Hertz Bankruptcy and the Future of Digital Transformation
It has become clear in recent months that many companies won’t survive the pandemic and recession of 2020. Hertz recently filed for bankruptcy – the latest in a string of casualties in an uncertain economic environment. What did Hertz do wrong? While this may not be a surprise given that travel plummeted 90% earlier this […]
Executive Buy-In: The Final Frontier to ERP Success
Why is executive buy-in so darn hard and fraught with surprises? Well the answers are many, and in this blog, we’ll explore a few that you may not have considered. Executive buy-in is a subset of organizational change management (OCM) and more than just terminology. An effective and well thought out OCM strategy is critical […]
How to Ensure ERP Success vs. Failure
It seems that ERP failures are becoming increasingly common in recent months and years. Lidl, Haribo, and Revlon are some of the more recent ones. Many of us still remember historic ERP nightmares such as Hershey’s, Nike, the US Department of Defense, and other well-publicized train wrecks (see the top 10 all-time ERP failures here). […]
Digital Transformation Gone Wrong at PG&E
Even if you don’t live in California, you’re probably aware of the devastating fires that sadly took lives and property over the last few years. A big part of this story can be pointed at electrical utility grids and lines and the poor maintenance thereof. When tested by high winds, massive fires and outages have […]
Lessons from LeasePlan’s SAP ERP Failure
Just weeks after releasing our ranking of the top ERP failures of all-time, European-based fleet management company LeasePlan announced its massive SAP ERP failure. In this same announcement, the company also announced that it was taking a 100M Euro write-off and pulling the plug on its SAP project. What went wrong? Like many past failures […]
The Biggest ERP Failures of All Time
The enterprise technology landscape is riddled with ¬ERP failures from the last twenty years. Some are more extreme than others, but all have stories behind them. More importantly, they all contain important lessons that can help us in our digital transformations going forward. Overview of ERP failures I used to dislike writing about ERP failures. […]
How ERP Software Industry Hoaxes Lead to ERP Failure
Big ERP vendors can sell software and services like nobody’s business. Companies such as SAP, Oracle, Microsoft, Infor, and others have created monstrous machines capable of turning even the biggest skeptics into converts. But it all comes at a cost. In their quest for technology dominance, the vendors and their respective ecosystems have – presumably […]
Why Do ERP Implementations Really Fail?
I have spent the better part of 20 years trying to help clients crack the code on why ERP implementations fail. It first started to click 12 years ago when I was engaged for my first ERP expert witness engagement for one of the highest profile lawsuits that the industry has seen. In this and […]
There is No Such Thing as “ERP Failure”
Deep down we all know this, but ERP systems don’t “fail”. They don’t wear out, they don’t miscalculate and they don’t decide one day that they don’t like you or your company. They do what they are programmed to do and that’s it. And that is the problem. Eric Kimberling has been writing about “ERP […]
Avis vs. Hertz: A Tale of Two Digital Transformations
I’m always fascinated by how digital transformations that look so similar on the surface can end with such different results. I’ve spent the better part of my career as an independent ERP consultant and ERP expert witness studying the nuances that define success versus failure. The other day, I read a Wall Street Journal article […]
ERP Failure: Is it Time to Take it on the Run?
I have recently been listening to some of the classic hits from REO Speedwagon. As they once said in their heyday, “you’re under the gun, so you take it on the run.” I heard this particular song (“Take it on the Run”) while I was writing my recent blog about Revlon’s SAP failure, so I […]
Hertz vs. Accenture: How to Avoid Digital Transformation Failure
You’ve probably heard about this latest $32M Hertz vs. Accenture lawsuit by now, where Hertz is suing Accenture for failure to deliver on a digital transformation project involving their website and mobile applications. I’ve personally received hundreds of emails, texts, links and questions on this exciting case. My only response to this point has been […]