It sounds like a simple question of responsibility: who is allowed to create items, enter bills of materials, or maintain prices in the ERP? In practice, it's one of the most consequential decisions in operations. Because once incorrect data enters the system, it flows through everything: purchase orders, invoices, deliveries, and customer emails.
What happens when everyone has access
At a MedTech company with a flat hierarchy, access rights for maintaining ERP master data were never clearly defined. The result: duplicate item numbers for the same product because different people created records without checking first, product descriptions that didn't match the technical documentation, and bills of materials with missing components.
When a product was discontinued, there was no process for archiving the data or marking the item as obsolete. The records stayed active, the products continued to be ordered, and the wrong items eventually reached customers.
This isn't an isolated case. It's the predictable result of uncontrolled access to a system that depends on precision.
Why maintaining data requires expertise
An ERP entry isn't just a form you fill out. An item master record contains:
- Product description (must match the technical documentation)
- Product classification (determines warehouse, logistics route, and tax)
- Bill of materials (every missing component can mean a production stop or incorrect delivery)
- Unit, packaging unit, minimum order quantity
- Supplier assignment, purchase prices, costing basis
- Quality status, regulatory relevance (in MedTech: critical for regulatory affairs)
Anyone creating a record needs to understand the product, the process, and the system logic. You don't need an IT background, but you do need to understand how far an error can spread.
Qualifications: who should have access?
Must know
- The product: what it is and what it's used for
- The basics of product classification
- Bill of materials logic: what belongs to what
- Relevant units and packaging logic
- How data flows into orders, delivery notes, and invoices
Must be able to
- Check whether an item already exists to prevent duplicates
- Identify missing or contradictory information
- Coordinate with specialist departments such as quality management, purchasing, and logistics
- Understand and evaluate documentation
- Explain the downstream consequences of an error
"Not everyone belongs in the system. ERP access isn't a perk. It's a responsibility."
The right process: step by step
Product description, technical specification, intended use, classification. This is the starting point. Without a complete definition, nothing moves forward.
Quality management checks regulatory relevance and documentation requirements. Logistics checks storage requirements, packaging, and weight. Purchasing checks supplier links and purchasing terms.
Only people who were involved in the cross-functional review and know the product should enter the data. The record initially remains inactive or locked.
No content review. IT checks database integrity, assignment to the correct tables, and whether there are any technical errors or duplicates.
A second-person review: the PM and purchasing, or logistics, confirm in writing by email or ticket that the record is correct and complete.
Only now can the item be ordered, planned, and delivered. From this point on, it becomes an active master record.
The point of no return
Once an item has been used in a real transaction, there's no easy way back
As soon as an item has been used in an order, delivery note, or invoice, it's embedded in the system. Correcting errors is no longer a simple edit. It can require cancellations, correction entries, notifications, and sometimes reports to authorities in regulated industries.
That's why the quality check has to happen BEFORE go-live.
The most common mistakes in practice
| Mistake | Cause | Consequence |
|---|---|---|
| Duplicate item numbers | Two people create the same product independently and nobody checks first | Incorrect stock levels, orders placed against the wrong item, inventory inaccuracies |
| Description doesn't match the technical documentation | Purchasing enters what the supplier provides without checking with the PM | The customer receives the wrong product or uses it incorrectly |
| Missing BOM components | The bill of materials isn't kept up to date during product development | Production can't complete manufacturing, resulting in incomplete deliveries |
| Obsolete items remain active | No process for deactivating EOL (end-of-life) products | Orders for products that can no longer be delivered, delivery delays |
| Incorrect units | The unit is assumed rather than confirmed (piece vs. carton vs. pallet) | Over- or under-ordering, the supplier interprets the quantity differently from purchasing |
Who shouldn't have write access
- People without sufficient product knowledge, such as purely administrative staff with no subject-matter connection
- New employees without proper onboarding and approval
- External parties without clear logging and review requirements
- People who don't know what a bill of materials is or what it's used for
Read access is less critical and can be granted more broadly. Write access is a privilege that should be tied to competence and process discipline.
ERP data is the company's memory. Bad data doesn't cost you once. It costs you every day, in every order, every delivery note, and every customer conversation. The effort required to build a clean process is a one-time investment. The damage caused by a bad process is permanent.
Sources: Regulation (EU) 2017/745 on medical devices (MDR) · U.S. FDA, 21 CFR Part 807, Premarket Notification.
Published June 2026