There’s a phrase I’ve seen reposted more times than I can count:
“Most ERP projects don’t fail at go‑live. They fail before that.”
On the surface, it sounds insightful, hell, almost profound. But much like the modern LinkedIn classic “Here’s what this event taught me about B2B sales,” it rarely teaches anything at all.
These statements don’t explain why things go wrong. They don’t give leaders anything actionable. And more importantly, they don’t prevent failure but they just describe it after the fact.
ERP projects don’t need better slogans. They need clearer focus.
The Problem With Clever Observations about ERP Implementations
Saying an ERP failed “before go‑live” is technically accurate, but functionally useless. It’s the equivalent of saying, “The plane didn’t crash when it hit the ground, it failed earlier.” True. Still not helpful.
What actually matters is where and why readiness breaks down. Across industries, geographies, and ERP platforms, the same three forces show up over and over again regardless of methodology or software. Not configuration. Not integrations. Not dashboards.
People. Data. Leadership.
1. Employee Buy‑In Is Not a Phase, It’s the Work
ERP systems don’t change behavior. Organizations do. And behavior only changes when people believe the system is meant for them, not done to them.
The most common failure pattern isn’t resistance, it’s quiet disengagement. Teams comply during testing and training, but revert to spreadsheets, side systems, and workarounds the moment pressure appears. The ERP goes live, but the old habits never left.
When buy‑in is treated as a training task instead of a leadership responsibility, systems technically launch but never operationalize. Adoption doesn’t fail loudly; it erodes slowly.
Successful projects build buy‑in early by:
- Involving functional leaders before designs are finalized
- Letting teams see their workflows reflected in the system
- Aligning accountability with system usage, not workaround success
2. Data Is Either Treated as an Asset, or it’s a Liability
No ERP project outruns its data. Full stop.
Organizations often underestimate data work because it’s unglamorous and politically uncomfortable. Its like watching a home renovation show and seeing the owners face when they here the cost of the HVAC system and plumbing. It needs to be done, its significantly impactful but doesn’t provide the “wow” factor.
Cleansing data means making decisions. Standardizing data means changing legacy ownership. And migrating data exposes inconsistencies leaders may have ignored for years.
When data quality is postponed/ignored or let’s face it, half-assed, the ERP inherits every business compromise that came before it. The system doesn’t fail, it faithfully reflects reality. And teams lose trust immediately. And it instantly becomes the “system.”
Successful projects treat data as foundational, not clerical:
- Ownership is defined early across process areas. USE AZURE DEV OPS!!
- Standards are enforced consistently, especially internally
- Decisions are made intentionally instead of deferred, there needs to be an owner who is empowered
3. Executive Direction Sets the Ceiling for Success
ERP implementations rarely fail because executives aren’t “supportive.” They fail because leadership is adjacent rather than directional. The executive steering committee sets direction in addition to being provided updates.
When ERP is framed as an IT initiative, decisions drift, priorities compete, and governance weakens. Teams receive mixed signals about what truly matters, it becomes, speed versus accuracy, customization versus standardization, comfort versus change.
The strongest projects exhibit one defining trait: executive clarity. “The decision to purchase and move forward is done. Now, get it live…” No.
- Clear outcomes over vague objectives
- Clear ownership over committee consensus
- Clear intent that ERP is a business transformation, not a system replacement
Strong executive direction doesn’t micromanage implementation. It removes ambiguity.
What Actually Makes ERP Implementations Successful
ERP success isn’t mysterious, but it is demanding. It requires organizations to confront uncomfortable truths about how work gets done today and who owns the future state.
Projects succeed when:
- People trust the system enough to let go of old habits. Practice, Practice, Practice!
- Data is treated as shared truth, not departmental property
- Leaders provide consistent direction, not just sponsorship
Those foundations determine the outcome long before go‑live but only if they’re built intentionally. And they must be reviewed, actioned and maintained throughout. And not as a reflection.
A Better Question to Ask about Successful ERP Implementations
Instead of repeating “ERP failed before go‑live,” a better question is:
“Did we prepare our people, our data, and our leaders to operate differently?”
If the answer is yes, go‑live becomes a milestone and not a moment of reckoning.
At Custom Systems, we’ve had the advantage and sometimes the burden of seeing ERP projects from every angle: executive sponsors, finance leaders, operators, and the teams who have to live with the system long after consultants leave. The projects that succeed don’t do anything exotic. They don’t rely on buzzwords or clever observations. They succeed because leadership is clear about why the ERP matters, data is treated as a business asset rather than a cleanup task, and employees are brought along early enough to feel ownership instead of compliance. When those three elements are present, go‑live is rarely dramatic, honestly, it’s uneventful in the best possible way. When they’re missing, no amount of configuration or methodology can save the outcome.
Before you get started on your next ERP Implementation, give us a call. We can help you succeed from the get-go.
