Why a Successful ERP Implementation Is Not Guaranteed

Implementing an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system may seem like a path to operational excellence, but in reality, many organisations stumble, sometimes spectacularly. As transformation expert Eric Kimberling warns, “ERP failures don’t happen overnight. They build slowly, one false assumption and one unchecked expectation at a time.”

For companies investing in ERP, the risk isn’t just software failure, it’s the erosion of confidence, wasted budget, and lost momentum. To avoid those pitfalls, it helps to understand the myths and blind spots that often derail ERP projects. Here’s how to spot them, and how to guard against them based on Kimberling’s insights and best practices. 

 The Common Myths That Undermine ERP Success 

Below are key misconceptions that often set projects on the wrong path, along with strategies to avoid them: 

1. “Vendor ‘Best Practices’ Guarantee Success” 

Many ERP vendors promote their standard configurations or workflows as “best practices,” but those are often driven by their internal assumptions and priorities, not yours. 

Pitfall: Adopting these defaults blindly can force your business to conform to the software, rather than tailoring the software to your business. 

What to do: Use vendor best practices as suggestions, not commandments. Evaluate which practices align (or conflict) with your business strategy and processes and be ready to challenge or adapt them. 

2. Implementation Is Just a Technology Project 

ERP vendors often frame the deployment as a technical modernisation. But success hinges not on the software itself, but on process redesign, data quality, integrations, governance, and especially people. 

Pitfall: Focusing too heavily on coding, configuration, and cutover at the expense of business-driven work. 

What to do: Treat ERP as a business transformation. Ensure cross-functional teams, clear process owners, and robust change management are front and centre. 

3. The Technical Phase Is the Most Crucial 

Too often, organisations rush into configuration and coding, treating the early “planning” phase as optional or secondary. Kimberling calls this “phase zero”, and says it’s one of the most critical stages. 

Pitfall: Inadequate time spent up front on governance, decision-making, strategy, and planning leads to costly rework later. 

What to do: Invest heavily in phase zero. Develop your blueprint, set up governance structures, define requirements, establish integration strategies, and anticipate change challenges. 

4. Change Management = End-User Training 

Vendors often include basic training in their proposals, and clients assume that “teaching users how to click buttons” suffices. Change management must start early, address cultural resistance, communication, process ownership, and mindset shifts. 

Pitfall: Users may reject or subvert the system if they don’t understand how and why things are changing. 

What to do: Begin change initiatives in phase zero. Conduct impact assessments, stakeholder engagement, two-way communication, role redesign, and ongoing reinforcement, not just day-of training. 

5. The ERP System Itself Will Dictate Your Future State 

Vendors may imply (or insist) that their software structure should drive your business design, arguing that customisation is undesirable. But modern ERP systems are highly flexible, and your business needs to define its own future state. 

Pitfall: Decision latency; slow or deferred decisions can stall the project, and clients may drift into “standard software alignment” by default. 

What to do: Decide early which processes you want to transform, which you accept, and which you customise. Keep decision-making agile, structured, and timely. 

Why These Myths Matter. The Real Root Causes of Failure 

As Kimberling observes, myths lead to blind spots, bias, and misalignment, and those are the true sources of ERP failure. Some of the symptoms include:
 

• Resistance to change 

• Over-customisation or abandoned customisations 

• Poor or undefined business processes 

• Weak governance and slow decisions 

• Unrealistic user expectations 

These all stem from hidden assumptions and unchallenged beliefs, not from technology itself. 

Rules of the Road: How to Avoid Falling for ERP Myths 

Here are action-oriented steps to help your ERP project stay on course: 

Conclusion: Success Isn’t Automatic, It Requires Vigilance 

An ERP implementation is rarely a turnkey success out of the box. The difference between success and failure often comes down to how well an organisation confronts these myths, challenges assumptions, and builds strong business foundations before code is even written. 

At Positive8, we believe that the best outcomes combine technical excellence with strategic clarity, effective change leadership, and disciplined execution.