Custom management software

One Excel file for orders, another for stock, approvals on WhatsApp: many SMEs work this way. As long as activity stays modest, it holds. Then come the lost quotes, the wrong stock count at delivery time and the month-ends spent reconciling figures.

SADIS is a Moroccan company based in Laâyoune and Casablanca. It designs custom business applications, such as the B2B ordering platform of an automotive spare parts distributor, and integrates ERPs such as Sage and Odoo. This dual practice allows it to advise without bias between development and off-the-shelf software.

Digitalisation is not an end in itself. In the context of the national strategy "Digital Morocco 2030", the digital transformation of SMEs starts with reliable tools, adopted by teams and connected to one another.

What custom software is

Custom management software starts from your operating rules: your approvals, your sales units, your prices per customer, your documents. The application fits your processes, not the other way round. It can take several forms:

• Complete management of the sales cycle: quotes, orders, delivery notes, invoices, credit notes and payments.
• A targeted business tool: workshop scheduling, site monitoring, delivery rounds, quality control, contracts or rentals.
• Tailored stock management: multiple warehouses, threshold alerts, batches, locations, barcodes.
• A portal open to customers, resellers or field teams, linked to internal management.
• A connector between software that does not talk to each other, to eliminate double entry.

Custom or off-the-shelf

Development is justified when a significant part of your activity does not fit a standard product. Several situations come up often:

• The way you work is what sets you apart. Bending it to a software package means giving up what distinguishes you.
• The package covers the essentials, and the rest is done in Excel. A business application then fills the gap, connected to the existing system.
• Several tools share the same data. The challenge becomes the flow of information, not one more piece of software.
• Your system must open up to the outside. Customers ordering online, sales reps in the field, subcontractors checking a schedule.

Conversely, accounting, payroll or standard sales management call for a well-configured software package. Rewriting them is expensive and adds nothing. In that case, we advise you to deploy the ERP, then develop only the useful add-ons.

SADIS deploys, configures and integrates Sage, Odoo and other ERPs. SADIS is neither an official partner nor a reseller of Sage or Odoo: the recommendation is about your needs, not about a licence to sell.

Moving away from Excel and double entry

Excel calculates very well, but it does not replace an information system. The signs are familiar: several versions of the same file, only one person who understands it, figures that do not match and no record of changes.

Moving away from Excel does not mean throwing everything out. We first list the files actually in use and the business rules they contain. These rules are built into the application. Customers, items, prices and history are then cleaned and imported.

Double entry is the other symptom. An order noted in a file, re-entered in the sales management software and then copied onto a delivery note multiplies errors. Custom software makes information flow only once, from quote to invoice.

Connected to Sage or Odoo

An isolated application recreates the problem it was meant to solve. It therefore exchanges data with your sales management, accounting or ERP: items, prices, stock, customers, orders and invoices.

For each piece of information, you must decide which software is authoritative. Who creates a new customer? At what point does an order become an invoice? These organisational choices are made with the teams who use the tools.

The B2B platform of an automotive spare parts distributor in Casablanca follows this principle. The distributor's business customers order online, search for a part by part number or chassis number and track their orders. The platform is linked to the distributor's sales management software. Details are on the B2B ordering platform page.

Ready for e-invoicing

E-invoicing in Morocco is being rolled out gradually by the DGI. Each company must follow the official texts published by the administration. Software designed today without taking it into account will have to be reworked tomorrow.

Serious development therefore plans from the start for:

• Structured invoicing data: identifiers for the company and its customers (notably the ICE), quantities, VAT rates and amounts.
• A traceable invoice workflow: quote, order, delivery note, invoice and credit note, with controlled numbering.
• The ability to exchange with an external platform, beyond a simple PDF.
• Invoicing isolated from the rest, so it can be adapted without touching the core of the application.

Already using an ERP or an in-house tool? We prepare its connection to DGI e-invoicing, by configuring the software package or through a connector. The goal: an ERP compliant with e-invoicing, without a rushed rebuild.

Code ownership and reversibility

Entrusting your management software means entrusting part of how you operate. What happens if the relationship with the provider ends? The answer is written into the contract, from the start:

• The source code and documentation belong to the client, with an assignment of rights to the developments made for them.
• Access (hosting, domain name, databases, technical accounts) is opened in the company's name.
• Data remains exportable at any time, in open formats.
• Technologies are widespread standards, so that another provider can take over the software.

SADIS is a young company. Before founding SADIS in Morocco, its founders spent six years on freelance assignments within large French industrial groups. Reversibility guarantees your autonomy, whatever the future of your provider.

Applications by sector

The techniques stay the same; it is the business rules that change.

• Distribution and trade: prices per customer, field order-taking, reseller portal, multi-warehouse stock, partial deliveries.
• Manufacturing: production orders, bills of materials, batch tracking, quality control, time spent.
• Construction and public works: site monitoring, progress statements, equipment and machinery, exchanges between office and field.
• Transport and logistics: delivery rounds, shipments, proof of delivery, invoicing of services.
• Services: contracts, subscriptions, call-outs, team scheduling, recurring invoicing.

Questions to ask the provider

• Do you have a project we can look at? For SADIS, the B2B platform of an automotive spare parts distributor and a Microsoft 365 migration are described in detail, and a reference contact can be arranged at a meeting, with the client's consent.
• Who will hold the code, access and data? The answer must appear in the contract.
• How will the software connect to our tools? Replacing everything without looking at what exists means taking a risk on your behalf.
• What do you plan for e-invoicing? The software must be able to adapt to it without being rewritten.
• Who handles maintenance, and how? Management software lives for several years.

How a project runs

1. Current-state review. Interviews with users, review of Excel files and existing software.
2. Scoping. A written scope: functions, exchanges with existing systems, data to migrate, priorities.
3. Step-by-step development. Successive versions, tested by your teams on real cases.
4. Go-live. Data import, user training, support during the first weeks.
5. Maintenance and enhancements. Fixes, regulatory adaptations and new features.

The current-state review, workshops and training take place close to your teams, from our Casablanca office. Follow-up can then be done remotely, anywhere in Morocco. The same contact can also handle email, the network or the IT equipment fleet.

Frequently asked questions

Do we need custom software or an ERP such as Sage or Odoo?

Accounting, payroll or standard sales management call for a well-configured software package. What is specific to you justifies custom development, often connected to the ERP.

Can we keep our current software and add only what is missing?

Yes. A business application or a connector often complements the existing software and eliminates double entry, without replacing what works.

Can our Excel data be migrated?

Yes. The business rules in your files are built into the application, then the data is cleaned and imported before go-live.

Will the software be ready for DGI e-invoicing?

We plan for structured invoicing data, a traceable workflow and exchanges with an external platform. The final adaptation follows the official DGI texts, which are being rolled out gradually.

Who owns the software's code?

The client. The contract provides for the assignment of rights; the code, documentation and data belong to the client, and technical access accounts are opened in the client's name.

Discuss your project

Tell us about your current tools, the Excel files that keep the business running and what wastes your time. Write to contact@sadis.ma, call +212 661 396 943 or use the contact page. For an overview, see the SADIS Digital page; for an infrastructure example, the Microsoft 365 migration and IT fleet management reference.