What do you do if your ERP project fails and you want to learn from it for your career growth?

In my view, one should pen down the aspects as lessons learned and shall be taken care in future while executing similar tasks.

I agree with this actually accepting failure is first ladder towards valuable learning and experience. It also fills the gaps between success and failure.

Embrace Failure as a Learning Opportunity: Instead of dwelling on the disappointment of the failed ERP project, view it as a pivotal learning experience. Recognize that failure is an inevitable part of innovation and growth. Embrace a growth mindset that acknowledges failures as valuable lessons that contribute to personal and professional development.

Acknowledge ERP project failure without blame, fostering open discussion. Reflect on objectives versus outcomes, identifying gaps for learning and professional growth.

If ERP projects fail, it's essential to reflect on the reasons behind the failure and extract valuable lessons for your career growth. Conduct a thorough post-mortem analysis to identify what went wrong, such as inadequate planning, communication issues, or technical challenges. Take ownership of any mistakes and focus on areas where you can improve, whether it's project management skills, technical expertise, or stakeholder engagement. Use the experience as an opportunity to grow and develop resilience, and apply the lessons learned to future projects to increase your chances of success. Additionally, seek feedback from colleagues and mentors to gain different perspectives and insights.

The most common causes of ERP implementation and operations failure in diverse organizations are: Weak top management commitment. Below average project management. Training without well defined learning outcome. Significant gap between ERP capabilities and the client's ERP requirements. Little attention paid to reduce employees' resistance to change. Not enough importance given to post-implementation operations like ongoing support, training, maintenance, upgrade and continuous business process improvement.

As a specialized consultant, analyzing causes of ERP project failure requires a comprehensive approach. Technical challenges, poor planning, communication breakdowns, organizational resistance, and vendor issues are common contributors. Thorough examination offers valuable insights for future project success.

Acknowledging the failure is the first important step. Then we need to analyze the root cause which can be different in different projects. If there is any skill shortage, upskilling. Finally applying the lessons learnt to incorporate in the future projects.

Realize uma análise detalhada das causas que levaram ao fracasso do projeto. Isso pode envolver revis?o de documentos do projeto, entrevistas com membros da equipe e stakeholders, e uma avalia??o dos processos, recursos e tecnologias envolvidos.

Conduct a Comprehensive Post-Mortem Analysis: Take a systematic approach to analyze the factors contributing to the failure of the ERP project. Conduct a thorough post-mortem analysis to identify root causes, including project management issues, technical challenges, organizational dynamics, and external factors. Encourage open and honest discussions among team members to gain diverse perspectives on what went wrong.

Full, honest feedback is only possible in a safe environment. ERP failures can create a very hostile atmosphere with a lot of finger pointing, and everybody naturally assumes a defensive posture. There may be negative outcomes and some people may lose their job. But people are in shock in the immediate aftermath of a project failure and some level of trauma management is required. It may require HR involvement or even counseling resources to help people get through that period. Whatever the final outcome, people must be treated humanely and respectfully in order to obtain helpful feedback - and because it's just the right thing to do.

Solicite feedback de todas as partes envolvidas no projeto, incluindo membros da equipe, gerentes, usuários finais e outros stakeholders. Isso pode fornecer insights valiosos sobre o que deu errado e áreas que precisam ser melhoradas no futuro.

In my experience, there are near-term and long-term planning requirements following this type of failure. In the near-term, there will be a rapid recovery planning session with all hands on deck to get the business productive again. In my case, we met on a Wednesday at noon, had a plan by about 5:00, and I worked with a developer until about 2:00 am the next day. This level of intensity continued over the course of five days and the warehouse was back to normal operations on Monday morning. In the long term, lessons learned from this experience were applied to future warehouse rollouts.

Ao iniciar um novo projeto de ERP, planeje com antecedência para evitar os mesmos erros cometidos no projeto anterior. Isso pode incluir uma análise mais detalhada dos requisitos do projeto, aloca??o adequada de recursos, defini??o clara de metas e objetivos, e um plano de gerenciamento de riscos abrangente.

Demonstrate Learning and Growth in Future Endeavors: As you move forward in your career, actively demonstrate the learning and growth that resulted from the failed ERP project. Showcase how you've applied the lessons learned to successfully navigate new challenges and drive positive outcomes in subsequent projects. Highlight your ability to learn from failure, adapt to changing circumstances, and contribute to organizational success.

Identifique as habilidades que precisam ser aprimoradas para ter sucesso em projetos futuros de ERP. Isso pode incluir habilidades técnicas relacionadas à implementa??o e gerenciamento de sistemas ERP, bem como habilidades de lideran?a, comunica??o e gerenciamento de projetos.

One way is the “low hanging fruit,” quick and dirty fixes that will alleviate disruption, and improve efficiency with minimal effort.? The other method will contain more complex fixes with higher costs that will take longer to implement.? Prioritize your problem/solution combinations to arrive at the top 5-10 areas where you will experience the most immediate business improvements at the lowest cost.? Many of these fixes will not involve ERP functionality, but will instead focus on business processes and organizational change management.? Implement these 5-10 solutions first.? Once you have a few quick wins in place, use that organizational momentum to prioritize and implement more long-term solutions as time and resources allow.

Explore New Opportunities for Skill Development: Identify areas for skill development and professional growth that emerged from the failed ERP project. Consider pursuing additional training, certifications, or coursework to enhance your expertise in relevant areas such as project management, change management, or technical skills related to ERP systems. Use the experience as motivation to continuously improve and expand your skill set.

Compartilhe as li??es aprendidas com outros profissionais de ERP e membros da equipe. Isso pode ser feito por meio de apresenta??es, workshops, artigos ou outras formas de comunica??o. Ao compartilhar suas experiências, você n?o só ajuda os outros a evitar os mesmos erros, mas também refor?a seu próprio aprendizado.

To effectively share your lessons learned, consider writing blog posts, participating in online forums or discussion groups, speaking at industry events, or mentoring colleagues one-on-one. By actively engaging with your professional network and sharing your insights, you contribute to the collective knowledge base and help drive the entire ERP community forward. Remember, sharing your lessons learned is not about highlighting your mistakes or shortcomings; it's about demonstrating your growth, resilience, and commitment to improvement. By openly discussing your experiences, you inspire others to do the same, fostering a culture of learning and collaboration that benefits everyone involved.

Documentation after the fact is important, but so is documentation during the project. An effective assessment of what went wrong includes a review of decisions made in the course of the project. Whether you're part of an internal company project team or a consulting team working with a customer, it's critical to document actions during the project, including suggestions that may have been made but were rejected by the customer and/or stakeholders. It's not just about pointing fingers or protecting yourself, although a certain amount of the latter is necessary. It's also about documenting incorrect decisions to be sure they aren't repeated in the future.

Document Lessons Learned: Document key insights and lessons learned from the failed ERP project. Capture both successes and failures, along with the underlying reasons behind each outcome. Create a detailed repository of lessons learned that can serve as a valuable resource for future projects. Share these insights transparently within your organization to foster a culture of continuous learning and improvement.

Leve em considera??o outros fatores que possam ter contribuído para o fracasso do projeto de ERP, como cultura organizacional, falta de suporte da alta administra??o, mudan?as nos requisitos do projeto, entre outros. Certifique-se de abordar esses aspectos em seus planos futuros.