ERP Migration: 5 Mistakes That Make Projects Fail
Why ERP migrations fail in mid-market companies — and what over a decade of hands-on experience teaches you.
After over a decade of ERP projects, I keep seeing the same patterns. Technology is rarely the problem. Projects fail because of organization, expectations, and communication.
Mistake 1: No Dedicated Project Manager on the Client Side
The ERP project is managed “on the side” by the IT director or CFO. Both already have a full-time job. The project gets whatever attention is left over — which is never enough.
Solution: At least 50% capacity allocated to one person who can and may make decisions.
Mistake 2: Data Migration Gets Underestimated
“We’ll just transfer the data” — that sentence alone has cost millions. Data from legacy systems is inconsistent, incomplete, and stored in formats nobody understands anymore.
Solution: Treat data migration as a standalone sub-project with its own timeline, its own budget, and its own test cycles.
Mistake 3: Change Management Gets Forgotten
The best ERP system is useless if nobody uses it. “Training on go-live day” is not enough. Employees need lead time, an understanding of the why, and the opportunity to voice concerns.
Solution: Change management from week 1. Not as a slide presentation, but as a dialogue with the affected departments.
Mistake 4: Too Much Customization
Every custom modification costs three times over: during implementation, during testing, and with every future update. Mid-market companies tend to replicate every existing process 1:1 in the new system.
Solution: Fit-to-standard approach. First check whether the standard process works. Only customize where there is demonstrable business value.
Mistake 5: No Realistic Timeline
18-month plans that turn into 30 months in reality. Usually because scope creeps, dependencies are underestimated, or decisions are made too slowly.
Solution: Shorter phases with clear deliverables. Better to go live in 3 waves than to plan a big bang that never comes.
The Pattern Behind It
All five mistakes share a common root cause: a lack of realistic planning and honest communication. ERP projects are not IT projects — they are organizational projects with a technical component.
Understand that, and you’re halfway there.
Planning an ERP migration? I support mid-market companies with planning, governance, and execution — so the project stays on time and on budget.