 licenses, 40 active users. Sales keeps maintaining Excel in parallel. | Adoption plan from discovery. Role-specific training waves. Champion model. Four weeks of hypercare with daily standups. |
| 4. Integrations | ERP interface covers 80% — the last 20% drives weeks of effort. | Integration mapping in phase 02 (design). Spike phases for unclear interfaces before the T&M build starts. Power Automate as default; custom code only where unavoidable. |
| 5. Change management | Leadership sponsors, middle management slows things down, back office is unaware. | Stakeholder map from discovery. Monthly sponsor briefings. Middle management active in workshops. Change-coach recommendation for larger roll-outs. |
Greenfield vs. migration
One of the most important early decisions — and one of the most common sources of expensive corrections when made too late. Both paths have clear strengths and clear pitfalls.
Pros: Faster time-to-value (often 2–4 months shorter), no legacy baggage, smaller risk surface, cleaner architecture. Training and adoption effort are lower because a "fresh start" is mentally easier.
Cons: Historical data is lost or has to be archived. Re-engineering of proven processes that ran implicitly in the legacy system. Risk of underestimating grown logic.
Recommended for: Small to mid-sized companies with an outdated legacy system, unclear data estates, or a first-time CRM. Also reasonable when strategically realigning the sales model.
Pros: Historical data and context remain available. Proven processes can be carried over 1:1 or improved step by step. Higher user acceptance because familiar records are visible.
Cons: Longer project duration (+20–40% time-to-value). Higher risk from data quality and custom-field mapping. Temptation to drag grown complexity along unexamined.
Recommended for: Mid-market companies with a well-kept legacy system (Salesforce, NAV, older D365 on-prem), multi-year sales history, or regulated industries with retention obligations.
In more than 80% of our mid-market projects, the decision is made in the architecture phase, after assessing data quality, process maturity, and strategic goals.
Further reading
Before you make the first click. Module choice, license architecture, roadmap. 30-min discovery free, 1-day workshop from €2,400.
Turning licenses into users. Online-live, on-site, on-demand videos. Includes Microsoft certification preparation MB-210, MB-220, MB-230, MB-240, PL-200.
After go-live. Response under 4 hours, direct escalation path to Microsoft. Pay-per-hour, Application Care, or Strategic Care.
Calculate yourself. Full-user vs. Team Member licenses, Device licenses, add-ons. Transparency before the Microsoft order process.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 licensing with full-user, Team Member, and Device licenses. CSP model, yearly renewal logic, add-on SKUs.
After hypercare. Predictable monthly contract with SLA. Releases, hotfixes, enhancements, tenant hardening. No transition to a foreign run partner.
Before implementation. Module choice, license architecture, roadmap. Discovery 30 min free, strategy workshop 1 day.
Frequently asked questions
For an SMB implementation (1–2 modules, 20–80 users, no ERP integration) typically 3–6 months. For mid-market projects (3+ modules, 80–500 users, with ERP integration and migration) typically 6–12 months. Longer projects are often a warning signal — we prefer to build iteratively in several smaller waves.
An SMB implementation with Sales and Customer Service ranges between €60,000 and €180,000 net. A mid-market implementation with 3+ modules and ERP integration ranges between €180,000 and €600,000 net. Plus ongoing Microsoft licenses — which we make transparent with the License Cost Calculator.
Yes. We regularly migrate from Salesforce — accounts, contacts, opportunities, custom objects, and historical activities. We use Skribbla, KingswaySoft, or our own Power Automate pipelines, depending on data volume and complexity. The migration is usually technically solvable — the real question is which data you shouldn't bring along.
You talk directly to the people who build. No account-manager layer, no handover to offshore teams. We work in teams of 2–6 people, live eat-your-own-dogfood (our own solutions like PSA and intercompany are built on D365), and take over post-go-live operations ourselves — no handover to a run partner.
Four weeks of hypercare are included in the implementation phase — daily check-in, fast corrections, adoption guidance. Then transition to Application Care (monthly service contract) or pay-per-hour, depending on how business-critical the system is.
We implement the CE modules (Sales, Customer Service, Field Service, Project Operations, Customer Insights Journeys) and Business Central (SMB ERP). For the F&O apps Finance, Supply Chain Management, Commerce, and Human Resources we refer to specialized F&O partners from our network — and often handle the integration between CE and F&O. More in the D365 ERP knowledge area.
