The favorite target for many is the software industry. Several companies have a long history of over-promising and under-delivering. Most critics may be justified in their beliefs however not all of ERP’s ills can be blamed on the software. One area that does not receive enough attention is the actual implementation process. Many a problem or system shortcoming might have been avoided if the implementation team had addressed the issue properly. Unfortunately, many victims of ERP’s problems do not point fingers back to the start because their employees were part of the implementation team.
Implementation Shortcomings
Most ERP implementation teams include process owners that have limited experience with large IT projects and do not know what to ask or demand. In addition, the only system they know is the old system and for many it is hard to visualize the new one until it is delivered. Adding to the mix are external consultants with knowledge of the new software but limited understanding of actual business processes and even less understanding of their client’s business. In many cases the consultants become the experts on the system and when they leave they take the expertise with them. Throw in problems typical to any large project such as scope creep, a lack of resources, inappropriate resources, personnel turnover, inadequate funding and/or an unrealistic go-live date and there is little chance that a system will perform as the software developers planned.