Stop blaming your ERP vendor
ERP (enterprise resource planning) failures are often blamed on software vendors, but the real causes usually lie much closer to home. In an opinion piece for CIO by Michele Doverspike, technical program manager with more than 25 years of experience leading enterprise software implementations, she argues that most ERP implementation outcomes are driven by internal decisions around planning, governance, and change management—not by the technology itself.
Drawing on doctoral research involving small businesses that had successfully completed ERP implementations, Doverspike found a surprising pattern: none of the IT leaders interviewed identified the ERP vendor as the primary reason for success or failure. Instead, they consistently pointed to factors within their own control, including preparation, execution, and scope management.
The article highlights three key areas that determine ERP success:
- Preparation is everything — Successful organizations aligned ERP projects to measurable business goals, secured active executive sponsorship, treated data migration as a priority, and often chose phased rollouts over “big bang” implementations.
- Execution matters as much as planning — Role-based training, strong governance, effective change management, and minimizing unnecessary customizations were common traits among successful projects. Employees need to understand how the system supports their daily work, not just how the software functions.
- Scope control is non-negotiable — Small changes and customization requests can quickly derail budgets and timelines. Organizations that maintained strict scope discipline were far more likely to achieve their objectives.
Ultimately, ERP projects are won or lost long before the software is configured. While vendors and external factors certainly play a role, the strongest predictors of success remain leadership engagement, organizational readiness, disciplined execution, and the ability to keep the project focused on its original business goals.
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