How to Choose a Dynamics 365 Implementation Partner for a Mid-Market Company
Two Dynamics 365 implementation partners can review the same project and come back with very different prices. Before you pick one, you need to know what each firm has included, what it expects your team to handle, and who will actually deliver the project.
A convincing sales presentation won't answer those questions. The proposal, the people assigned to your project, and the partner's responses when you challenge its assumptions will tell you more.
For a mid-market company, the stakes are practical. Your finance manager, sales director, or IT lead may be expected to help with the implementation while still running their department. If the partner has underestimated that commitment, your team will feel it once the project begins.
What should you look for in a Dynamics 365 implementation partner?
Look for a firm that can explain the proposed implementation in terms your leadership team can evaluate. Before signing, you should know:
Which business processes and Dynamics 365 applications are included.
Who will lead design, data migration, integrations, testing, and go-live.
What your employees must supply, decide, or approve.
Which requirements need customization and why.
What could increase the price or delay the schedule.
How the partner will handle problems and support your team after go-live.
Microsoft's Dynamics 365 implementation guidance identifies many tasks that can remain with the customer, including source-data quality, user acceptance testing, internal resources, security validation, and organizational change. Those responsibilities should appear in the proposed delivery plan.
Make sure every partner is pricing the same project
Suppose you're comparing two proposals to implement Dynamics 365 Sales. One includes cleaning up customer records, migrating activity history, connecting your accounting system, and training sales managers. The other assumes you'll prepare the data, excludes the accounting integration, and provides a few training sessions.
The second proposal may cost less. It also leaves your company responsible for more of the project.
Ask each partner to explain the scope in writing:
Area | What to ask |
|---|---|
Business processes | Which sales, service, finance, or operational processes will be configured? |
Data migration | What data will move, who will clean it, and how will accuracy be checked? |
Integrations | Which other systems will connect to Dynamics 365, and what is excluded? |
Reporting | Which dashboards and reports will be ready at go-live? |
Security | Who defines access, approval rules, and any compliance requirements? |
Testing | Who writes scenarios, tests complete business processes, and approves the results? |
Training and support | Who prepares users, handles questions after go-live, and fixes defects? |
You don't need every design decision finalized to compare proposals. You do need the significant unknowns identified, with an explanation of how and when they will be resolved.
If you haven't yet settled on the right application or scope, Alliason's Confidence Roadmaps help establish fit, requirements, dependencies, risk, and investment expectations before an implementation is approved. The Dynamics 365 Implementation Planner can also provide an early cost range based on scope and complexity. It is a planning estimate, not a quote.
Check experience with the application you actually need
A partner with extensive Dynamics 365 Sales experience may know little about Business Central implementations. The products serve different business needs, and the problems your team must solve will differ too.
For Dynamics 365 Sales, ask about pipeline stages, forecasting, account ownership, existing CRM data, and integrations with email or other systems. For Business Central, ask about financial controls, purchasing, inventory, project accounting, and any manufacturing processes in scope.
Industry references help when the project is genuinely comparable. If a prospective partner says it specializes in manufacturing, ask what production, inventory, or financial processes it has implemented. For professional services, ask how it handled project costs, time entry, billing, or revenue reporting.
Ask to speak with someone from a recent project involving similar applications and business requirements. A relevant, detailed reference is more useful than a long client-logo slide.
Find out who will actually deliver the implementation
The senior consultant who understands your business during the sales process may not be the person running your project.
Ask to meet the proposed solution architect or functional lead. Find out who will handle configuration, migration, integrations, testing, and project management. Ask whether those people are assigned, how much of their time is available, and who takes over if someone leaves.
A smaller specialist might provide direct access to experienced consultants. A larger firm might have more people available when specialist skills are needed. Either can be a good choice if the proposed team matches your requirements.
Ask this in the partner interview: Who here will be responsible for our implementation after we sign?
If the answer is unclear, get the staffing commitments in writing before proceeding.
Ask the partner to challenge your requirements
A partner who agrees to build everything you request may be overlooking opportunities to use standard functionality or change an unnecessarily complicated process.
For example, your sales team might ask for a custom approval process because it has always used spreadsheets and email to approve discounts. A partner should explore the approval rules, exceptions, security needs, and available Dynamics 365 functionality before estimating custom development.
