Information technology (IT) projects are susceptible
to changes in the business environment, and the increasing velocity
of change in global business is challenging the management of
enterprise systems such as enterprise resource planning (ERP). At
the same time, system success depends on the rigor of the project
management processes. Scope creep, poor risk management, inadequate
allocation of human resources over time, and vendor
management are some common problems associated with the implementation
of an enterprise system. These issues pose threats to
the success of a large-scale software project such as ERP. This research
adopts a case study approach to examine how poor project
management can imperil the implementation of an ERP system.
Having learned the lessons from the failure of its first ERP implementation,
the company in this case reengineered its project
management practices to successfully carry out its second ERP
implementation. Many critical project management factors contributed
to the failure and success of this company’s ERP system.
This study explores and identifies critical elements of project management
that contributed to the success of the second ERP implementation.
For those organizations adopting ERP, the findings
provide a roadmap to follow in order to avoid making critical, but
often underestimated, project management mistakes.