How to Fix a Failing SAP S/4HANA Implementation
Sometimes I get the feeling that people get tired of hearing me talk about some of the recent string of high-profile SAP failures. But then I post another article about the SAP failure at Revlon, Lidl, Haribo, or any of the others, and the article inevitably goes viral. Still, I don’t feel right dissecting these […]
Why Customer Experience Should Dictate Your Digital Transformation
Customer experience (CX) should drive your digital transformation. But with the increasing number of digital transformation failures in recent years, it is clear that we are focused on the wrong things. Most organizations implement new digital technologies with the intent of creating additional value and enhancing the customer experience. But, as we have seen in […]
Lessons from Revlon’s SAP Implementation Disaster
A few weeks ago, Revlon announced that its SAP implementation was a disaster. This came on the heels of delayed financial reporting because of said SAP implementation failure. The company’s stock fell 6.9% within 24 hours of reporting the news, which led to an investor lawsuit against the company. Not good, especially for a publicly-traded […]
Alternatives to the big SAP and Oracle Systems Integrators
“No one ever got fired for hiring [insert big, well-known system integrator here],” or so the saying goes. While I can’t say that I know of anyone that has been fired for this decision, I do know of plenty of organizations that have sued as a result. As a recovering Big 5 SAP consultant, I […]
SAP S/4HANA Training: Lessons from SAP Boot Camp
Last week we hosted our first SAP S/4HANA Boot Camp training. This small, hands-on workshop featured a number of digital transformation team members attending in person, along with teams attending remotely via web conference. Though I was one of the facilitators of the training, I learn something new every time I conduct workshops like these. […]
Big ERP Systems Integrators Exposed
Disclaimer: This article contains quotes from multiple sources, which we have not cited for confidentiality purposes. Third Stage Consulting is an independent, technology-agnostic firm that is not affiliated with any of the ERP software vendors or systems integrators mentioned in this article. After the French Revolutions in the 1800s, a famous French writer once wrote: […]
Preparing for a SAP SuccessFactors or Workday Implementation
If there is one thing that we have learned from our lessons from 1,000 HCM implementations, it is that your level of transformation success hinges on the things you do before you ever start. There are a number of best practices that should drive how you prepare for your SAP SuccessFactors or Workday implementation. Cliff […]
Lessons from a Microsoft Dynamics 365 Failure
Late last month I received a call from a CIO that I have known for about 13 years. He and I have worked together over the course of his roles at three different companies, so I know him fairly well. But this phone call was different than others I have received from him in the […]
Summary of Findings from the 2019 ERP Report
A few weeks ago, we released the 2019 ERP Report. Unlike similar studies of years past, this one digs deeper into the statistical root causes of success versus failure – and the findings are very eye-opening. Overview of the 2019 ERP Report The study examines ERP implementations over the last 20 years, with a particular […]
Digital Transformation and ERP Implementation Readiness: Why It’s So Important to Your Initiative
Most people think that there are two distinct stages in a digital transformation. First you pick the right technology, then you implement it. But this traditional view misses what is the most important stage: implementation readiness. When we ask ourselves why digital transformation failures are increasing, most problems can be traced back to before the […]
Misalignment: The Secret Killer of Digital Transformation Initiatives
The real cause of digital transformation and ERP failures isn’t what you might think. When we hear about SAP failures at Lidl, the ERP challenges at Haribo, and other digital transformation failures, it’s easy to blame the obvious problems: We over-customized the software Our system integrator charged us too much and took longer than planned […]
What To Do Before Beginning Your SAP S/4HANA Implementation
Once you have selected your SAP system integrator, it’s easy to get steamrolled into letting the army of consultants show up on site, start the meter running, and just start doing stuff. Despite pressure you may feel from Deloitte, Accenture, Capgemini, or most other integrators, this is a terrible idea that goes against your best […]