Problems with ERP systems

I read an interesting article about problems with ERP Systems on May 28, 2025 which you can check out by clicking here. The article identifies the following 4 problems with ERP:

• System – system is missing functionality needed
• Setup – system ok but not setup properly
• Incomplete – system ok but not using it
• Business Practice – system ok but not using it well

It’s important to classify the problem, as the solution is not always a new system. We take a similar approach when we do our business process reviews, where we interview employees to describe the business process and the problems with it. We classify problems a little differently

• System – Same as above
• Training – Both Setup and Incomplete would be included
• Infrastructure – There could be, for example, performance problems related to the infrastructure.
• Business Process – Same as business practice
• Culture – Sometimes the culture of the organization can be the source of a problem.

You can do a lot to change all the non-system problems other than culture and you also have some options with the system problems:

• Use RPA or AI to automate a manual process
• Change the business process if the process is not that important to your business. Just because it’s been done that way for ages, doesn’t mean it can’t be changed.
• Enhance the system which could be done with configuration tools like adding a new field or by customization
• Use 3rd party tools

So before you embark on replacing your system, consider all your options including contacting us to do an independent review of your business processes.