How an Epicor Conference Room Pilot Works
A conference room pilot usually takes place after initial system configuration and before final user acceptance testing or production deployment. The project team prepares scenarios based on the organization’s approved requirements, configures the environment, assigns participants, and defines expected outcomes for each test.
During the session, users complete realistic tasks in sequence. A purchasing scenario might begin with a requisition, proceed through purchase order approval and receipt, and finish with supplier invoice processing and accounting. The team checks each step, records the result, and discusses how the configured process aligns with business policies.
Organizations implementing epicor should also assess how the ERP connects with reporting tools, external applications, and finance workflows. This helps confirm that transaction data moves correctly between functions and that the intended process remains consistent from initiation through reporting.
Core Scenarios and Departments to Include
The scenarios selected for a CRP should reflect the organization’s most important business activities rather than isolated screens. Cross-functional testing helps participants see how one transaction affects downstream teams, inventory records, customer commitments, and financial statements.
- Finance: Test journal entries, account mappings, invoice posting, payment processing, reconciliations, and period-end reporting.
- Procurement and accounts payable: Validate requisitions, purchase orders, goods receipts, invoice matching, approval rules, and supplier records.
- Sales and accounts receivable: Follow customer orders through shipment, invoicing, receipt application, and outstanding-balance reporting.
- Inventory and production: Review material movements, inventory valuation, production transactions, and cost updates.
- Security and reporting: Confirm role permissions, approval authority, audit trails, and access to operational and financial reports.
Each scenario should include the starting conditions, user actions, expected system response, relevant accounting impact, and evidence required for sign-off. This makes results repeatable and gives the team a clear basis for deciding whether a process is ready.
Financial Validation and Control Readiness
Finance validation is a central part of a CRP because operational transactions often create accounting entries automatically. Participants should verify that transaction amounts, tax treatment, inventory costs, posting accounts, and document references match the expected results. Where appropriate, the team should reconcile subledger totals with the general ledger and confirm that financial reports reflect the tested transactions.
A Control Environment establishes the policies, responsibilities, and oversight supporting reliable business processes. During the pilot, a Test Of Design can assess whether a proposed approval or segregation-of-duties control is appropriately structured. A Test Of Controls can then check whether configured permissions and workflow rules operate as intended in the tested scenarios.
Findings should be classified by business impact, assigned to an owner, and tracked through resolution. For example, an incorrect expense-account mapping may require a configuration update and repeat testing before finance approves the relevant workflow. The team should preserve test evidence and document any accepted deviations against the agreed requirements.
Using Automation and ERP Integrations During the Pilot
A CRP can also validate finance automation that works alongside Epicor. The Hyperbots Platform supports company-specific ERP integrations, workflows, roles, and general ledger structures through configurable implementations. Its Process Specific Capabilities support finance activities with workflows tailored to relevant processes, while Ready to Deploy Capabilities include pre-trained agents and ERP connectors that can be configured for business requirements.
Testing should confirm that automated workflows receive the correct source data, follow the required approval sequence, and return accurate transaction statuses. For example, teams can examine whether customer remittance details match open invoices, whether deductions are identified for review, and whether approved receipts are prepared for posting. How Hyperbots AI Agents 10x Epicor Finance Operations and Closing Epicor Finance Gaps with Hyperbots AI Agents provide further context on finance workflows that extend Epicor.
Where applicable, Self Learning Capabilities can use human corrections to refine supported workflow decisions, while Human in the Loop processes allow authorized reviewers to resolve exceptions and approve sensitive actions. The CRP should verify these review paths, audit records, and expected system updates rather than assuming that an automated step is complete merely because it was initiated.
Best Practices and Exit Criteria
Successful pilots rely on preparation, active participation, and clear decisions. Provide participants with test scripts and access before the session, use representative business data, and appoint a facilitator to keep each scenario aligned with its objective. Record questions and findings as they arise instead of relying on informal meeting notes.
Before concluding the CRP, confirm that critical scenarios have been executed, financial results have been checked, findings have assigned owners, and unresolved items have documented dispositions. The project team should obtain process-owner approval and agree on the corrections or additional tests required before proceeding to the next implementation stage. A completed CRP provides evidence for readiness decisions, but it does not replace broader user acceptance testing, cutover planning, or production approval.
Summary
An Epicor Conference Room Pilot validates configured ERP processes through realistic, cross-functional business scenarios before go-live. By combining user participation, transaction testing, financial reconciliation, control validation, and documented sign-off, organizations can confirm that Epicor supports their operating requirements and produces reliable business and financial outcomes.