Here's how you can transform a failed ERP project into a career growth opportunity.

There can be diverse reasons for ERP failures like: Lack of top management commitment and vision. Lack of employee involvement. Incomplete identification of ERP current and future requirements. Inadequate ERP vendor selection. Poor project management. Insufficient mastery of the ERP system. Little attention paid to reengineer or improve business processes. ERP training with undefined learning outcome. Weak post-implementation ERP operations planning and management. Absence of continuous process improvement.

Start by taking a step back to reflect on what went wrong and why. As I say "Failures are tough but they are the best learning opportunities." So first thing you have to do is sit down, relax and analyze thoroughly that which decisions led to the negative outcome of the result and see what is the root cause of it. You can find answer for this "Was the timeline unrealistic? Was the project management poor? Was it due to misaligned goals? Poor Communication? Inadequate resources?" These are some of the most root problems questions which causes failures of the ERP. You can also consider other questions which can be the main factor of failure?

Failure is a matter of perspective. Did you fail forward by learning and adjusting? Deep reflection has a deeper meaning and impact when the reflection is documented and a plan to improve laid out. Understanding the root causes and outlining a strategy to improve should include meeting with key stakeholders to gain feedback. Was the timeline unrealistic? What factors could have improved the information required to show this empirically? What steps and planning could make it more realistic? Inadequate resources? What steps could be taken to resolve these issues? Creative resourcing, stronger leadership?

Bad news wont age like a fine wine. Clear transparent communication throughout the project can give all involved parties insight before the project actually fails. During the aftermath the goal should be the execution of a recovery plan. Challenges will occur during every project, demonstrating clear communication which include, clear information, confirmation of expectations, and validation of understanding. During communications outline lessons learned and approaches for resolution. This will demonstrate you have a methodology to handle future situations that may arise.

Always remember that an open and honest communication is a key to change failure to success. In my starting days I faced a failure due to lack of miss communication. But after the failure I realized my mistake and then with my each and every client I started communicating clearly which helps us in making it a success. If you ever faced difficulty then you have to communicate with your team and then stakeholder and let them know which difficulty you are facing. This will be a reassurity to them and will deeply affect the relation and will never lead you to a failure and can also transform your failure to success.

Learning should always be at the forefront of every project. Failure can be a great opportunity to learn and grow as an individual and team. What does this learning look like? By capturing lessons learned, documenting process improvements, and training you can leverage the failures into future successes. Further sharing your learning with others can provide an even deeper insight by also learning how they overcame challenges and setbacks.

So as I said "Failures are tough but they are the best learning opportunities." Try to solve the problems which lead to the failure. This will level up your skill set. Whether it’s learning more about project management, improving your technical skills, or understanding better ways to communicate with stakeholders, each lesson makes you more resilient and better prepared for future challenges.

Now try to share your learning as it will help you learn more regarding that topic. You can share your learning experience with your team, or other friends from the same industry or even a broader community like a blog or forums, also you can create a presentation which will delve you more into that topic or you can mentor to them who are facing such situation. This will help you build your credibility as an insightful, knowledgeable and a resourceful professional in these field.