SidecarFlow: Composable ERP Workflow Overlay
8/10
Demand Score
Business needs flexibility now, but customizing ERP core is risky, slow, and expensive.
9/10
Blue Ocean
Competition Level
$3k-9k
Price/Month
Predicted customer spend
14 days
Time to MVP
Difficulty: Hard
The Problem
A non-invasive ‘sidecar’ that adds flexible micro-workflows around rigid ERP steps without modifying core ERP. It listens to ERP business events (IDoc/OData/Business Events), enriches with sidecar ‘sh
Competitor Landscape
- iPaaS (MuleSoft, Boomi)
- BPMN suites (Camunda)
- Low-code flows (Power Automate, ServiceNow Flow)
- Process mining (Celonis)
- SAP BTP Workflow/Build
Must-Have Features for MVP
ERP event connectors (SAP, Oracle, D365)
Sidecar data model for shadow attributes/state
Visual rules authoring and versioning
Exception workbench and dynamic approval routing
Low-code form builder for micro-steps
Flow simulator with impact preview
Canary cohort rollout and rollback
End-to-end audit/compliance logging
Latency and reliability monitoring
Outcome analytics (cycle time, rework)
⚠️ Potential Challenges
- High-fidelity event coverage across ERPs
- Data consistency between ERP and sidecar store
- Performance at scale during peak transaction times
- Governance and segregation of duties acceptance
- SI preference for customizations
Risk Level: Moderate
🎯 Keys to Success
- Demonstrable cycle time reduction within 30 days
- Zero core ERP modifications
- Role-based governance with SSO
- Prebuilt templates for common exception paths
- IT security sign-off via auditable controls
- SI alignment by showing faster value than custom code
Ready to Build This?
This hard-difficulty project could be your next micro-SaaS success.