The Top 10 ERP Systems for 2020
Disclaimer: Third Stage Consulting is an independent ERP consulting firm. Third Stage has no financial ties to ERP vendors, either directly or through parent companies or affiliates. Accordingly, the below analysis is completely technology-agnostic and 100% free of vendor bias or compensation. As we enter the home stretch of the year, many of our clients […]
Why You Should NOT Implement a New ERP System Now
Growing up in the ‘80s, I was used to hearing the phrase “just say no.” It was a term coined and used often by the US President Reagan’s wife Nancy as part of her anti-drug campaign, so the saying became ubiquitous and associated with the ‘80s. CIOs can’t seem to say “no” to drinking the […]
The Biggest ERP Failures of All Time
The enterprise technology landscape is riddled with ¬ERP failures from the last twenty years. Some are more extreme than others, but all have stories behind them. More importantly, they all contain important lessons that can help us in our digital transformations going forward. Overview of ERP failures I used to dislike writing about ERP failures. […]
Defining ERP Strategies for the 2020’s
Executives and project teams have a lot of issues and curveballs to navigate as they define their digital strategies for 2020. Whether you are considering ERP, CRM, HCM, cloud, on-premise, AI, industry 4.0, internet of things, predictive analytics, asset management, or any other set of technologies, the decision process can be overwhelming. This is true […]
Leaving Panorama Consulting: Reflections on the ERP Software Industry’s State of Chaos
Although it’s been nearly 18 months since several from my team and I separated from Panorama Consulting to form Third Stage Consulting, I still get daily inquiries from people unaware we are no longer with the old company. As discussed below, it took my favorite rock star’s death to finally motivate me to tell the […]
How to Create Your Digital Transformation Change Management Strategy
Organizational change management is the #1 determinant of ERP implementation success vs. failure, yet most organizations misunderstand or underestimate the importance of change management. Too often, organizations and project teams fail to have a cohesive or complete change management strategy when deploying a digital transformation or ERP implementation. An effective change management strategy is critical […]
How to Create a Change Management Plan for Your S/4HANA, D365, or Oracle ERP Implementation
ERP systems have changed a ton in the last 20 years, but the keys to successful ERP implementations has changed very little. Yet too many people still don’t understand these keys to ERP success. While products such as SAP S/4HANA, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Oracle ERP Cloud, and other top ERP systems are changing at breakneck […]
Top 10 Digital Transformation and ERP Software Industry Predictions for 2020
When offering predictions for 2020 and beyond, most ERP consultants, vendors, and systems integrators will offer the typical buzzwords and hype being pushed by the latest technologies. But the reality is that there is a storm brewing in the ERP software industry in 2020, so it is important to understand how to navigate these challenges. […]
Bridging the Gap Between ERP Implementation vs. Business Transformation
Organizations generally struggle to unlock the value of their ERP implementations or digital transformations to their full potential. For many, it can be hard to deliver much more than mere incremental improvements as part of their transformations. This problem isn’t necessarily due to lack of software capabilities. Though many are lacking the maturity of past […]
Why ERP Vendors are Partying Like it’s 1999
The big ERP vendors and their systems integrators seem to be having a field day lately. Forced upgrades, shifting customers from one-time payments to recurring revenue models going into perpetuity, and a larger share of IT spend are just a few of the things lining the vendors’ pockets. In other words, they are partying like […]
How ERP Software Industry Hoaxes Lead to ERP Failure
Big ERP vendors can sell software and services like nobody’s business. Companies such as SAP, Oracle, Microsoft, Infor, and others have created monstrous machines capable of turning even the biggest skeptics into converts. But it all comes at a cost. In their quest for technology dominance, the vendors and their respective ecosystems have – presumably […]
Why Do ERP Implementations Really Fail?
I have spent the better part of 20 years trying to help clients crack the code on why ERP implementations fail. It first started to click 12 years ago when I was engaged for my first ERP expert witness engagement for one of the highest profile lawsuits that the industry has seen. In this and […]