{"id":5599,"date":"2017-01-10T14:29:01","date_gmt":"2017-01-10T22:29:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog-prod.qad.com\/blog\/?p=5599"},"modified":"2023-09-05T10:54:30","modified_gmt":"2023-09-05T17:54:30","slug":"like-fighter-jets-erp-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/2017\/01\/like-fighter-jets-erp-project","title":{"rendered":"Like Fighter Jets, An ERP Project Can\u2019t Be All Things to Everyone"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”5601″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]In 2001 the United States Military began developing a new plane, the F-35. The aircraft was envisioned as a replacement for four different planes: the F-15, F-16, F-18 and A-10, and would be used by the Navy, Air Force and Marines. Essentially this plane would be all things to all people.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fast forward 15 years, and full-scale production of F-35s has still yet to be achieved despite an original target go-live of 2008. Now it\u2019s projected that full-scale production will begin in 2019 (11 years late).<\/span><\/p>\n

Fighter Jets and Your ERP Project<\/h2>\n

What happened? It turns out that there were issues with virtually every part of the machine \u2014 both hardware and software. Everything from software forcing pilots to reboot in midair to cracked air frames plaguing the project. I argue that the underlying issue was that this plane was supposed to be all things to everyone. This one plane is supposed to replace four others for three very different branches of the military \u2014 each with unique needs and requirements.<\/span><\/p>\n

So what lessons can we learn from this project? Here\u2019s my take away: your project shouldn\u2019t be all things to everyone, but it can be the right things to the right people. Your ERP<\/a> can\u2019t include everyone\u2019s requirements, but it can meet a majority of key stakeholders requirements. I believe that a philosophy of a big bang, \u201cERP for everyone project\u201d is one of the major reasons why 75 percent of ERP projects take longer to implement than planned, 60 percent receive less than 50 percent of their expected benefits<\/a> and 55 percent come in over budget.<\/span><\/p>\n

The problem with any project, but especially ERP project management is that there are three pillars that must work in harmony: budget, timeline and scope. How do you successful establish those three?<\/span><\/p>\n

Governance and Consensus Building For Your ERP Project<\/h2>\n
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  1. Break Down Silos and Establish Governance:<\/b> An ERP project will only be successful if the right members of the organization are engaged. Specifically:<\/span>\n