Lessons from a Microsoft Dynamics 365 Failure
Late last month I received a call from a CIO that I have known for about 13 years. He and I have worked together over the course of his roles at three different companies, so I know him fairly well. But this phone call was different than others I have received from him in the […]
Summary of Findings from the 2019 ERP Report
A few weeks ago, we released the 2019 ERP Report. Unlike similar studies of years past, this one digs deeper into the statistical root causes of success versus failure – and the findings are very eye-opening. Overview of the 2019 ERP Report The study examines ERP implementations over the last 20 years, with a particular […]
Lessons from 1,000 HCM Implementations
Over the last 20 years, I have had the good fortune of being involved with over 1,000 different HCM implementations. My role varied from being a project manager, program manager, expert witness, executive steering committee member, organizational change lead, business process lead, project recovery consultant, third party oversight consultant, and a host of other roles. […]
Digital Transformation and ERP Implementation Readiness: Why It’s So Important to Your Initiative
Most people think that there are two distinct stages in a digital transformation. First you pick the right technology, then you implement it. But this traditional view misses what is the most important stage: implementation readiness. When we ask ourselves why digital transformation failures are increasing, most problems can be traced back to before the […]
Misalignment: The Secret Killer of Digital Transformation Initiatives
The real cause of digital transformation and ERP failures isn’t what you might think. When we hear about SAP failures at Lidl, the ERP challenges at Haribo, and other digital transformation failures, it’s easy to blame the obvious problems: We over-customized the software Our system integrator charged us too much and took longer than planned […]
What To Do Before Beginning Your SAP S/4HANA Implementation
Once you have selected your SAP system integrator, it’s easy to get steamrolled into letting the army of consultants show up on site, start the meter running, and just start doing stuff. Despite pressure you may feel from Deloitte, Accenture, Capgemini, or most other integrators, this is a terrible idea that goes against your best […]
The Trojan Horse Approach to Organizational Change Management
I recently wrote about how organizational change management is dead. The premise of this article is that traditional change efforts, frameworks, and approaches fail time and time again, so something needs to change if we are going to be more effective at managing change. These failed change efforts are creating a vicious circle of continuous […]
Your Business Blueprint Should Dictate Your SAP S/4HANA Implementation – Not the Other Way Around
At the moment, our team is helping about half a dozen larger organizations manage their SAP S/4HANA implementations. The biggest lesson so far? Your business needs should dictate how S/4HANA gets deployed – not the other way around. Myths and propaganda from SAP S/4HANA system integrators If you talk to a sales rep from SAP […]
Risks of Microsoft Dynamics 365 System Integrators
Choosing a technical system integrator is an important decision for any digital transformation. But the risks of Microsoft Dynamics 365 system integrators are even greater than for other ERP solutions. While SAP, Oracle, and other ERP vendors have tightly controlled their ecosystems, Microsoft Dynamics has traditionally taken a hands-off approach to their system integrators. This […]
How to Avoid Losing Control of Your SAP S/4HANA Transformation
Over the last 20 years, I have seen plenty of organizations lose control of their SAP implementations. These projects tend to be bigger and more complex than many organizations can handle, which is why there are so many SAP failures like those at Lidl, National Grid, Haribo, and other publicized challenges in recent years. Common […]
Determining Your ERP Total Cost of Ownership
One of the first questions we are asked when discussing an ERP initiative with a new client is “how much is this whole thing going to cost us.” The easy and accurate answer is: “we have no idea at this time.” Unfortunately, executive committees and board members generally won’t accept this answer and need to […]
Money Talks: How Economic Incentives Bias Digital Transformations
As AC/DC once said: “come on, come on, listen to the money talk.” Nowhere is this truer than in the digital transformation space. Money drives so much of what does or doesn’t happen in our industry. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always align with the long-term interests of those most impacted by technology: the companies using it. […]