Yesterday, we discussed the architectural gap that plagues service-based organizations. Today, we’ll do a deep dive into a platform designed to fill that void: Certinia. Formerly known as FinancialForce, Certinia represents a different way of thinking about enterprise software, one that is built with the services lifecycle at its core. Longitudinal data and field-tested perspectives highlight that its most defining characteristic isn’t just its feature set, but its architectural foundation.

Certinia is built natively on the Salesforce platform. This isn’t just a technical detail; it’s the entire strategic value proposition. By sharing the same data model as the world’s leading CRM, it eliminates the chasm between sales and delivery from the ground up. The opportunity in Salesforce becomes the project in Certinia without any clunky integration or data re-entry. It creates a single source of truth that extends from the first client contact to the final invoice and revenue recognition.

Core Components of a Services ERP

What makes a platform like Certinia a “Services ERP”? It’s the combination of capabilities that manage the entire bid-to-bill process.

  • Professional Services Automation (PSA): This is the engine of the services lifecycle. It includes robust project management, resource management to forecast and allocate talent, and time and expense tracking. It provides the real-time visibility into project health and profitability that is so often missing.
  • Services CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote): Traditional CPQ tools are built for physical products with SKUs. Services CPQ is different. It allows for the creation of complex quotes based on roles, rates, and effort, which can then be used to automatically staff projects once the deal is won.

Having these capabilities on the same platform as the company’s financial and accounting system is a game-changer. When a consultant submits a timesheet, it doesn’t just update the project plan; it’s immediately available for invoicing and can trigger the correct revenue recognition events. This tight coupling provides an unprecedented level of real-time financial control and forecasting accuracy.

Of course, no system is a silver bullet. The success of a platform like Certinia hinges on a clear understanding of your business processes and a commitment to adopting a more unified operational model. But for organizations struggling with a patchwork of disconnected systems, it presents a compelling architectural vision. Tomorrow, we’ll explore the practicalities of plugging a system like this into the broader enterprise landscape.

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