ERP Business Analyst, Australia

GST and BAS as testable requirements

Most Australian businesses registered for GST report it to the ATO through the Business Activity Statement. The ERP does not lodge the BAS on its own judgment. It records transactions with the right tax codes so that the figures your accountant or BAS agent needs are reliable. That is why GST belongs in the requirements, not just the configuration.

In the BRD, I document a GST scenario matrix with your accountant. Typical rows include standard taxable sales, GST-free sales such as qualifying exports, input-taxed items, purchases from non-registered suppliers, imported goods, mixed-supply invoices, adjustments and credit notes. For each, the matrix records the expected tax code, the accounts affected and where the amount should appear in BAS reporting.

I also capture related needs: ABN validation on supplier records, tax invoice content, reporting for other items your BAS may include, such as PAYG withholding where payroll feeds the ledger, and the audit trail finance needs at period end. Tax decisions stay with your accountant. My role is to make sure the confirmed rules are written down, configured consistently and tested. This forms part of my ERP requirements gathering work.

Payroll, Single Touch Payroll and superannuation boundaries

One of the most important decisions in an Australian ERP project is where payroll should live. Employers report pay and super information to the ATO through Single Touch Payroll, and superannuation contributions are typically calculated and processed through the payroll system. These processes run every pay cycle and must be reliable.

Some ERP platforms include payroll that supports Australian requirements. Others rely on a specialist payroll system integrated with the ledger. As a business analyst, I do not choose for you based on preference. I document requirements and let the fit-gap analysis show the trade-offs:

• Pay frequencies, awards or agreements in use and the complexity of allowances and penalty rates.
• Timesheet sources, such as job sites, field service apps or rostering tools.
• Labor cost allocation to jobs, departments or locations.
• Journal and payment integration back to the ERP.
• Who owns employee master data, and how leave and entitlements are reported.

Once requirements are clear, a boundary decision becomes straightforward. Your accountant or payroll specialist should confirm compliance needs. My ERP solution design page explains how these decisions shape the overall architecture.

Process mapping for trades, distribution and services

Many Australian growing businesses work in construction and trades, wholesale distribution, light manufacturing or field services. Their processes are often split across several apps, each doing part of the job. Process mapping shows how the pieces really fit together and where information gets lost.

Areas I commonly map for Australian clients include:

• Quote to job to invoice: estimates, variations, progress claims, retentions and how labor and materials are captured against jobs.
• Purchase to stock: supplier orders, receipts, landed cost on imports, stock transfers between states and stocktakes.
• Service and maintenance: scheduled work, call-outs, technician time, parts used and recurring billing.
• Multi-entity groups: intercompany trading and consolidated reporting for owners and lenders.

Each map shows the people, steps, systems and handoffs, with pain points marked. In the to-be design, we decide what the ERP should handle, which specialist tools stay and how data flows between them. This avoids the common mistake of replacing a good field service or e-commerce tool simply because the ERP has a basic version. See my ERP process mapping service and the ERP for construction guide.

Requirements for migrating from MYOB or Xero

Most Australian ERP projects start from MYOB or Xero, usually with several connected apps. Migration is not just exporting the ledger. Business analysis defines what each data set means today and how it should look in the new system.

I document the current setup first: accounts, tracking categories or jobs, tax codes, contacts, items, add-on apps and the reports finance relies on. Then I agree the mapping for each area:

• A chart of accounts redesigned where needed for departments, locations or projects.
• Tax codes mapped to the new GST configuration and tested against the scenario matrix.
• Customers and suppliers with ABNs, payment terms and contacts cleaned before migration.
• Items, units, costing method and opening stock values reconciled with the accounts.
• Open invoices, bills, jobs and the amount of history to bring across.

I also define a cut-over plan, often aligned with a BAS period or financial year boundary as agreed with your accountant, so reporting stays clean. Reconciliation checks prove that opening balances match. The ERP migration checklist gives a broader view, and my ERP consultant page for Australia covers when moving to an ERP makes sense.

Fit-gap analysis and UAT based on your transactions

With requirements signed off, I score each shortlisted platform in a fit-gap matrix. Every requirement is marked as met by standard features, configuration, an add-on, a workaround or custom development, with notes on effort and risk. For Australian projects, the GST scenarios, job costing, payroll integration and migration effort usually carry the most weight.

The same requirements drive user acceptance testing. I write UAT scripts using your real transactions: a taxable sale, a GST-free export, an import with landed cost, a progress claim with retention, a credit note, a pay run posting labor costs to jobs, and month-end reporting. Expected results are agreed with finance and, where relevant, your accountant before testing starts.

Testing runs remotely during your business hours, which overlap well with Asian time zones, so issues can be raised and discussed the same day. I log defects, retest fixes and keep a clear record of what passed. That record supports management sign-off and gives your accountant confidence in the new system. Learn more on my ERP gap analysis and testing and UAT pages, visit the Australia overview, or get in touch.