ERP transformation is one of the most complex, high-stakes programmes any organisation can undertake. But what separates the programmes that succeed from the ones that spiral? We recently brought together a group of senior leaders to find out.
Investigo hosted a private C-Suite dinner for an experienced cross-functional group of Finance, Technology, HR, and Supply Chain leaders, all of whom have lived through major ERP transformation programmes. Facilitated by Jim Gunn and Colin Moss, the conversation was frank, detailed, and at times refreshingly blunt.
A fuller write-up is available in our whitepaper [Read here], but here are the themes that came up again and again.
Leadership alignment cannot be retrofitted
Every leader in the room had seen what happens when senior alignment is assumed rather than achieved. ERP programmes expose the way an organisation actually makes decisions, and if that process is slow, siloed, or political, the programme will feel it almost immediately.
The group were clear: alignment needs to happen before design begins, not once problems have already surfaced. And it needs to include genuine agreement on trade-offs, not just a shared slide about programme objectives.
Organisations are handing away knowledge they cannot afford to lose
One of the more pointed observations of the evening was about capability risk. Too many organisations are outsourcing deep knowledge of their own operating processes to implementation partners, and not investing enough in building or retaining that knowledge internally.
The short-term convenience is obvious. The long-term consequence is a dependency that is difficult and expensive to reverse. The businesses that get the most from their ERP investment tend to be the ones that stay actively involved in design, not the ones that hand it over and wait for go-live.
"Go slow to go fast" is not a cliché
It came up multiple times, and the sentiment was consistent. Programmes that rush through early-stage design to protect timelines tend to pay for it later, with more expensive changes, more rework, and more resistance during rollout.
Remaining in high-level design for longer than feels comfortable is often what enables successful downstream delivery. Quality gates should not be sacrificed to hit a milestone.
Clean core is the goal, but not always the reality
The group were broadly aligned on the principle: standardise wherever possible, and customise only where there is genuine competitive or operational advantage. Unnecessary customisation creates long-term maintenance cost and makes it harder to benefit from vendor updates and AI capabilities as they mature.
That said, there was scepticism about how honestly this conversation sometimes happens. Implementation partners do not always set realistic expectations about the degree of customisation a business will actually need, and organisations can find themselves committed to a clean core ambition that their real requirements cannot support.
Budget contingency is being set wrong
A surprising number of programmes go into delivery with insufficient contingency. And where contingency does exist, it is often based on instinct rather than a structured, risk-based assessment. Given how predictable certain categories of ERP risk are - data quality, integration complexity, change resistance - this is an area where organisations can do significantly better with relatively straightforward planning discipline.
If everyone agrees too early, ask more questions
This was one of the sharpest observations of the evening. If there is unusual confidence and consensus early in an ERP programme, that is often a signal that the hard questions have not been asked yet. Genuine alignment on a complex programme takes time and usually involves some productive disagreement along the way.
Finding the right people to lead ERP transformation
Beyond the strategic themes, programmes live or die on the quality of the people leading them. Investigo works with organisations across the UK to find and place experienced ERP transformation talent - from programme directors and workstream leads to change managers, data specialists, and finance systems professionals.
If you are building a team for an ERP programme, or trying to strengthen one that is already underway, we would welcome the conversation.
Read the full whitepaper for a deeper look at what makes ERP programmes succeed, including how to structure governance, define ownership, and build a value case that holds up under pressure.
