Not every operational problem is an ERP problem. One of the most expensive mistakes mid-market companies make is forcing a workflow into the ERP that the ERP was never designed to hold — then paying for years of brittle customisation to keep it there.
The rule of thumb: the ERP owns the system of record — finance, inventory, procurement, the transactional truth. Everything that touches a non-finance user at high frequency — a field technician logging jobs, a customer checking an order, a warehouse picker scanning stock — is often better served by a purpose-built custom app that integrates with the ERP rather than living inside it.
This is the ERP++ thesis in practice. The ERP stays clean and upgradeable. The custom app gives users an experience designed for their job, not for an accountant. The integration layer keeps the two in sync. You get the compliance and reporting of a modern ERP with the usability of bespoke software — without the maintenance debt of over-customising the core.