Ask these questions:
1. Which of our requirements would you challenge? Listen for specific reasons, alternatives, and business consequences.
2. What would you build using standard functionality? Ask the partner to explain any extensions or custom development.
3. What decisions do we need to make before configuration? Identify owners for process, data, and policy decisions.
4. Which integrations and data issues worry you most? Ask how those risks will be investigated.
5. What would cause you to recommend changing the scope or delaying implementation? Look for a reasoned answer tied to your situation.
Microsoft's implementation project guidance covers testing, migration, integrations, cutover, and training. Ask the partner how it intends to handle these activities for your particular project.
Understand what could change the price
Implementation proposals often carry assumptions that affect cost: how many systems need integration, how much historical data will migrate, how many processes require customization, and how much testing your team will handle.
Have each partner separate included services, exclusions, customer responsibilities, and items that still need investigation. Ask how change requests are priced and who can approve them.
When one quote is substantially lower, ask what has been left out or assigned to your employees. When one is substantially higher, ask what additional services, coverage, or risks the firm has included.
You should also understand whether the contract is fixed price, time and materials, or a combination. For a fixed-price agreement, examine what happens when requirements change. For time and materials, ask how hours and spending will be reported and controlled.
Account for the time your team must contribute
Even with a capable implementation partner, your employees will have decisions to make. Someone must approve how processes should run, validate customer and financial data, test real scenarios, and decide when the system is ready for use.
Microsoft's guidance on customer responsibilities explicitly includes internal staffing, data quality, testing, security, cutover, and business change.
Ask how many hours per week the partner expects from your finance, operations, sales, IT, and executive representatives. Make sure those employees can realistically spare the time. A project schedule built around people who are never available will quickly fall behind.
Speak with references about what went wrong
Every implementation has decisions, changes, and unexpected problems. References become more useful when you ask how the partner responded.
Ask former clients whether the promised consultants stayed involved, whether costs or dates changed, and how early the partner raised problems. Find out how much effort the client's own employees contributed and whether the support after go-live matched expectations.
Then ask: What would you put in the contract if you were hiring this partner again?
The answer can reveal missing assumptions or responsibilities that don't show up in a polished case study.
Don't rely on badges or location alone
Microsoft retired legacy Gold and Silver competencies in September 2022 and replaced them with newer partner designations. Microsoft's current partner program guidance explains the change.
Credentials can help you evaluate a firm's broad capabilities. They cannot tell you who will be assigned to your project or whether that team understands your processes. References, staffing commitments, and the proposed scope deserve equal scrutiny.
Location is another practical consideration. A Florida-based partner may be easier to bring on-site for workshops, training, or go-live support. A remote partner with stronger application experience may still be a better fit. Ask which activities need to happen in person and why.
What if you already have an implementation partner?
If another firm is delivering your project and leadership has concerns, you may want an independent review before deciding whether to replace it. Alliason's Client-Side Advocacy provides an independent perspective while another partner remains responsible for implementation.
When an implementation is stalled or a live system is underperforming, an Assessment can help identify what should be preserved and what needs to change.
That approach was relevant in the Highlight Health Dynamics 365 implementation recovery. Alliason helped recover a troubled implementation by keeping usable components and correcting the areas that did not support the company's business processes.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if a Dynamics 365 partner has enough mid-market experience?
Ask for examples involving companies with comparable processes, internal staffing constraints, integrations, and application requirements. Meet the people proposed for your project and speak with a recent reference about how the implementation actually went.
Should we choose the lowest Dynamics 365 implementation quote?
Compare the scope and assumptions before comparing totals. A lower quote can be reasonable, but confirm who owns migration, integrations, testing, training, and any services excluded from the price.
Does our Dynamics 365 partner need to be local?
That depends on the activities you need on-site. Local access may help with workshops and go-live preparation. Application experience and the quality of the delivery team should carry more weight in the final selection.
How much should a Dynamics 365 implementation cost?
The price depends on the application, process requirements, migration, integrations, reporting, testing, training, and customization. Alliason's Dynamics 365 Implementation Planner gives an early planning range based on scope and complexity, rather than a final quote.
Before you sign
Ask each prospective partner to walk through its proposed scope, delivery team, assumptions, exclusions, and your company's responsibilities. If the partners are proposing different amounts of work, resolve those differences before comparing prices or approving a contract.
Alliason is a Microsoft Partner focused on Business Applications. We help mid-market companies decide whether Dynamics 365 is appropriate, define a realistic path when it is, and deliver or review implementations as needed. If you want help evaluating the application, scope, or proposed implementation before making a commitment,
