ERP implementation can be scary and risky. Rightfully so. Tales of ERP disasters still echo the halls of businesses and retold into mythic proportions. While failures are exciting to hear about, most of the conversation ends there. Unfortunately, stories don’t always end on a happy note – businesses can shutdown, people can lose their jobs or departments can be sent in a tailspin. ERP risks are real and can be huge treats if not identified.
Take this internally recognized company that missed $100 million in revenue at a critical time:
Halloween 1999 wasn’t like previous years. While kids were likely going about their trick-or-treating not realizing that some of their favorite candies were missing, Hershey’s executives were questioning how they missed out on approximately $100 million worth of revenue during a critical holiday. Turns out, the candy company had recently experienced a failed enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation. The situation proved difficult for Hershey’s, resulting in plummeting stock and a public relations emergency
On some levels, most people understand the ultimate risks before going with an ERP system. The problem is, nobody talks about how they could have avoided the problems or reduced the risk from the outset. That knowledge of mitigating or reducing risk is effectively lost over the more flavorful stories of catastrophe, which misses the learning opportunity.
Understand ERP Risks
This white paper, from the Partner-in-Charge of Technology at Sikich, will arm you and your business with key learning and practical tips on how to make sure you don’t set you ERP implementation up for failure before you even begin scheduling your first demo. It’s all about sharing how to avoid disaster and knowing about risks upfront so surprises don’t take you, and your company, for a loop.