At the beginning, an ERP decision can be particularly costly
You know that your system landscape needs to change, but you don't yet know which systems are suitable for the task. It is during this phase that the decisions are made that will end up costing the most money later on: If you start the selection process with the wrong set of systems, you won't realize it until you're in discussions with vendors—and then you'll have to start all over again.
In our comprehensive ERP analysis—Phase 1 of the SPARK 2.0 preliminary project—we go through your current situation and requirements in detail; the ERP selection process, which includes process workshops, builds on this foundation. Both require a commissioned preliminary project, and most companies are not yet at that stage. That’s why we’ve developed a preliminary step: the online ERP analysis, which is free and requires no registration. You complete the questionnaire, an AI agent generates a shortlist, and a consultant approves it.
How is this different from an ERP comparison site?
There are many free ERP comparison tools. Most of them use exclusion criteria: You select features, and anything without that feature is eliminated from the list—yet why one system ranks higher often remains unexplained. We turn that on its head. It ’s not a single feature that decides the outcome, but what matters to you: your goals become weightings, each system is evaluated using the same weighted criteria, and the result shows the calculation behind it.
Completely free, no commissions
The entire service costs €0; none of it is behind a paywall. We do not have any sales partnerships with ERP vendors, do not receive any commissions, and do not share your data with third parties.
Weighting Instead of Filtering
An exclusion filter eliminates systems. A weighting system determines what matters most to you and shows why your 2 to 4 systems are at the top of the list.
A proprietary database
31 ERP systems, 64 criteria per system across 16 categories, and over 800 sources with citations and confidence levels. Our consultants maintain this data and review it weekly.
A meaningful name
An ICB consultant reviews and approves your analysis before you see it. No automated system sends you a result that hasn't been reviewed by someone.
In the end, this is what makes the difference: We don’t just compare ERP systems—we implement them. This assessment comes from people who have successfully deployed these same systems in real-world projects and know which decisions will come back to haunt you two years down the line.
How exactly does AI-powered ERP preselection work?
There are four stations. Only the first one will take some time:
1. Describe your company
Six steps, about 8 to 10 minutes. No appointment, no workshop.
2. Your information will be analyzed
Each entry in our knowledge base is evaluated based on your weighting, with the source and confidence level provided for each piece of information.
3. A consultant reviews and approves
An ICB consultant reviews the selection and the rationale behind it and approves the analysis.
4. You will receive the reasoned decision
Typically within one business day, as an interactive web view with recommendations, a suitability matrix, and sources. Can be saved as a PDF and presented to senior management.
We would be happy to discuss the results with you afterward and outline the next steps.
What does AI handle?
The AI agent compares your information with our knowledge base, weights the criteria according to your goals, and prepares a well-reasoned shortlist. A human then approves the selection.
That's why the analysis is free. Not because it's of lesser value, but because AI handles the work that used to make this service prohibitively expensive. All it takes is 8 to 10 minutes of your time.
What's in it for you and what's next
Save weeks before it gets expensive
A reliable initial assessment is usually available after one business day, not only after a preliminary project has been commissioned.
A Basis for Decision-Making Instead of a List
Weighted criteria, suitability matrix, and sources for each system. Suitable for presentation to senior management.
100% independent of manufacturers
No sales partnerships with ERP vendors, no commissions, and no data sales.
You'll still have one point of contact
If you want to take the next step, your advisor is already familiar with the case. You don't have to start from scratch.
The next step depends on your results: either proceed with the decision-making process internally, or work with us on ERP consulting, followed by ERP project planning and ERP implementation.
Your data remains within the EU
AI processing is handled by Google Vertex AI in the EU region, not by a U.S. service, and the database is located in Frankfurt. There are no additional service providers in the data path, and no data is stored outside the EU.
We built the architecture, AI agent, and quality assurance systems ourselves and operate them in-house; we don’t use an off-the-shelf platform with our logo on it. We also support clients with such projects through our AI consulting services, and our guiding principle is this: Whatever we recommend is first tested and proven in our own operations. That’s how our AI agent for Dynamics 365 documentation came to be.
Would you like to know which ERP systems are right for you?
8 to 10 minutes to complete the questionnaire, 0 €, no registration required. Your shortlist of 2 to 4 systems is usually available within one business day, complete with source references and approved by an ICB consultant. Start your free ERP analysis now —or schedule a consultation appointment in advance.
This article describes a proprietary development by ICB GmbH. The example visualizations in the application use neutral demo data and do not represent actual customer analyses. The cover image is AI-generated and is labeled as such.
