Lessons from Revlon’s SAP Implementation Disaster
A few weeks ago, Revlon announced that its SAP implementation was a disaster. This came on the heels of delayed financial reporting because of said SAP implementation failure. The company’s stock fell 6.9% within 24 hours of reporting the news, which led to an investor lawsuit against the company. Not good, especially for a publicly-traded […]
Alternatives to the big SAP and Oracle Systems Integrators
“No one ever got fired for hiring [insert big, well-known system integrator here],” or so the saying goes. While I can’t say that I know of anyone that has been fired for this decision, I do know of plenty of organizations that have sued as a result. As a recovering Big 5 SAP consultant, I […]
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 […]
SAP S/4HANA Training: Lessons from SAP Boot Camp
Last week we hosted our first SAP S/4HANA Boot Camp training. This small, hands-on workshop featured a number of digital transformation team members attending in person, along with teams attending remotely via web conference. Though I was one of the facilitators of the training, I learn something new every time I conduct workshops like these. […]
ERP Implementation Risk: Key Pitfalls to Avoid
Implementing any new software for your company is always filled with promise and usually provides a positive to your business for the long run. But as we outlined in our 2019 ERP Report, it is important to be aware of ERP implementation risk as well. With an ERP implementation there is a lot of potential […]
ASUG Sapphire 2019: A Mere Speedbump for SAP?
Having attended Sapphire in the past I was prepared for long days, warm weather, fantastic networking and a renewed faith in SAP. I left with all but the latter. Several folks I talked to commented on a “lack of energy” across the conference and a sense of tiredness. Tiredness not from the attendees after long […]
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: […]
Should We Upgrade from SAP ECC to SAP S/4HANA?
This is one of the more common questions across the industry with no clear answer: should we upgrade to SAP S/4HANA?With limited case studies of successful migrations, companies looking to upgrade their SAP ECC platforms have a tough decision to make. With the available speed of HANA and integration of emerging technologies to provide competitive […]
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 […]
What To Do Before Beginning Your SAP S/4HANA Implementation
Once you have selected your SAP system integrator, it’s easy to get steamrolled into letting the army of consultants show up on site, start the meter running, and just start doing stuff. Despite pressure you may feel from Deloitte, Accenture, Capgemini, or most other integrators, this is a terrible idea that goes against your best […]
Your Business Blueprint Should Dictate Your SAP S/4HANA Implementation – Not the Other Way Around
At the moment, our team is helping about half a dozen larger organizations manage their SAP S/4HANA implementations. The biggest lesson so far? Your business needs should dictate how S/4HANA gets deployed – not the other way around. Myths and propaganda from SAP S/4HANA system integrators If you talk to a sales rep from SAP […]
How to Avoid Losing Control of Your SAP S/4HANA Transformation
Over the last 20 years, I have seen plenty of organizations lose control of their SAP implementations. These projects tend to be bigger and more complex than many organizations can handle, which is why there are so many SAP failures like those at Lidl, National Grid, Haribo, and other publicized challenges in recent years. Common […]