No fewer than 55% to 75% of all ERP projects fail to achieve their intended objectives. This is according to research by Gartner. The cause rarely lies with the technology itself. It is the people and processes that determine whether an ERP implementation is truly successful. Nevertheless, we see that organisations repeatedly struggle with adoption after going live: users fall back into old ways of working, reports are not used consistently and processes remain unnecessarily complicated. In this blog, Erry de Boer, CEO of Eqeep, explains the five most crucial barriers to avoid in order to get the most out of your ERP investment.

Barrier 1: Lack of ownership turns ERP into an IT celebration

ERP is often seen as “ an IT issue”, while it is the business that has to work with it. This lack of ownership is immediately reflected in the results. No one feels responsible for data quality. Process agreements become non-binding suggestions. Improvement actions are left undone because they belong to no one.

Therefore, assign a clear owner for each process or KPI. This person will be responsible for data quality, compliance with agreements and initiating improvements. Make this role explicit and give the owner the authority to actually implement changes. This will create commitment from the business and prevent ERP from remaining a purely technical project.

Barrier 2: Change management is not a luxury but a necessity

Too many organisations focus on technical implementation and forget the human side. The result: resistance among employees, low willingness to use the system and a massive return to old systems such as Excel and email. According to IDC research, user adoption is the key to realising ERP value.

Therefore, start communicating early on about the reasons for the change. Involve key users in the design of processes. Let end users contribute ideas about the design. Organise workshops where employees can express their concerns and propose solutions. Change management is not a side issue – it is the foundation for successful adoption.

Barrier 3: Training does not stop after going live

Training courses are often short, one-off and far too generic. Employees are given a standard tour of the system and then have to figure it out for themselves. The result: they only use a fraction of the possibilities and fall back on inefficient workarounds.

Plan role-based training sessions that are tailored to the daily activities of different user groups. A salesperson needs different functionalities than someone in finance. Provide practical reference material that employees can use. Organise refresher sessions a few months after going live, when users experience their first challenges. Make learning a continuous process, not a one-off event.

Barrier 4: Without metrics, you navigate by instinct

Many organisations do not define what successful adoption means. They do not measure how many users actually log in, which functionalities they use or which process improvements they achieve. Without these insights, improvements remain invisible and support from both management and users disappears.

Determine in advance which KPIs and metrics you will use to measure adoption. Consider login frequency, process turnaround times, data quality, and user satisfaction. According to the Harvard Business Review, companies that use fixed measurement points for adoption achieve an average of 30% higher ROI on their ERP investment. Make these metrics visible to all stakeholders and discuss them regularly.

Barrier 5: Stagnation after going live breaks your system

After going live, ERP often disappears from the agenda. The project team is disbanded, the consultants leave, and everyone goes back to business as usual. Meanwhile, business processes, market demands, and user needs continue to change. The system that was a perfect fit when it went live becomes obsolete within a year.

Therefore, make further development part of your long-term planning. Schedule regular evaluation moments to review your processes. Collect feedback from users and translate it into concrete improvements. Reserve budget for optimisations and new functionalities. Don’t see your ERP as a completed project, but as a growing system that evolves with your organization.

From barrier to success

Imagine: a logistics company implements a new ERP system without a concrete adoption plan. Three months after going live, it turns out that employees are still processing orders via email and keeping track of important data in Excel. By appointing key users, organising targeted training and discussing KPIs on a weekly basis, system usage could increase to 95% within three months. Order turnaround times could be halved and the number of errors in the data could be reduced by 80%.

This scenario shows that it is never too late to improve the adoption of your ERP system. With the right approach, you can transform an currently an underused system into a powerful engine for your business operations.

Successful change with ERP requires not only smart technology, but above all the people who work with it. By organizing ownership and continuous involvement, you ensure that the system actually delivers value.

Want to know more?

Are you struggling with the adoption of your current ERP system? Or are you on the edge of a new implementation? We are happy to share our experience and help you avoid the barriers. Contact us for a free chat about your situation.

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¹. https://lumeniaconsulting.com/insights/blogs/erp-failure-factors