With enterprise resource planning (ERP) and customer relationship management (CRM) applications at the heart of many a company’s operations, the consequences of a failed software rollout can be serious, including shareholder lawsuits and financial meltdown.
But after a spate of high-profile failures, there are signs that vendors and customers are working hard to ensure the success of their ERP projects. Panorama Consulting Solutions, which regularly surveys businesses on the outcomes of their ERP projects, shows in its 2022 report that 81% of projects met ROI expectations a year or more after go-live.
However, the measure of success has been historically at odds with the number of projects said to be overrunning or underperforming, as Panorama has noted that organizations have lowered their standards of success.
It may be, too, that companies wish to avoid the reputational damage that comes from failure, and instead prefer to redefine success as whatever they get. Sometimes the only sign something has gone wrong is when the parties head to court — and the full details of the dispute rarely come out.
