ERP implementation failure is the worst-case scenario, and an implementation project team will go to any length to avoid it. The implementation team, on the other hand, can still potentially preserve the project, and the project leader should take particular steps later to try to salvage it.

Making a failed recovery plan and requesting executive support are a couple of these steps. Here are the steps a project manager should take following an ERP implementation failure, along with reasons why they may be helpful.

Make a plan

The project leader must first prepare an ERP Implementation checklist or a plan before selecting how to address implementation issues. Before diving in, the project manager must first understand the full scope of the issues that are causing the failure and then devise a strategy. The leader can then prioritize the areas that need the most significant attention and devise a solution to the difficulties. Developing a strategy may lessen the pressure on team members to resolve issues for employees who have the most complaints about certain concerns.

Analyze the budget

Because of the costs of keeping implementation partners and staff who were loaned to the project working longer than expected, the project team will require extra money following implementation failure. In order to solve the challenges, the team may need to boost resources.

The project manager should first analyze any remaining budget from the ERP deployment before estimating the additional monies needed. Because the implementation failure is so pressing, the leader may not have time to create a detailed budget, therefore they should enlist the help of other individuals to review the data. The leader should ask others to validate the additional expenditures, ensure that the budget is error-free, and ensure that the budget is as precise as possible.

The more times the project team needs to ask for money, the worse it appears, thus the leader should make sure the budget is correct the first time.

Choose the right implementation partner

Aside from ERP consultants, you’ll also require a systems integrator as an implementation partner.

It’s critical to choose the proper systems integrator so you can get the help you need.

Some systems integrators promote a speedy implementation with no support options, so look for partners with a good reputation who are committed to ensuring a successful ERP implementation.

Prioritize the right issues

Employees and other users should be able to easily communicate ERP system difficulties to the implementation team, according to the project leader. The leader must then devise a method to save the issues in an application, allowing the team to review, analyze, prioritize, and eventually mark them resolved. If the project team does not begin using an application during implementation, it may be necessary to rely on the IT ticketing system or a spreadsheet.

After analyzing the concerns, the team should prioritize the most pressing ones. This guarantees that the team addresses the most important issues first, rather than merely the ones that create the most complaints. A project team, for example, should most likely prioritize security and data integrity concerns over usability concerns.

Employee communication

If employees are having substantial problems, the project team should inform them that the team is aware of the problems and is working on a solution.

The highlights of the recovery plan can be shared with employees as the team develops it. The team may also wish to construct a simple dashboard that they can share with their staff, where team members can list concerns and flag them as complete. Employees can then observe that the team is progressing.

However, if constructing the dashboard will take substantial time away from resolving ERP system difficulties, the team should ignore it.

Request executive assistance

To recover from an ERP failure, some level of executive support is requires. At the very least, the executive may serve as the team’s champion during meetings when leaders debate the ERP project, and the team may request extra financing from the executive. Furthermore, an executive can help with employee communication by emphasizing the organization’s commitment to addressing employees’ ERP system problems.

The project team should keep the executive up to date on the project’s status. However, the group is not compelled to share details with the executive unless the executive requests it.

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