How to choose the right ERP software: 6 lessons from real estate leaders
Choosing an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system is one of the most significant decisions a real estate organisation can make. The right platform reshapes how the business operates, how people work and how effectively the organisation responds to growth and portfolio complexity. Yet many leadership teams still underestimate the scale of change an ERP introduces – and what “good” truly looks like in a modern, data-driven environment.
To bring clarity to that decision, we brought together transformation leaders from Grosvenor, SEGRO and Revantage – organisations YAVICA works with across different stages of their digital transformation journeys – at the YAVICA Annual Conference in September 2025. They shared their experiences candidly: what worked, what didn’t, and what they now advise other real estate executives to do differently.
Below are six grounded, experience-based lessons from leaders who have navigated the complexity and breakthroughs of ERP transformation in real estate.
1. Start with strategy, not software features
ERP programmes often fail when they are approached as technology projects. Many ERP selections begin with product demos and long requirements lists, but these activities rarely address the most important question.
“It is not a tech programme. You can never have it centred in tech.”
The key question isn’t which ERP has the best features – it’s which one will help us achieve our business ambition in the next five years.
At Grosvenor, the strategy is clear: simplify the technology landscape, improve data quality and accelerate strategic decision-making. These priorities guide every choice.
Giulio Tedeschi, Director of Technology & Architecture at Segro, reinforces that alignment must happen well before vendor selection. Segro started by mapping all business capabilities – from finance and investment through property operations, sustainability, HR, legal and procurement – and rating them:
“Which capabilities do we need to be gold in, which should be pretty good, and which are not differentiators for us?”.
They then overlaid their current systems and potential ERPs onto that capability model to see, as Giulio puts it, “where are we compared to where we want to get to”, and used that as the basis for discussions with the executive team.
The message is simple: treat ERP selection as a business transformation initiative, not a system replacement. Define where your organisation needs to be in the future, then choose the ERP software that best supports that trajectory.
2. Standardise where possible, customise only when necessary
Real estate companies often have complex histories and diverse processes, which can lead to an expectation that an ERP must replicate legacy workflows. This assumption quietly undermines transformation.
Ieuan Williams, Global Head of Technology Advisory and Operations & CTO UK at Revantage, sees the consequences firsthand.
“The more you customise, the harder it is to move forward. We try to steer people away from it as much as possible.”
He notes that many of the processes organisations believe are “unique” and simply accumulated workarounds – not true differentiators.
Revantage’s approach is to prioritise simplification over recreation: “If the only reason you’re doing something is because that’s the way you’ve always done it; that’s not a justification for customising an ERP.”
The takeaway is clear: modern real estate ERP systems force clarity. Start with standardised, out-of-the-box processes, and customise only when it delivers measurable business value.
3. Choose your ERP implementation partner as carefully as your platform
Selecting the right ERP platform is important, but choosing the right implementation partner is often even more essential.
Kevin Kincaid states: “You can have the best platform, but if you don’t have the right SI, it will be poorly implemented.”
A strong partner understands real estate processes, challenges assumptions constructively and protects standardisation.
Giulio Tedeschi, Director of Technology & Architecture at Segro, highlights the value of industry collaboration: “Property is the most open industry I’ve worked in. Talking to peers about their ERP journey – that’s absolute gold.”
Real estate organisations can tap into peer experience more transparently than most sectors. Your implementation partner should feel like an extension of that network – not an external contractor.
4. Data quality will make or break your ERP implementation
Every leader reinforces the same point: your data is never as clean as you think it is.
“No matter how good you think your data is, it’s never going to be quite good enough.”
Grosvenor addressed this by beginning data cleanup roughly 18 months before implementation. That decision should prevent major downstream delays, reduced surprises, and ensure the new system can perform as intended.
Data readiness remains one of the biggest blind spots for senior teams because issues often surface only once migration starts.
Ieuan Williams echoes this, noting that ignoring data problems only inflates cost and risk later:
“If you take the same messy data and drop it into a new system, you’re not transforming anything.”
