The Problem with Software Implementations

A company implements enterprise software to gain greater clarity and control over its business.  Existing systems were implemented years ago, inherited when the company was acquired, or developed “organically” using e-mail, spreadsheets and ad hoc databases. The company is growing, and the future requires a more sophisticated and integrated solutions. The hunt for new software begins. The selection process matches the capabilities of software to the functional needs of the organization.  Evaluations are made, requirement are written, and experts are consulted to ensure that the right software is found. Months later, software is selected and it’s “Proven Methodology” is adopted.

Sound familiar? This is the standard model. Sometimes it works. Too often, things don’t go as planned. Some hiccups along the way are expected—that’s the nature of the beast. In many cases, the further down the path and the deeper into the project, the more resistance builds. “I thought the software did that out of the box...", "It looks like that is going to take quite a bit more time...", "I can’t do this any longer, I already have a fulltime job!” These words ring out from the project’s 'war room.'

Ticking boxes on the requirements document don’t add up to functional processes, and the list of unexpected issues continues to build. Somedays it feels like two-steps forward one-step back. Other days, it’s worse. The project manager makes moment-to-moment adjustments to the plan to keep the "iron triangle" from getting mangled beyond recognition. After a couple of delays, a firm commitment is made to a go-live date, knowing it might be a little (or a lot) rough and willing to live with the consequences. There is a celebration of the 'go-live' to recognizing the big accomplishment regardless of how short it came from the project's original intention. It may be right to wonder if the process was worth the cost, anxiety, frustration and interruption to business.

What went wrong? It's easy to blame the software and it’s 'Proven Methodology.' Software often falls short of expectations and no methodology is bullet-proof. But there’s more to it than that. The process itself is flawed and imperfect in ways that are difficult to quantify and even harder to accept.

Overall, these companies are successful and profitable. However, the daily details are left largely to the managers, engineers, supervisors and staff who design, sell, purchase, build, test and ship—invisibly ironing out wrinkles in product and process along the way. With the many players involved, it's easy to lose sight of the critical details of the day-to-day. The software that gets selected is the one that appears to best meet the company's needs based on a high-level assessment.  Vendor demos are designed to reflect these objectives, and any discussion of details is put aside until after the contract is signed.

While it is easy to dismiss the details as merely details, the software is less forgiving. The software does what it does by managing details and their relationship to other details. For the software to work, the details are the only things that matter. Software implementations succeed and fail based upon how well the team can identify, assess, organize, input and respond to the details within the functional requirements of the software. In most cases this is something that the team has never done before and it takes time to reconfigure, reorganize, and reassess long-standing processes, perceptions and procedures to fit and feed this new and critical system.

None of this is really news. There are plenty of stories and statistics from industry analysts of the significant failure rates when it comes to software implementations. Unfortunately, it doesn’t register that those same statistics apply to our project as well. The business just isn’t that complicated—right? The seemingly rational and rigorous implementation methodologies along with the varied interests of the stakeholders, decision makers and sales persons can cloud the thinking that guides the project. In many ways it’s a perfect storm for failure.

But what can be done? The business can't continue to function and grow the way it is. Regardless of the risks and uncertainties, a new software is needed. It feels like a 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' situation. So, business owners take the required leap of faith and hope to get lucky.

Don't let this be the fate of your project. Contact C6 Consulting to discuss how we can help ensure your Epicor success.