Is SAP the Next BlackBerry? The Future of ERP and the End of the Monolith
The question isn’t if the ERP landscape is shifting — it’s how fast and who survives. SAP, once the gold standard of enterprise software, is now facing increasing pressure from disruptive startups, interoperability platforms, and shifting customer expectations. While it won’t disappear overnight, the writing may already be on the wall — and its downfall […]
What SAP Doesn’t Want You to Know About ECC, S/4HANA, and Your Real Options
The ERP world is at a boiling point — especially for SAP customers. If you’ve invested heavily in ECC and SAP is already pressuring you to jump to S/4HANA, you’re not alone. But here’s the truth SAP doesn’t want you to know: you don’t have to follow their timeline — or their narrative. You have […]
Is AI in ERP Real — or Just Hype?
In 2025, AI is everywhere—headlines, vendor demos, boardroom discussions. And now, ERP software vendors are jumping into the hype, promising that artificial intelligence will completely transform how businesses run their operations. But is it actually happening? Or are we still years away from truly integrated AI capabilities in ERP? The truth is somewhere in between. […]
Unlocking the Third Stage Consulting Digital Transformation Playbook: 10 Steps to Success
Since founding Third Stage Consulting several years ago, we’ve refined and elevated our methodology through experience with more than 400 clients around the world — and counting over 1,000 implementations across our team’s collective background. Today, we’re lifting the curtain on the 10-step playbook that has become the backbone of our client engagements and digital […]
Why Technology Project Failures Land in Court — And What Expert Witnesses Really See
It’s an unfortunate but unavoidable truth: some digital transformation and ERP projects go so far off the rails that they land in the courtroom. At that point, clients often hire consulting firms like ours to act as independent, unbiased expert witnesses, helping courts and legal teams understand exactly what went wrong, why it happened, and […]
Are SAP Projects Really More Prone to Failure? A Closer Look at ERP Implementation Risk
Enterprise resource planning (ERP) failures have long been a source of frustration, finger-pointing, and costly lessons across industries. Over time, one software name seems to appear more frequently than others in discussions of failed ERP implementations: SAP. From troubled supply chain rollouts to customer-facing disruptions, there is no shortage of stories highlighting SAP project struggles. […]
Why Software Vendors Get Your Digital Transformation Timeline Wrong
When embarking on a digital transformation, it’s easy to get swept up in the enthusiasm vendors bring to the table. They offer glossy demos, confident digital transformation timelines, and an implementation roadmap that seems simple and straightforward. But here’s the truth: those timelines are usually wrong.Not because the software doesn’t work—but because your organization isn’t […]
Technology Can Shape Culture—If You Let It
When most companies start a digital transformation, their focus is usually on upgrading outdated systems, scaling operations, or boosting productivity. But what often gets overlooked is how those very systems influence your company’s culture. At Third Stage Consulting, we’ve worked with organizations around the world to help them rethink not only how their technology works—but […]
Root Causes of Digital Transformation Failure: It’s Not Just the Tech
When organizations struggle during digital transformations, they often point fingers at the most visible culprits: a buggy system, an unhelpful vendor, or rising costs. But the reality is more complex. These common complaints are often symptoms, not root causes. To understand why digital transformations truly fail—and how to fix them—we have to dig deeper. Why […]
What’s the ROI of a Dancing Panda? Why Every Digital Transformation Needs a Clear Strategy
Spoiler alert: It’s not about the panda. It’s about purpose. We live in an era where nearly anything is possible with technology. AI. Automation. Real-time data lakes. Predictive analytics. Virtual assistants. You name it—someone’s already building it. So the question is no longer what you can do in a digital transformation. It’s what you should […]
Where Are the Women in Tech? A Candid Look at Challenges, Progress, and What Comes Next
By Third Stage Consulting According to recent statistics, only 35% of the tech workforce is made up of women. That number speaks volumes — and not in a good way. Despite decades of progress across industries, technology remains one of the most male-dominated spaces in the professional world. So, we hit the ground at Epicor’s […]
The Unique ERP Needs of Small and Mid-Sized Manufacturers and Distributors
By Eric Kimberling, CEO of Third Stage Consulting When most people think about ERP and digital transformation, they picture large enterprises with big budgets and full-time project teams. But the reality is, small and mid-sized manufacturing and distribution companies face just as much complexity — if not more — when it comes to upgrading their […]