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.
Written by Michael Burns
Michael Burns is both founder and president of 180 Systems. Michael has provided consulting services to a wide variety of industries including manufacturing, construction, financial, distribution, retail, third-party logistics, professional services, real estate and not-for-profit organizations. Michael is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) and is certified as a PMP (Project Manager Professional) and as a Certified Information Technology Professional (CITP).
Michael has written extensively for a number of professional magazines and spoken at IT conferences. He was also a part-time professor at University of Toronto and Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson). Michael’s experience also includes software development, project management and accounting.