From Stakeholder Requirements to System Customization : A Case Study-Based Fit-Gap Analysis Framework for Microsoft Business Central Migration in a Bundesliga Football Club

Sammanfattning

Abstract Context: Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems play a crucial role in supporting and integrating core business functions across departments [1, p. 406][2, p. 855]. However, organizations often face significant challenges when replacing legacy systems with modern, cloud-based ERP solutions. One such challenge is ensuring that the new system sufficiently meets the organization’s operational and industry-specific requirements. This issue becomes particularly relevant in complex and dynamic environments like professional sports clubs, where standardized ERP solutions may not directly fit unique business processes [3, p. 32][4, p. 3][5, p. 8]. Objective: This thesis investigates the challenge of migrating from Microsoft Dynamics NAV to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central in the context of a German Bundesliga football club. The objective is to develop and validate a structured fit-gap analysis and fit-to-standard analysis framework to support ERP migration in a way that ensures both technical compatibility and organizational alignment. Method: The study follows a qualitative single-case study approach focusing on the football club’s new member creation process. Data is collected through two stakeholder workshops involving six participants from the departments of digitalization and membership support. The workshops were structured with the help of an interview guide containing 27 questions, which served as a guideline for discussion and documentation. The AS-IS process is documented using Business Process Model Notation (BPMN). Requirements are systematically derived and iteratively validated with stakeholders. In total, 26 requirements are identified, categorized using the fit-gap logic, and prioritized according to the MoSCoW priorization method (Must have, Should have, Could have, Won’t have this time). Each gap is then assessed with regard to resolution strategies and implementation feasibility, considering both technical and organizational aspects. Results: The thesis research confirms that the framework is applicable in highly specific and dynamic organizational environments. In such contexts, standardized ERP solutions need to be adapted to operational and industry-specific requirements. The work also shows the potential to extend the framework to additional processes within the club. It can further be applied to similar member-based organizations in order to validate and refine the approach. Conclusion: The thesis confirms the practical relevance of the developed framework for the sports industry. It also highlights the need for future research on the automation of fit-gap analysis through artificial intelligence (AI) and on AI- and Machine Learning (ML)-powered ERP functionalities. Another important topic is the long-term organizational impact of cloud-based ERP adoption. The findings contribute to academic literature and to practical ERP migration projects by providing a reproducible methodology that can be adapted to other complex organizational environments. Keywords: ERP migration, fit-gap analysis, Microsoft Business Central, Microsoft NAV, process modeling, German Bundesliga, sports industry requirements, stakeholder requirements, cloud ERP