What do you do if your ERP software customization is causing more problems than it's solving?

ERP customization is of two types. The first one is the customization of reports and user interfaces which is a standard and usual practice during and after ERP implementation. The second one involves risks which are proportional to the complexities of business process customization affecting maintenance updates and upgrades. When amending business logic, the best practice is to make processes streamlined and seamless for higher productivity and output quality.

This is interesting. If you have done your job well, this problem should never happen. Customisation should be a "last resort" approach - the solution is best kept as "vanilla out of the box" as possible - it brings wider benefits & makes updating / upgrading easier. If you are entering into the world of Customisations you should have specific Requirements for these deliverables. Workflows should ensure the To-Be Business Process is delivered. In development the Customisation should have been tested to ensure it works properly and well. If it doesn't, or doesn't perform as required (and each item has a quality reference point). If you get to LIVE and you really need to identify the problem, seek out the root cause and deal with that.

When you capture requirements during the Implementation or Upgrade process the first thing you do is engage. With users, Exec leadership and overall Team - i.e. the People of the Organisation. If you have done this well, you will have a force behind you to assist in driving the Programme forward. Also they are the voice of the Organisation and know how each task, function, job role is performed day to day. They get the shortcuts, work arounds, things that do and don't work. I advocate that in the first 90 days the Programme team go work the roles with People and capture this kind of information. If you don't you are reliant on People who don't "do the do" and that is one thing - dangerous.

Simplifying processes is a critical step when ERP customizations become cumbersome. Here's my take: Focus on core workflows. Identify the essential business processes that the ERP absolutely needs to support. Revisit customizations that don't directly contribute and consider if core functionalities can be leveraged to achieve similar results. Evaluate user needs. Complex customizations can alienate users. Talk to them! Understand which features are most helpful and identify customizations creating roadblocks. Can standard functionalities be adapted to meet their needs? Standardization is key. Standardize data formats and processes across departments. This reduces customization needs and simplifies future integrations or upgrades.

When ERP customization leads to more issues than it resolves, it typically indicates ill-defined processes and a reluctance to change among staff who view the ERP as too complicated. To tackle this, it's crucial to first comprehend the existing processes without ERP by developing a Value Stream Map (VSM). This approach aids in pinpointing the fundamental reasons for inefficiencies. Engaging all stakeholders in this mapping ensures a more user-friendly and successful ERP customization. It's important to note that merely applying new technology to outdated practices without adequate integration and adjustment will not yield effective results.

This is a reactive question again. It's way better to be proactive and have a Culture of continual improvement. If you are proactive here, you shouldn't end up in this world of pain. Keeping it simple is so beneficial. The best way to do that is learn from the People who do the current roles of the Organisation. Make sure that every new To-Be Business Process has been Gap-fitted to the solution and any / every gap challenged. If you are 5,8,15% out you should be asking how the Process can be changed to map to the solution WITHOUT customisations.