The power of early CRIM delivery in IFS Cloud upgrades

Jon Allen is Change8’s Co-Founder and Programme Delivery Director. His project with Flamingo Flowers Ltd won Best IFS Implementation 2023/24. Jon pioneered Change8’s 12-week CRIM uplift approach with Valeo Foods UK.

In this blog, Jon explains why, when you are upgrading to IFS Cloud and aiming for a fast, low risk implementation, a tech upgrade is the quickest path to go live.

CRIM (customisations, reports, integrations, and modifications) plays a critical role in aligning the application with the business needs, but it is often one of the key stumbling blocks in this upgrade approach.

In many technical upgrade projects, work on CRIM uplift is often not started until many weeks into the project. This leads to later identification of gaps between legacy CRIM and the IFS Cloud architecture, which in turn hugely increases the risk of project overrun.

Change8 has developed a new approach to uplift methodology by completing CRIM in a condensed, early-stage timeline rather than spanning it over multiple iterations.

In today’s competitive landscape, the ability to deliver transformative projects quickly and efficiently is a hallmark of successful businesses.

Jon Allen
Change8 Co-Founder & Programme Delivery Director

Why early CRIM Delivery is a game changer for IFS cloud upgrades

1. Reduced technical risk and early issue resolution

One of the key advantages of early CRIM uplift is the ability to identify and resolve underlying technical issues at the beginning of the project. When businesses migrate to IFS Cloud, existing CRIM elements may reference outdated database tables, APIs, or code structures that no longer exist. By uplifting CRIM early, these issues are surfaced and fixed before they become major blockers later in the programme.

2. A fully functional system available for testing earlier

A major drawback of delivering CRIM later in the project is that early testing is often performed on a ‘vanilla’ IFS Cloud system—one that lacks the business’s critical configurations, reports, integrations, and modifications. This leads to fragmented and iterative testing, where users must repeatedly revisit certain processes as more CRIM elements are implemented. By delivering CRIM early, end users can perform comprehensive, end-to-end testing on a fully functional system right from the start.

3. Predictability in resource planning

From a project management perspective, early CRIM delivery allows for better forecasting of resource needs. Instead of spreading CRIM development sporadically across the project, businesses can allocate a defined window where subject matter experts (SMEs) and testers are heavily engaged. Once this period concludes, teams can move into structured system acceptance testing (SAT) and user acceptance testing (UAT) without interruptions caused by ongoing CRIM work.

4. Improved business engagement and adoption

User adoption is one of the biggest risks in an IFS Cloud upgrade. When CRIM is delivered late, users are often forced to engage with a system that doesn’t yet reflect their operational processes. This can lead to frustration, disengagement, and ultimately poor adoption post-go-live. An early CRIM delivery ensures that users interact with a system that feels familiar, leading to greater confidence and a smoother transition.

5. Better budget and burn rate control

From a financial perspective, separating early CRIM uplift from the later phases of the project allows businesses to track technical work and functional enhancements separately. This enables clearer budget control, as a large portion of technical risk is mitigated early, leaving later-stage consultancy focused on business process refinement rather than extensive rework.

6. Minimising late-stage go-live risks

One of the primary causes of delayed go-lives is late discovery of technical issues or incomplete functionality. By addressing CRIM within the first three months, businesses significantly reduce the likelihood of last-minute surprises that could push back deployment timelines. This approach leads to a smoother, more predictable path to go-live.

How This approach supports post-go-live success

The benefits of early CRIM delivery extend beyond the implementation phase. With fewer unresolved issues at go-live, businesses experience:

• A shorter and less complex hypercare period.
• Fewer technical support tickets, as most issues have been identified and resolved early.
• A quicker transition to business-as-usual (BAU) operations and continuous improvement initiatives.

Final thoughts:
Why businesses should prioritise early CRIM delivery in IFS Cloud upgrades

If an organisation is simply upgrading to IFS Cloud to move off an earlier version, a lift-and-shift with early CRIM completion is the least risky approach. It provides:

• Faster delivery.
• A smoother go-live experience.
• A clear path to long-term system enhancements.

Ultimately, the evidence is clear: an early CRIM uplift reduces risk, improves user adoption, enhances budget control, and accelerates the path to business value. For businesses moving to IFS Cloud, this approach ensures a more structured, efficient, and predictable upgrade journey.