Most ERP programmes do not fail because the technology was wrong. They fail because the fundamentals were deprioritised under the pressure of delivery. This guide covers the eight areas that determine the outcome — and gives you a practical checklist for each
Strategy — Goals, governance and vendor selection before a single supplier is engaged
Budgets — The real cost of ERP, not just the SI proposal
People — Executive commitment, dedicated resource and putting your best people in programme roles
Change — Why communication and training alone are not change management
Testing — Unit, system, integration and UAT — why each phase matters and none can be skipped
Training & Education — The difference between teaching people which buttons to press and teaching them why
Data — The most underestimated workstream on every programme
Closure — Go-live is not the finish line
These eight areas are exactly what falls through the gaps when an S/4HANA programme is run without independent client-side oversight. Your SI is focused on delivering their scope. Nobody on their side is commercially incentivised to challenge your strategy, protect your budget, or plan for what happens after they leave. That is the role of a Business Integrator — and these eight steps are the foundation of how we work.
Written for executive teams and programme leaders accountable for the outcome. No jargon. No theory. Just the fundamentals that separate programmes that deliver from those that do not.