In preparation for an enterprise resource planning (ERP) project, governments spend months developing a request for proposals (RFP) with carefully worded questions, writing detailed requirements, reviewing proposals, and interviewing potential consultants. After all of this, a selection is made to award a contract to the “best” ERP vendor or vendors providing software, implementation services, project management, training, and more, along with promises of efficiencies, best practices, and transformation into a modern organization. So, despite this level of due diligence and focus on finding the right vendor, why do so many projects end up failing to deliver on expectations, exceeding budget, or blowing past deadlines for completion?

As we discussed in the February 2024 issue of GFR, governments can be at fault. Some governments don’t have a project vision, don’t understand project management, lack proper governance, struggle with decision making, underestimate the role of change management, or let vendors fail to hold other vendors accountable for poor performance. But even the most prepared governments can be left thinking: Are all ERP implementation projects this difficult? How did we end up with a vendor that is this bad? Did we make the wrong choice? Did our selected vendor misrepresent their qualifications?

• Publication date: April 2024
• Author: Mike Mucha