A Sage project rarely fails in one dramatic moment. It drifts: a go-live date moves, a report never quite balances, a customisation behaves differently every time it is touched. A Sage audit is the way to stop guessing. An independent review of the installation tells you what is sound, what is broken and whether the right next step is a repair, a new supplier or, occasionally, a fresh start.
This page explains when an audit is justified, what it examines, how a Sage project rescue (reprise de projet) works and how to change Sage integrator without throwing away the work already done.
Signs that a Sage audit is overdue
Not every irritation needs an audit. These patterns usually do:
- Repeated slippage. The go-live date has moved more than once and each explanation is different.
- Shadow spreadsheets. Finance, purchasing or the warehouse keep parallel records because they do not trust the system.
- Fragile month-end. The close depends on journals posted by hand or on one person who "knows the workaround".
- Opaque fixes. Your supplier cannot say what a change will affect, or each fix breaks something elsewhere.
- Statutory strain. VAT returns under Making Tax Digital or RTI payroll submissions need manual intervention every period.
- Key-person risk. One consultant, or one member of your own team, holds all the knowledge.
- A decision on the horizon. You are considering an upgrade, a new subsidiary, a move to the cloud or a different partner, and want facts first.
If two or three of these sound familiar, the cost of an audit is usually small next to the cost of another quarter of drift.
What a Sage audit examines
A proper audit is structured and written down. It looks at six areas, each with its own findings.
| Area | What is checked | Typical finding |
|---|---|---|
| Configuration | Chart of accounts, VAT codes, analysis structure, number sequences, user roles, workflow | Settings that contradict how the business trades |
| Data | Customer, supplier and stock masters, opening balances, duplicates, historic imports | Duplicate records, unreconciled control accounts |
| Customisation | Bespoke reports, screens, scripts and add-ons, and whether they are documented | Code nobody can maintain, or a customisation that standard features now cover |
| Integrations | Links to e-commerce, banking, payroll, CRM and reporting tools | Fragile scheduled jobs, no error alerting |
| Performance and reliability | Speed at peak times, database health, backups, restore tests | Backups that have never been restored |
| Security and version | User access, segregation of duties, patch level, supported release | An outdated release, or users with far wider rights than their role needs |
For background on the product range you may be auditing, see Sage versions and editions and Sage modules.
Configuration and data
Most rescued projects turn out to have a data problem before they have a software problem. The auditor compares what the system holds with what the business actually does: whether VAT treatment is consistent, whether stock valuations agree with the ledger, whether customer and supplier records are clean. Poor migration is a frequent cause, which is why the audit often cross-refers to the original Sage migration work.
Customisation and integrations
Bespoke development is where projects most often go wrong. The auditor asks which customisations are in use, who wrote them, whether the source is available and whether they survive an upgrade. A well-run review separates what should be kept, what should be replaced by standard functionality and what should be retired. More on the discipline involved is in Sage customisation and Sage integrations.
Security, hosting and version
Access rights tend to grow untidily. Leavers keep accounts, finance users can edit master data and shared logins appear. The auditor also confirms which release you run, whether it is still supported and whether your hosting arrangement is robust. Backups matter only if a restore has been tested.
Reading the audit report
A useful report is not a list of complaints. It should contain:
- A plain-language summary a managing director or finance director can act on.
- Findings ranked by business impact, not by technical interest.
- Root causes, separating a scoping error from a configuration slip or a skills gap.
- Options, such as repair in place, partial rebuild, upgrade or replacement, each with its trade-offs.
- A sequenced recovery plan with owners and dependencies, without invented precision on duration or cost.
Be wary of an audit that blames everything on the previous supplier, or one that recommends a full rebuild without evidence from your data.
Changing Sage integrator without starting again
In the UK, Sage 200 is deployed and licensed through the partner channel. Sage's own knowledge base, for example, directs customers to their Business Partner for the multi-company Making Tax Digital module, and training access runs through Sage University. The consequence is practical: your relationship is with a partner, and moving to another is an ordinary arrangement, not a break with the software.
What makes a handover succeed is preparation.
