The Secret to ERP Team Success

"This is a stunning project success story that one does not often hear in the ERP software business."

Twitter Synopsis

Customer ERP project team members typically have critical daily jobs. These jobs can require full-time effort before focusing on ERP implementation project duties, and these tasks can significantly disrupt project success.

Why It Matters

Few ERP upgrade and implementation plans accurately account for the actual requirements of customer team members for their “day jobs.”

With ERP upgrades and implementation projects becoming more complex and expensive, this lack of project focus can contribute to time and cost overruns.

Because ERP project do-overs and failures are an industry epidemic, it is critical to identify all areas that can contribute to higher success rates.

The Big Idea

My friend, Lance Maxwell, Senior Director with our partner, Origin, recently shared an eye-opening software implementation success story.

As a volunteer credit union board member, he was faced with implementing a critical operational software solution. It was imperative that the software project did not miss its go-live date. Missing the go-live date would have had catastrophic consequences.

To ensure the plan's success, the solution was to dedicate 6 employees full-time to the project.

Despite having to deal with extreme circumstances posed by COVID and severe weather, with no other tasks to distract them and guaranteed jobs at the successful completion of the project, the team delivered on time.

This is a stunning project success story that one does not often hear in the ERP software business.

The Details

Project highlights:

• A two-year project implementation plan.
• A six-person full-time project team hand-selected highly skilled employees from critical functional areas.
• Guaranteed jobs after go-live for all project team members.

Plusses and Minuses

• On-time software implementation project.
• A core team of highly trained software experts.
• Little or no daily distractions for functional business employees.

I am still trying to think of a downside.

Does it Transfer?

I look forward to discussing why this would translate to ERP upgrades or implementation projects. The approach makes logical sense and could dramatically affect project success.

Thoughts?  Send us a message or share your perspective.