All Implementation Partners Are Terrible

(But Are They Really? Or Is It You?)

When an ERP implementation goes sideways — late, over budget, or missing the mark — it’s easy to point fingers at the implementation partner. After all, they’re the ones you've engaged to deliver the programme, correct? But before we accept the seemingly inevitable and add to the tales of woe, we should ask a tougher question:

Do you actually know what you really want?

Too often, businesses enter ERP projects without a clear map of how they want their future-state processes to work, where they’re willing to (and should) standardise, and what should remain unique business challenges to overcome. That lack of clarity puts enormous pressure on your implementation partner to keep moving, while you take the correct amount of time to consider and make critical decisions. — decisions only you can make and own.

The truth is, your implementation partner has a much higher chance of success if you can give clear direction.

The Power of Preparation: Process Change and Standardisation

The secret to a smooth ERP implementation isn’t magic. It’s preparation. By investing time before the project begins to understand and map out the areas of process change and standardisation, you’re doing two vital things:

1. Defining what “best practice” looks like for your business

2. Making key decisions ahead of time so you’re not scrambling later

This clarity gives your implementation partner a ready-made foundation to work from. Instead of wasting valuable project time trying to pin down decisions that should’ve been made months earlier, they can focus on the fine-tuning — the things that make your chosen ERP product really work for you.

Delays? Well, often it can be the business.

The delay might not be the partner’s methodology, it might not even be an 'un-realistic' timeline. It could. really be slow, reactive decision-making on the business side. Every time your project hits pause to “get alignment” or “clarify ownership” or “check with finance,” the timeline stretches and the costs climb.

When your business enters an implementation with clear direction — documented processes, agreed areas of standardisation, and a vision of where you’re headed — you remain in control. You own the design. And you empower your partner to execute efficiently and effectively.

Expert Help Up Front Pays Dividends Later

This kind of preparation doesn’t have to be overwhelming. With a bit of expert guidance — from someone who understands both business and ERP — you can quickly define:

• Which processes must follow industry best practice

• Where your business needs flexibility or differentiation

• Who owns which decisions

• What your target operating model looks like

Getting this right before you start means your ERP implementation has structure, velocity, and purpose. It stops being a black hole of indecision and starts becoming a strategic asset.

ERP Doesn’t Need to Be Hard

ERP projects have a reputation for being painful. But they don’t have to be. With the right preparation and a clear sense of direction, you can transform your relationship with your implementation partner from an adversarial one to a true partnership.

Give them what they need to do their job well. In return, they’ll give you a system that works for your business — not just one that technically goes live.

And maybe, just maybe, your implementation partner isn’t so terrible after all.

Want help getting ready for ERP? Let’s talk about how you can map your business processes and decisions before the project starts — and set yourself (and your partner) up for success.