Successful real estate ERP programmes begin data work early, define data ownership, and avoid assuming the system will fix underlying problems.
5. Change fatigue is the biggest threat – not the technology
ERP transformation in real estate is rarely derailed by software. It is almost always derailed by people being overwhelmed.
Large, multi-year ERP programmes require teams to adopt new processes while facing industry-wide pressures such as AI, automation, and market uncertainty.
Kevin Kincaid describes the human reality: “People are looking at AI coming down at a whole new ERP implementation and they’re thinking: am I going to have a job at the end of this?”
Grosvenor started preparing people for change even before the RFP process, consistently linking it to the strategic vision and answering the “what’s in it for me?” question for employees and clients. Even so, Kevin notes they are “12–18 months in” and still having the same conversations – which shows how persistent change leadership needs to be.
Executives who manage this risk effectively:
- Communicate early, transparently and consistently
- Explain why the change is happening now
- Deliver early wins, such as improved reporting
- Pace the programme so the business can absorb change
- Build a business-led network of champions
In ERP transformation, momentum must be sustained – not rushed.
6. Multi-market organisations must define governance early
International real estate organisations face added complexity. Each region often has its own preferred processes, tools and regulatory requirements.
Giulio Tedeschi describes the common challenge: “Everyone agrees we should all do things one way – but then every market can justify why their version is the best one.”
To avoid fragmentation, leadership must clearly define:
- Global versus local processes
- Where standardisation is mandatory
- Process ownership and governance models
- Incentives that encourage cross-market collaboration
Without strong governance, ERP programmes are pulled into local optimisation and political tension.
A better real estate ERP decision starts with better questions
The most successful real estate companies:
- Anchor ERP selection in strategic business goals
- Prioritise standardisation over re-creating legacy systems
- Ensure ownership sits with the business leaders, not IT
- Select implementation partners who understand real estate
- Begin data preparation and change management early
These principles apply whether you are starting your first ERP programme or rethinking your digital foundation.
At YAVICA, we help real estate organisations evaluate, implement and scale ERP solutions with the clarity, industry expertise and practical experience needed to get these decisions right.
Learn more about YAVICA’s approach to real estate ERP implementation.
About the contributors
Kevin Kincaid – Group Transformation Director, Grosvenor Group
Kevin oversees transformation across Grosvenor Group, one of the UK’s largest and longest-established property companies, with an international portfolio spanning urban real estate, regional development and diversified investments across the UK, North America and Asia. His work focuses on modernising processes, strengthening data foundations and aligning business operations with a long-term digital strategy. In the panel, Kevin shared practical insights from Grosvenor’s ERP journey – including the need for business ownership, careful partner selection and disciplined change leadership.
Giulio Tedeschi – Director of Technology & Architecture, SEGRO
Giulio leads technology and architecture at SEGRO, a FTSE 100 real estate investment trust specialising in modern industrial and logistics properties across the UK and Continental Europe. He is responsible for shaping SEGRO’s digital roadmap, coordinating across multiple markets and supporting the organisation’s shift toward more standardised, scalable ways of working. In the discussion, Giulio provided pragmatic perspectives on capability mapping, governance, and securing executive alignment early in an ERP journey.
Ieuan Williams – Global Head of Technology Advisory & Operations and CTO (UK), Revantage
Ieuan holds dual leadership roles at Revantage, the corporate services company supporting Blackstone’s global real estate portfolio. Revantage delivers finance, technology, HR, legal and corporate services to operating companies across Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific. Ieuan’s cross-portfolio role gives him deep visibility into the ERP challenges and patterns shared across diverse asset classes and jurisdictions. In the panel, he highlighted lessons on customisation pitfalls, technical debt and the importance of strong executive sponsorship.
Solutions
Yavica
Data management
Manage large amounts of data with company groupings, hierarchal structures and enhanced reporting.
Yavica
Loan management
A scalable solution to process, handle and optimise large volumes of debts and commitments in Microsoft Dynamics 365.
