The ERP Acceleration Paradox: 5 Strategies to Beat the 75% Failure Rate
High-profile enterprise resource planning (ERP) failures like Hershey’s $100 million Halloween disaster and Nike’s $400 million overhaul reveal a troubling truth: the rush to deliver “on time and on budget” often derails success. This Acceleration Paradox, according to tech writer Puneet Thakkar, shows that true speed isn’t about cutting corners—it’s about accelerating value realization through smarter strategy, disciplined execution, and a focus on measurable business outcomes. In his article for SSON, Thakkar dives into the troubling statistics behind ERP transformations—and offers five strategic playbooks to beat the odds. He points out the paradox: while companies push for faster, on-time, on-budget ERP roll-outs, the actual success rate is alarmingly low—somewhere between 55% and 75% of ERP projects fail to deliver what they set out to achieve. He argues that real “acceleration” isn’t about rush-launching software, but about speeding up meaningful business value.
The five strategies he recommends are:
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Anchor in value, not just technology. Don’t treat ERP as a software purchase. Treat it as a business transformation, with clear targets.
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Adopt a modular, agile-friendly architecture. Thakkar advocates composable ERP (“Lego-brick” style) and moving from a big-bang waterfall to a hybrid waterfall + agile delivery model for faster adjustments.
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Clean and prepare your data early; don’t leave it until last minute. Data quality isn’t just a tech task—it’s foundational. Prioritise migrating only critical “hot” data, and use AI/ML tools for cleansing.
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Embed automation from day one—even through testing and process mining. Use process-mining to reveal your current state, then automate your testing (via RPA) to avoid launch surprises.
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Engineer adoption, don’t just train. Training is not enough. Use digital adoption platforms for on-the-job guidance, and build a network of “super users” so the transformation is adopted socially and operationally.
Thakkar emphasizes that a successful ERP isn’t just a “system of record”—it must become an “engine of velocity.” When you align your roadmap to business value, design flexible architecture, clean your data, automate smartly, and prioritize people change, you shift from chasing launch metrics to achieving transformation outcomes.
