Decision framework · Illustrative
Do You Actually Need an ERP?
A practical framework for recognising when a growing business has outgrown spreadsheets and disconnected tools.
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Visual explainer · Illustrative
Why Inventory Goes Out of Sync
How connected systems end up telling different stories about the same stock.
The short answer
Inventory usually exists across several connected systems. Problems appear when those systems update at different speeds, fail to communicate, or disagree about which one is the source of truth.
See what happens
Warehouse Management System
Enterprise Resource Planning
Ecommerce Platform
Marketplaces
In this illustrative stock-publication path, each system passes on a view of inventory. If one update is delayed, a selling channel can still promise an item that is no longer available.
Systems involved
Ecommerce Platform
ECOMMERCEThe online platform where customers discover products, place orders and manage purchases. Shopify is one example.
View systemMarketplaces
Connects external selling channels to product, order and inventory workflows.
View systemEnterprise Resource Planning
ERPThe central system that connects inventory, purchasing, finance and core business records.
View systemOrder Management System
OMSControls how orders are received, routed, allocated and fulfilled across channels.
View systemWarehouse Management System
WMSControls how inventory is received, stored, picked and shipped inside a warehouse.
View systemWhere it breaks
| What happens | Why the stock counts diverge |
|---|---|
| Updates arrive at different times | One system is showing an older view of stock. |
| A connection fails | The next system never receives the change. |
| Teams adjust stock manually | The next sync can overwrite the correction. |
| Definitions differ | Physical stock, reserved stock and sellable stock are treated as the same number. |
How companies approach it
- Agree who owns physical stock, reservations and available-to-sell quantities.
- Use consistent product identifiers and inventory definitions.
- Make failed updates visible, with retries and a named owner.
- Reconcile changes against physical events and source records.