Customer Success Story
ICB GmbH migrated a public-sector cultural institution to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central under a fixed-price project in accordance with EVB-IT—involving approximately 350 requirements—from Microsoft Dynamics NAV, including a custom-developed conference center module, with a go-live date of December 31, 2025.
The client is a public-sector contracting authority: a cultural and exhibition institution governed by public law. Its operations rest on two very different pillars. In the exhibition and visitor operations, the IT infrastructure remains technically manageable: Ticket sales from the point-of-sale system are imported into the ERP system once a day via an interface. The conference center, on the other hand, rents out rooms—ranging from small meeting rooms to large auditoriums—along with equipment such as projectors, whiteboards, chairs, and tables, some of which are booked years in advance.
Until now, both areas had been managed using a highly customized version of Microsoft Dynamics NAV (Navision), which was operated on-premises and had been closely tailored to the organization’s processes over the years. As a public contracting authority, the institution is bound by the standard contract terms EVB-IT (Supplementary Contract Terms for the Procurement of IT Services) when awarding contracts. This shapes the entire project structure.
The request for proposals was structured in accordance with EVB-IT and was correspondingly extensive: The scope of work included approximately 350 requirements that were to be implemented as a fixed-price project. The goal was to transition from a heavily customized, on-premises Navision to a Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central solution that was as standardized as possible—all while ensuring that the company’s day-to-day operations were never interrupted.
The biggest change involved the conference center. The business logic required there had previously been developed entirely in-house by an external service provider and was not available for Business Central. It therefore had to be reimagined and rebuilt in the new system without losing the functionality that had been developed over time.
The goal was not to copy the old custom solution exactly, but to leverage Business Central standards as much as possible and to develop custom features only where the business model absolutely required it. Predictable at a fixed price.
Availability logic at the conference center: Rooms and equipment are scheduled throughout the entire process chain, from the initial inquiry to the invoice. Image: AI-generated.
The conference center was the most challenging part of the project. Its complexity stems from a simple physical fact: a chair, a projector, or a room can only be in one place at a time. It is precisely this logic of availability and resources that is reflected in the Business Central development; each item is scheduled only once at a time.
This is the basis for a streamlined process: A request is received and scheduled in the calendar, followed by a cost estimate and a quote, which are then used to generate an order and an invoice. All necessary equipment can be assigned to an event and a room, so it’s always clear what is needed, when, and where.
This also has a very practical benefit for operations: Every morning, the technical staff receives a briefing on which rooms need to be set up and how, and what needs to be moved from where to where. Specific rooms or hallways can be reserved, and the setup process is coordinated with cleaning. A properly structured data model also enables analyses, such as of capacity utilization, optimizing the offerings, and prioritizing who has booked an event—including the venue’s own events.
The goal was not only to implement a new ERP system, but also to standardize as much as possible among the approximately 350 requirements listed in the specifications. An overview of the steps:
Structured Requirements: Based on the proven ICB “Ignite” methodology, workshops were conducted, and the methodology was adapted to the specifications and the EVB-IT framework.
Standardization Instead of Customization: Whenever possible, the standard Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central solution was used instead of recreating legacy custom solutions from scratch.
Conference Center as a Custom Development in Business Central: a fully integrated solution for room and equipment rentals that maps the entire rental process.
Documents and Finance Integrated: Shareflex serves as a document management system for filing, archiving, and incoming invoice processing, supplemented by Continia Finance; Continia Banking is planned as a future expansion.
Travel Expenses and Data Migration: a travel expense module in Business Central that complies with country-specific travel expense regulations, along with the migration of all planned events, open inquiries, quotes, and orders to the new data model.
Go-Live and Operations: The go-live took place on December 31, 2025; following that, ICB will provide support for 36 months using its own ticketing tool and DevOps pipelines for updates.
Anyone replacing a custom solution that has evolved over the years will encounter well-established workflows and experienced users who know their processes inside and out. Taking this expectation seriously while also creating room for leaner, more standardized workflows was one of the key tasks. In the public sector in particular, the various departments are closely integrated, which makes early, transparent communication all the more valuable. Managing expectations and maintaining close communication at both the subject-matter and project management levels were therefore just as crucial as the technical implementation.
From a locally operated, highly customized Navision to a largely standardized, modern, and updatable Business Central.
The conference center is fully integrated: a data model covering everything from the initial inquiry through the quote and order to the invoice, including room and equipment planning.
Approximately 350 requirements from the EVB-IT scope of work, implemented as a fixed-price project with a clear go-live date.
36 months of support from ICB, including a dedicated ticket system and DevOps pipelines for updates.
Whether you're a public-sector client or a small or medium-sized business, we support the implementation of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central from the bidding process through to operation, and work with you to determine how your processes can be mapped to the standard system.
Schedule a consultationHow we implement ERP projects: from the requirements structure through configuration to go-live, with a focus on standard solutions rather than custom ones.
Before a system makes a decision: Streamline processes, clarify responsibilities, and determine which special cases can be accommodated within the standard framework.
Real-world consulting project by ICB GmbH, presented anonymously: Details regarding the client, location, and system environment have been intentionally kept general. Both side images were generated by AI.
