Why the “Agent Washing” Surge in ERP AI Is Worse Than You Think
Agentic AI is suddenly everywhere. Tools that looked like helpful assistants last year are being rebranded as “autonomous agents” that do the work for you, not just suggest the next step. The problem is a growing wave of agent washing, old tech in shiny new wrappers, marketed as far more capable than it really is. […]
Long Live ECC? Rethinking the Rush to SAP S/4HANA
If you’re running SAP today, you’re likely feeling the heat to move from SAP ECC (ERP Central Component) to SAP S/4HANA. Deadlines, “clean core” promises, and shiny AI storylines make the upgrade sound inevitable. Not so fast. I’m not here to tell you never to move. I am here to make the case that, for […]
How to Spot (and Fix) a Failing Digital Transformation
Here’s the hard truth: most digital transformations wobble, and many fall. Across studies you’ll see the same pattern, roughly 70% of large-scale change efforts miss their goals, only 20–30% hit full business value, and over half run late or over budget. ERP programs are no exception: independent benchmarks routinely show fewer than one-third deliver on-time, […]
Boomi and the Shift to Composable ERP: What It Is, Where It Fits, and What to Watch
When clients ask whether to double-down on a single, monolithic ERP or move toward a more composable, best-of-breed architecture, the next question is almost always: “How do we connect it all?” That’s where Boomi often enters the conversation. As an integration platform as a service (iPaaS), Boomi aims to be the connective tissue between your […]
Why Your Software Proposal Is (Probably) Wrong, And How to Fix It
If you’re evaluating ERP or enterprise software proposals as part of a digital transformation, I can almost guarantee the numbers in front of you are off. Not because vendors are incompetent, or even necessarily dishonest, but because proposals are built on best-case assumptions, a narrow scope, and sales incentives that don’t align with your risk. […]
Why Employees Always Resist Change (and What to Do About It)
Every transformation I have led or advised, whether ERP, AI, or operating model, has one constant: employees resist change. Not because they are saboteurs or anti-progress, but because the way we introduce change collides with how people find value, certainty, and purpose at work. If you want your program to land, plan for the resistance […]
Is SAP on a Blockbuster/BlackBerry Path?
What do SAP, Blockbuster Video, and the BlackBerry have in common? Potentially more than you think. I started my career as an SAP consultant in the late 1990s, and my team still supports clients on SAP today. From that vantage point, I’m seeing strategic patterns that look uncomfortably similar to what took down once-dominant brands. […]
Is Infor CloudSuite Broken, or Is It the Implementation?
We’re working with a handful of organizations right now that are struggling with their Infor CloudSuite implementations. In several cases, they’ve asked us to step in, remediate, and get things back on track. That naturally raises a question I hear a lot: Is Infor CloudSuite the problem, or is something else going on? Short answer: […]
AI in Enterprise Systems: From Choice Overload to Intelligent Guidance
For years, ERP and enterprise systems have asked too much of end users. The interfaces were clunky, the options overwhelming, and the burden of “choosing correctly” fell squarely on the shoulders of employees. Forecasting is a prime example: users were presented with dropdowns of models, asked to select one, run it, then repeat the process […]
Welcome to the Jungle: Why Digital Transformations Fail (and How to Avoid It)
At Third Stage Consulting, we’ve spent years studying both the successes and the failures to answer one simple question: why do so many digital transformations go off the rails — and what can leaders do differently? ERP failures are nothing new. For decades, organizations have been sold the dream of best practices, off-the-shelf systems, and […]
Big ERP Is Becoming Obsolete — What’s Replacing It
For decades, monolithic ERP suites from vendors like SAP and Oracle promised a single system to run the business. But like Blockbuster ignoring Netflix or BlackBerry underestimating the iPhone, big ERP has missed where the market is headed. The category isn’t disappearing overnight—but its role is shrinking fast, and the operating model that surrounds it […]
Is ERP Dead? Why Incremental Modernization May Be Smarter Than a Full Replacement
Most companies today are running ERP systems that are 10–20 years old. These systems aren’t always broken — but they aren’t delivering the full technological value modern businesses need either. For years, the default response has been: rip and replace. Spend tens of millions of dollars on a new cloud ERP and get on the […]