This weeks blog is from our exhibitor, Enapps:
🚨 ERP implementations don’t usually fail
They quietly settle for “good enough“.
Let’s be clear about one thing: the majority of ERP implementations do not fail.
Headlines like “Why ERP implementations fail” or “The main reason ERP projects fail” are usually exaggerations. Total failure is rare. What’s far more common is something subtler – projects that go wrong.
And when an ERP implementation goes wrong, there is always a cost. Whether that shows up as additional spend, extended timelines or a heavy drain on internal time, it ultimately hits the bottom line.
Most ERP implementations do reach a successful conclusion, but the journey is rarely smooth. There is often a point partway through where the project starts to feel like a failure. Whilst recovery is usually possible, the outcome is often a system that is merely “OK” rather than truly transformational.
ERP discovery is a Goldilocks problem.
Think of it like designing a vehicle with three wheels, only to realise mid-development that your use case actually requires four. Instead of returning to the drawing board, you retrofit a fourth wheel onto the existing design. You technically get the vehicle you wanted, but only by accepting compromise.
That’s exactly what happens with many ERP systems.
And this is where most ERP implementations really go wrong: right at the start.
The problems may not be visible immediately, but when an implementation begins to drift, the root cause can almost always be traced back to the discovery phase.
Sometimes this happens because vendors spend too little time understanding your business. Having worked in your industry before, they assume they already know how you operate – an arrogance that leads to missed detail and flawed foundations.
In other cases, it 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘴 like a lot of time has been spent. Polished documents are produced, impressive in volume and presentation. But because they follow a boilerplate, “search-and-replace” approach, they are generic and offer little real architectural value.
Or worse, discovery becomes a way to burn through budget, defining the system the vendor wants to sell rather than the system the business actually needs.
The best vendors don’t just deliver a strong ERP platform; they deliver a strong implementation. And that starts with getting discovery right.
So how much time should discovery take?
There’s no universal answer. It depends on your business, your complexity and how you intend to use your ERP system. With the right partner, discovery is never rushed and it’s never an endless drain on time and money either.
It takes just the right amount.
Getting ERP right starts long before go-live. At Enapps, the discovery phase is where success is built. Book a demo or contact us to see how we help businesses get discovery (and implementation) right from day one.
Registered for our ERP Discovery Day yet?
We do all the research for your business, match you to ERP Providers and get you one-to-one sit down meetings with them.
What’s stopping you? Find your nearest venue here
