Unfortunately, no matter how well an ERP software implementation process is planned, a number of factors or errors can cause its failure. For example, one such mistake is not considering employees’ opinions when making decisions regarding a custom-developed enterprise resources planning solution (Schroeder, 2019). Even though they are not experts in this field, precisely the potential users need to take an active part in the decision-making process and influence primary and final solutions. Otherwise, they are likely not to be able to use the selected ERP software effectively, and user difficulties will appear (Gutenstein et al., 2019). This is what has happened in the organization in question.
Another issue that can lead a well-planned implementation to failure is if all the phases are completed too quickly. Researchers state that the process of implementation should take enough time, and all steps have to be performed gradually, not simultaneously (Valacich & George, 2020). As stated by Schroeder (2019), “successful organizations choose to take a slower and more efficient approach, which involves an incremental implementation” (para. 5). Therefore, this factor could have caused the unsuccess of the ERP software introduction in the company under discussion.
Thankfully, there are several real-life examples that can be useful in providing some lessons to avoid such failures in the future. For instance, in 2019, cosmetics giant Revlon failed to implement an ERP offered by a new provider. The process failed due to the “lack of design and maintenance of effective controls in connection with the … implementation” (Fruhlinger et al., 2020, para. 3). This case can teach that businesses should carefully select an ERP provider, monitor each stage of the process, and check everything related to the software before introducing it. What is more, if the organization already had a positive experience with a particular provider, it is not recommended to change it for an unverified one.
References
Fruhlinger, J., Sayer, P., & Wailgum, T. (2020). 16 famous ERP disasters, dustups and disappointments. CIO. Web.
Gutenstein, M., Pickering, J. W., & Than, M. (2019). Development of a digital clinical pathway for emergency medicine: Lessons from usability testing and implementation failure.Health Informatics Journal, 25(4), 1563–1571. Web.
Schroeder, T. (2019). 9 common mistakes companies make when implementing management systems. Excellence Blog. Web.
Valacich, J., & George, J. (2020). Modern systems analysis and design (9th ed.) Pearson.