ERP System Integrator vs. Customer: Who Is Really to Blame for your Implementation Challenges?
Last week, Eric Kimberling published a blog on exposing the big ERP system integrators, highlighting quotes from consultants within some of the larger firms and confirming the concept of being “Accentured” or “Deloitted.” It is a real phenomenon and something to definitely watch for both before and during an implementation. While SIs and VARs (Value […]
When is it Time for an ERP Software Replacement?
ERP systems are an inherently difficult thing to handle, as they not only track financial activity in a company, but they also handle resource management and a plethora of other tasks as well. That’s why many organizations spend a long time picking an ERP system that works for them, because if you choose the wrong […]
Big ERP Systems Integrators Exposed
Disclaimer: This article contains quotes from multiple sources, which we have not cited for confidentiality purposes. Third Stage Consulting is an independent, technology-agnostic firm that is not affiliated with any of the ERP software vendors or systems integrators mentioned in this article. After the French Revolutions in the 1800s, a famous French writer once wrote: […]
ERP Vendor Negotiations: Can You Negotiate Too Hard?
While not common, we have seen situations where companies implementing ERP software press a little too much. Generally, ERP vendors will walk away when the terms fall out of their favor, but there are times when they may enter into an agreement that they are not fully comfortable with. When negotiating, there are two things […]
SAP vs. Oracle: An Overview of the ERP Software Leaders
SAP ERP and ERP in Oracle – Which one proves to be a better ERP system? SAP vs. Oracle is a comparison that many complex businesses make when considering their digital transformation options. The question of which brand can provide a better Enterprise Resource Planning software has always depended on the unique characteristics of different […]
Digital Transformation: The Art of the Possible?
By Sam Graham Companies tend to fall into two extremes in their digital transformations: there are those who expect far too much from their transformations, and then there are those that expect far too little. There are also those that fall somewhere in between, but it helps to look at both extremes for illustrative purposes. […]
Summary of Findings from the 2019 ERP Report
A few weeks ago, we released the 2019 ERP Report. Unlike similar studies of years past, this one digs deeper into the statistical root causes of success versus failure – and the findings are very eye-opening. Overview of the 2019 ERP Report The study examines ERP implementations over the last 20 years, with a particular […]
Don’t Even Consider Software License Fees for Your ERP Long-List
We still find organizations to be highly focused on the potential license costs of software as they first embark on an ERP evaluation and selection process. They only want to include a specific tier of software in their long-list with the assumption that software gets more expensive as you move towards Tier 1.This assumption is […]
Digital Transformation and ERP Implementation Readiness: Why It’s So Important to Your Initiative
Most people think that there are two distinct stages in a digital transformation. First you pick the right technology, then you implement it. But this traditional view misses what is the most important stage: implementation readiness. When we ask ourselves why digital transformation failures are increasing, most problems can be traced back to before the […]
Misalignment: The Secret Killer of Digital Transformation Initiatives
The real cause of digital transformation and ERP failures isn’t what you might think. When we hear about SAP failures at Lidl, the ERP challenges at Haribo, and other digital transformation failures, it’s easy to blame the obvious problems: We over-customized the software Our system integrator charged us too much and took longer than planned […]
Planning a Digital Transformation: Perspectives from the User Community
We have recently talked to a number of organizations who are either upgrading or replacing their systems and have a number of staff members who were around for the initial implementation. In asking for their perspectives on change and system adoption, we have heard some common themes from users on how they view technology implementation. […]
The Trojan Horse Approach to Organizational Change Management
I recently wrote about how organizational change management is dead. The premise of this article is that traditional change efforts, frameworks, and approaches fail time and time again, so something needs to change if we are going to be more effective at managing change. These failed change efforts are creating a vicious circle of continuous […]