A recent survey by PwC showed that over 85% of Dynamics AX projects failed to achieve their core objectives.
Implementing Dynamics AX has been compared to performing open heart surgery on an organisation, where the stakes couldn’t be higher, and so the ‘physicians’ that are entrusted to give the ‘patient’ it’s new lease of life, need to be masters in their craft and highly experienced
the same is true of most erp systems, and indeed of most projects. There si always over optimism, and over confidence, and an assumptions of perfections, despite the copious evidence that other good companies made the same errors of judgement.
So before you start a project rather than wait to see how it pans out and then do a post mortem, instead do try holding a pre-mortem. Assume it did no go so well. Ask your project team/stakeholders to write down why.
In the re-project phase one a senior executive gives a green light to go ahead, dissenting voices tend to go quiet. Costs are negotiate down rather than risk management, contingency and quality built in.
A pre-mortem can help you find what people really think and inject a touch of realism, about challenges, realistic scope, time and resources needed. With concerns identified they can be addressed and the team who has to deliver will be much more committed with their concerns out in the open and a less rosy tinted outlook.