We work in 4 phases with phase-by-phase fixed prices: Discovery (fixed price), Build (T&M with budget corridor), Migration (fixed price), Hypercare (fixed price). This combines planning certainty for you with flexibility for unavoidable adjustments during the build.
A typical D365 implementation spreads cost across five line items: Microsoft licenses (30–45%), advisory and build services (35–50%), data migration (5–15%), training and adoption (5–10%), change management (5–10%). Shares vary with complexity, module mix, and migration depth — precise numbers come at the end of the discovery phase. Details in the cost-breakdown section above.
Greenfield (fully new) is faster and more predictable, typically costs 20–30% less, but gives up historical data and established processes. Migration from a legacy system retains history and adoption, takes longer, and carries more risk. Rule of thumb: small companies or worn-out legacy systems lean greenfield; mature mid-market with well-kept data leans migration. The concrete decision is made in the architecture phase.
Five recurring risks: 1) data quality (duplicates, gaps, inconsistent formats), 2) custom-field mapping in heavily customized legacy systems, 3) relationship model (hierarchies, multi-account structures), 4) historical activities (emails, calls) with unclear business value, 5) transactional data (tasks, open opportunities) with owner mapping. We address each risk with a dedicated validation wave before cutover. See the risk matrix above.
Three common strategies: 1) Big bang — all modules, all users on one date, highest risk, shortest duration. 2) Module-by-module — Sales first, then Customer Service, then Field Service, with 2–4 months between each. 3) Site-by-site or subsidiary-by-subsidiary — roll-out per geo unit or legal entity, with a learning effect between waves. For most SMB projects we recommend module-by-module; for holdings, site-by-site.
Rule of thumb from real mid-market projects: implementation services typically range between €1,500 and €3,500 net per user — depending on module depth, customization, and migration. Example: 180 users × €1,800 = approx. €324,000 net in services. Add Microsoft licenses (Sales Enterprise approx. €95/user/month, Customer Service Enterprise approx. €105/user/month) and any add-ons. The per-user metric drops significantly as user count grows — at 500+ users it is more like €800–€1,500 per user.
Five items frequently sized too small in the discovery phase: 1) multiple UAT rounds instead of just one, 2) the last 20% of the ERP integration, 3) data cleansing by power users before migration, 4) refresher training at 3 and 6 months after go-live, 5) add-on licenses (Copilot for Sales, Customer Voice, Power BI Pro) that surface only during the build. Our discovery phase makes all five explicit — no hiding in the fine print.
Industry-specific requirements typically push services cost up by 20–40%. Examples: regulated industries (pharma, financial services) need audit trail, GxP validation, and extended permission models; manufacturing needs service contracts, Field Service routing, and ERP depth; professional services need Project Operations with time-and-material billing. We build for all profiles — we assess the industry depth during the discovery phase and price it as a dedicated line item in the solution blueprint.
30 min · free · no obligation
Tell us about your plan: which modules, what size, what timeframe. We give you an honest first classification — order of magnitude, risks, and a possible phase split.
Accompanying services
Engineering projects rarely stand alone — license logic, architecture clarification, quality gates, knowledge transfer, and follow-up operations usually run in parallel. Here are the most common accompanying services we add via Discovery Spike, sprint fixed price, or Application Care contracts.
Before · Architecture
Before implementation begins: tenant structure, data model, security concept, integration mapping. The result is an architecture document any engineering team can build on — including one other than us.
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Before · CSP
Which license bundles for which users, which add-on SKUs are required, where you are over- or under-licensed. Sourced as a Microsoft Licensing Partner — with the option to use CSP purely as control without margin maximization.
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During · Quality gate
An independent second opinion during a running implementation project — whether we run it ourselves or another partner does. CMMI-based quality gates, risk reviews, fixed price per gate.
During · Adoption
Not the classic two-day workshop that's forgotten a week later — but a dynamic learning program over 4–6 weeks with initial training, application phases, and follow-up sessions. Training matrix across roles and topics.
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After · Operations
After go-live: a predictable Application Care contract with a monthly flat fee, SLA-based. Includes releases, hotfixes, enhancements, tenant hardening — and continuous guidance rather than ticket-only response.
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After · Knowledge
When the original developers are gone, the predecessor partner is no longer reachable, or documentation is outdated — reverse engineering of the existing solution with a documented result: code map, data model, customization inventory.
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