Implementation of a new ERP solution is a highly complex project, usually involving every part of an organisation. An ERP project is also resource intensive and expensive and is something that most organisations will undertake only once every 10-15 years.
Given this lack of experience, it is not surprising that ERP project risks are often not well managed and that many projects end up taking a lot longer than planned and costing much more than expected. In some cases, organisations end up in a situation where the ERP project is uncompleted, most or all of the budget has been consumed and the relationship with the ERP vendor has broken down.
Lumenia provide ERP project recovery services to rescue projects that are in difficulty, whether this is a total project breakdown or merely one that is out of control. We have worked on hundreds of projects and use this experience to quickly identify the root cause of the issues causing the problems. All Lumenia ERP recovery assignments are led by a consultant with a minimum of 20 years ERP experience.
ERP Project Rescue and Recovery Service
We have developed an ERP project recovery methodology, based on the experience of our most senior ERP consultants. The key steps are summarised below.
Project Diagnostic
The project diagnostic initially involves interviewing key ERP project stakeholders, both internal and from the ERP vendor, to get their views on the key project risks and issues and how these are being managed. In parallel we may also review some project documentation. The diagnostic can generally be completed within a week.
Develop Remediation Approach
We will formulate an approach to address the key issues identified in the diagnostic and avoid ERP project failure. There are a range of potential strategies from re-scoping and re-planning to changes in governance structure or project personnel or sometimes even more fundamental changes to solution components or ERP implementation partner.
Present to Steering Team
We will document our proposed remediation approach and associated plan and present it to the ERP project steering team. Very often there may be particular sensitivities relating to the performance of client personnel, which we will manage carefully. In most cases, we will deliver this presentation in less than three weeks.
Do you need ERP Project Recovery?
Is your Project in Trouble?
There are many reasons why ERP projects fail. Some of the symptoms of an ERP project that is in trouble include: poor quality of deliverables, multiple missed delivery dates, conflicting project reports, frequent changes in project personnel or lack of clarity on progress against plan. If two or more of these symptoms exist in your project, it is likely that ERP project recovery may be needed.
Will you Realise Project Benefits?
ERP projects that are in trouble will usually fail to deliver all of the expected business benefits. Issues such as poor project governance or lack of focus on change management often result in poor ERP design decisions or cause negative sentiments towards the ERP project, which in turn means that the ERP system is never fully accepted by the business.
Can your ERP Project be Rescued?
At Lumenia we have proven that ERP project recovery is possible. Our latest white paper, ERP Project Recovery outlines the steps required to bring a difficult ERP project back on track. Download it today from the Publications section.
