Case study · Manufacturing IT
Dynamics expertise without a year-long hire
Companies running Business Central or Finance & Operations often have a backlog of enhancements and a small IT team that can't keep up. This is how we added Dynamics developers and consultants who join the in-house team and work through the backlog in its priorities.
Project overview
Dynamics specialists embedded in the client's IT team.
- Industry
- Manufacturing IT
- Client
- Confidential
- Model
- Staff augmentation
- Skills
- AL, X++, Power Platform
- Ramp-up
- 2–4 weeks
- Team size
- 1–4 people
- Work
- Backlog, enhancements, upgrades
- Management
- The client's IT manager
- Terms
- Monthly, part or full-time
Expected business outcomes
What the client set out to achieve
Backlog reduction and upgrade readiness are the measures.
-
2–4 weeks
To the first delivered enhancement
Developers start on small, well-defined backlog items.
After onboarding
-
Steady
Backlog reduction
Enhancements delivered in the team's priority order.
Measured in the client's backlog tool
-
Kept current
Microsoft updates
Extensions tested and updated for each release.
Where included in scope
Business challenges
Where the client started
One or two people keep the ERP running and everything else waits.
Backlog
Dozens of enhancement requests from finance and operations.
Skills
Dynamics developers are hard to hire locally.
Partner
The implementation partner is expensive for small changes.
Updates
Microsoft updates tested late or skipped.
Risk
Knowledge concentrated in one internal person.
Proposed solution
How the engagement works
Specialists who fit into the client's IT team's rhythm.
-
Matched specialists
Developers and consultants with the right Dynamics product experience.
-
The client's priorities
Work taken from the client's backlog in the order the client set.
-
The client's environments
Sandboxes, source control and deployment as the client's team runs them.
-
Update testing
Extensions tested against Microsoft's releases.
-
Knowledge sharing
Documentation and handover so knowledge isn't concentrated again.
-
Flexible hours
Part-time or full-time, adjusted monthly.
Project requirements
What the client asked us for
The request was extra hands on the Dynamics backlog. The design goal is continuity: the same people each month, who learn the business and the customisations.
Documentation is part of the job, so the company isn't dependent on any one person again.
What the project had to deliver
- 01Dynamics specialists on demand
- 02Work in the client's priority order
- 03Updates kept current
- 04Knowledge documented
Key challenges & considerations
What made it harder, and what we did
-
Undocumented customisations
What we did
Customisations were documented as each one was touched.
-
Access and security approvals
What we did
Access was arranged through the client's approval process before work began.
-
Business users' availability for testing
What we did
Test sessions with business users were booked in advance.
-
Mixed BC and F&O estates
What we did
Specialists were matched to each estate, Business Central or Finance & Operations.
What we watched for
- Keep the same specialists
- Document customisations as you go
- Book business users for testing
- Plan around Microsoft releases
Development process
From backlog to delivery
A structured start on a real backlog.
-
Needs assessment
Backlog, skills and hours agreed.
-
Selection
Specialists proposed and interviewed by the client.
-
Onboarding
Access, environments and a walkthrough of customisations.
-
First items
Small backlog items delivered and reviewed.
-
Steady state
Monthly planning and reviews.
Technology stack
Your Dynamics estate
We worked in the environments and processes the client already had.
ERP
- Business Central (AL)
- Finance & Operations (X++)
Platform
- Power Automate
- Power Apps
- Dataverse
Delivery
- The client's source control
- The client's deployment pipeline
Management
- The client's backlog tool
- Monthly reviews
Quality assurance & deployment
Held to the client's own standards
Our engineers worked inside the client's team, so quality was measured the client's way: their definition of done, their reviews and their pipelines.
- The client's definition of done on every ticket
- Code review on every change, by the client's team and ours
- Automated tests written with the work, not after it
- The client's security and access policies followed
- Delivery reviewed every sprint with the client's lead
Deployment
- 01First itemsSmall backlog items delivered and reviewed.
- 02Steady stateMonthly planning and reviews.
- 03Releases through the client's pipelineWork shipped through the client's own CI/CD and release process.
- 04ContinuityThe same engineers kept on the product, with a monthly review of fit and performance.
Final deliverables
A backlog that moves
Finance and operations see their enhancement requests delivered, Microsoft updates are handled on time and knowledge is documented.
The IT team has Dynamics expertise without a long hiring process.
- Backlog delivered
- Updates handled
- Knowledge documented
- Flexible capacity
Handed over to the client
- 01Delivered workIn the client's repositories and boards
- 02DocumentationWritten as the work was done
- 03Knowledge transferThrough pairing and review
- 04Monthly reviewsOf delivery and fit
- 05Flexible termsScale up or down monthly
Success metrics
How success is measured
| Measure | Outcome | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|
| To the first delivered enhancement | 2–4 weeks | After onboarding |
| Backlog reduction | Steady | Measured in the client's backlog tool |
| Microsoft updates | Kept current | Where included in scope |
Verified reviews
What clients say about our staff augmentation work
Verified reviews from our clients on the same kind of work, published on Clutch.
-
Staff Augmentation
Staff Augmentation & Software Development for a Cloud Platform
Their talent and agility as developers are exceptional.
Verified review on Clutch (Hemen Showkati, opens in a new tab)
Hemen Showkati
Co-Founder & CEO, Doprax Oct 2021 – Ongoing
-
Staff Augmentation
Remote Software Development Support
Their responsiveness proved to be extremely valuable for the project.
Verified review on Clutch (Nathaniel Bibler, opens in a new tab)
Nathaniel Bibler
CEO & Development Director, Envy Labs Mar 2022 – Jan 2023
-
Staff Augmentation
Staff Augmentation for a Support Company
They worked with us enthusiastically, taking the time to understand our needs and offering helpful solutions.
James Sullivan Founder & CEO, Support Company Mar 2022 – Feb 2023 Verified review on Clutch (James Sullivan, opens in a new tab)
Free discovery call
Have an idea? Let's turn it into AI-powered software.
Book a free discovery call with our experts. Share your idea and we will help you shape the scope, timeline and budget, under NDA.
- Free consultation
- NDA before we talk
- Transparent estimate