Documents and access to recover
Before you give notice, secure the following:
- the original specification, statement of work and any signed change requests;
- configuration documentation, process maps and test scripts;
- source code and deployment notes for every customisation and integration;
- licence details, serial numbers and the contact on the Sage account;
- administrator credentials, held by your organisation rather than by the supplier;
- a current full backup and a record of the last successful restore;
- the open issue list, with priorities.
For tax processes, check who holds the authorisations. Accounting firms using Sage VAT Centre need an HMRC Agent Services Account, one per firm, to which existing Government Gateway credentials are linked so that client authorisations carry over. If your accountant submits on your behalf, confirm that arrangement is not tied to the outgoing integrator.
A handover that protects your business
- Agree the exit terms in writing: what is delivered, by when and how queries are handled afterwards.
- Run a short audit first, ideally by the incoming partner, so scope and fault lines are agreed before work begins.
- Freeze non-essential changes until the baseline is established.
- Transfer knowledge in sessions, not just documents, with your own key users present.
- Keep a short overlap so questions do not fall into a gap.
Choosing the new supplier deserves the same care as the first selection. Our notes on choosing a Sage partner and the wider guide to choosing an ERP integrator set out the questions to ask, including how the partner approaches inherited projects.
A recovery plan that works
Once the audit is accepted, a rescue normally follows five stages.
Stabilise
Stop the bleeding first. Fix anything that blocks VAT returns, payroll submissions, invoicing or the month-end close. Tidy user access and confirm backups. Do not start new features.
Clean the data
Correct master data, reconcile control accounts and remove duplicates. A system with trustworthy data is far easier to reconfigure.
Realign configuration and customisation
Bring settings back in line with how the business really operates. Replace bespoke code with standard functionality where possible and document what remains.
Retrain the people
Many "software" problems are habits. Short, role-based sessions for finance, sales and warehouse staff, with a named internal champion, tend to pay back quickly. See Sage training.
Put governance in place
Agree who approves changes, how issues are logged and how releases are tested. A sensible support and maintenance arrangement keeps the system from sliding again.
Repair, re-implement or replace?
| Situation | Usual direction |
|---|---|
| Sound data model, a few misconfigured areas | Repair in place |
| Good core but unmaintainable custom code | Partial rebuild using standard features |
| Unsupported version, otherwise healthy | Upgrade, with a fresh test cycle |
| Wrong product for the business model | Consider alternatives to Sage |
| Fundamental scoping failure, poor data | Structured re-implementation, see Sage implementation |
Replacing the product is the last option, not the first. Switching ERP carries its own risks, and an audit that is honest about the fit will say so either way. If the review points that way, our guide to common ERP project mistakes helps you avoid repeating them.
How ERP Integrator helps
ERP Integrator is a free service. You describe your situation: version, sites, what has gone wrong and what you need to work again. We then match you with a Sage integrator suited to a review or rescue. The integrator carries out the audit and the project; we do not, and we have no affiliation with Sage. How the matching works is set out on one page, and you can start from the main Sage page.
Frequently asked questions
When should we commission a Sage audit?
Commission one when go-live keeps slipping, when users work around the system in spreadsheets, when month-end close depends on manual fixes, or when your supplier cannot explain why something behaves as it does. An audit is also sensible before a version upgrade, a new entity or a change of integrator, because it gives you an independent baseline.
Can we change Sage integrator in the middle of a project?
Yes. Sage 200 is deployed and licensed in the UK through partners, so a change of partner is a normal commercial event rather than a restart. The key is to recover the specification, configuration documentation, custom code and administrator access first, and to agree a clean handover date with both parties.
Will an audit mean starting the implementation again?
Rarely. Most audits conclude that much of the configuration and data can be kept, with specific areas corrected. A full restart is only recommended when the data model, the version or the custom development is unsound enough that repairing it would cost more than rebuilding.
What do we need to give an auditor?
Administrator access to a test copy, the original specification and statement of work, change requests, a list of customisations and integrations, and recent support tickets. For tax processes, the auditor will also want to see how your VAT submissions and any agent authorisations with HMRC are set up.
Does ERP Integrator carry out the audit?
No. ERP Integrator is a free matching service. We put you in touch with a Sage integrator suited to your situation, and that integrator scopes and carries out the audit or rescue. We are not affiliated with Sage.
Sources
- Sage knowledge base (Sage 200 MTD multi-company)
- Sage Business Cloud help (Making Tax Digital overview)
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