TL;DR

Legacy ERP workflows rarely map cleanly into Dynamics 365. Familiar screens, custom approvals, patched permissions often break because Dynamics 365 enforces a modern, role-based model with standardised navigation and workflow logic. This isn’t a bug but the natural result of moving from heavily customised systems to a scalable platform. To avoid adoption failures, don’t replicate the old system screen by screen. Focus on what users actually need, rebuild tasks with native Dynamics 365 tools, redesign security around duties and roles, and test real scenarios continuously. Migration is your chance to modernise, and if you align workflows with Dynamics 365 patterns, you’ll gain a system that’s more secure, more scalable, and better suited to how your business works today.

Why your ERP workflows fail after migration

You’ve migrated the data. You’ve configured the system. But now your field teams are stuck.

They can’t find the screens they used to use. The approvals they rely on don’t trigger. And the reports they count on? Missing key data.

This isn’t a technical glitch. It’s a user experience mismatch.

When companies move from legacy ERP systems to Dynamics 365, the shift isn’t just in the database. The entire way users interact with the system changes, from navigation paths and field layouts to permission models and process logic.

If you don’t redesign around those changes, your ERP transformation will quietly break the very workflows it was meant to improve.

This is the fourth part of our series on ERP data migration. In our previous posts, we covered:

• Our step-by-step playbook for successful ERP migration
• Why your ERP migration is delayed and how to speed it up without sacrificing quality
• Why bad data breaks ERP and what to do about it

Dynamics 365 isn’t your old ERP — and that’s the point

Legacy systems were often customised beyond recognition. Buttons moved, fields were renamed, permissions manually patched. As a result, they were highly tailored systems that made sense to a small group of users but were nearly impossible to scale or maintain.

Dynamics 365 takes a different approach. It offers a modern, role-based experience that works consistently across modules. But that means some of your old shortcuts, forms, and approvals won’t work the same way — or at all.

This can catch users off guard. Especially if no one has taken the time to explain why the system changed, or to align the new setup with how teams actually work.

Where the breakage usually happens

Navigation

Field engineers can’t find the work order screens they’re used to. Finance can’t locate posting profiles. Procurement doesn’t know how to filter vendor invoices. Familiar menus are gone and replaced with new logic that’s more powerful, but also less intuitive if you’re coming from a heavily customised legacy system.

Permissions

Old ERPs often relied on manual access grants or flat permission sets. In Dynamics 365, role-based security is more structured, and less forgiving. If roles aren’t mapped correctly, users lose access to critical features or gain access they shouldn’t have.

Workflow logic

Your old approval chains or posting setups may not map cleanly to Dynamics 365. For example, workflow conditions that relied on specific field values may behave differently now, or require reconfiguration using the new workflow engine.

Day-to-day tasks

Sometimes it’s as simple as a missing field or a renamed dropdown. But that can be enough to stall operations if users aren’t involved in the migration process and given time to learn the new flow.

How to avoid workflow disruption in your Dynamics 365 migration

Don’t try to copy the old system screen for screen. That’s a common mistake and it leads to frustration. Instead, map legacy processes to Dynamics 365 patterns. Focus on what the user is trying to achieve, not what the old screen looked like.

Start with your core user tasks.  

• What does a finance user need to do each day?  

• What about warehouse staff?  

• Field service engineers?  

Identify their critical workflows, then rebuild them in Dynamics 365 using native forms, views, and automation.

Review and rebuild your security model. Role-based security is at the heart of Dynamics 365. You’ll need to define duties, privileges, and roles properly, not just copy old access tables. Test for least privilege and ensure segregation of duties.

Test user scenarios in every sprint. Don’t wait for UAT to catch usability issues. Include key personas in each migration cycle. Run scenario-based smoke tests and regression checks. Use test environments that mirror production, and validate real-life tasks end to end.

Provide context and support. Users aren’t just learning a new tool — they’re changing habits built over years. Train them with use-case-driven sessions, not generic walkthroughs. Show them how the new process works and why it changed.

The takeaway is: Migration is your chance to modernise — don’t waste it

Your ERP isn’t just a backend system. It’s where users spend hours every day getting work done. If it doesn’t work the way they expect, adoption will suffer, and so will your transformation goals.

✅ Legacy workflows may not map to D365 one-to-one
✅ Navigation, permissions, and logic will differ
✅ Redesign processes around D365 patterns, not legacy layouts
✅ Review role-based permissions carefully
✅ Involve users early and test real scenarios every sprint

Done right, this isn’t just damage control. It’s an opportunity to rebuild your processes in a way that’s more secure, more scalable, and actually aligned with how your business works today.

Just because your old system lets you do something doesn’t mean its how your new system should work  — and now’s the perfect time to make that shift. Consult our experts before you begin your migration and set the project up for success.

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