The Ghouls of ERP

The Ghouls of ERP

‘Twas the night of Halloween when all through the office

Not a system was blinking not even a “mouse.”

The power was on, all ready to go

For our November Go-Live, on the ‘morrow.

The employees were busy dressing up for the night

While thoughts of the planned launch were nowhere in sight.

All had been tested and everyone trained

There was not a scenario we’d not entertained!

Did it matter that our ERP Plan was a bit lame?

Or that no one from Sales played in our game?

Sure, our Chart-of-Accounts had not been redone

Nor had we tried a test load and run.

All systems were go, checklists be damned,

Everyone knew the software was wonderfully grand

We were free to party this Halloween eve

Carve pumpkins, drink cider, and take our leave.

The evening grew dark while we sought tricks and sought treats

For ‘tis the custom before Go-Live to eat many sweets!

The morning’s sun rose up like a pumpkin in the sky

The new system went live but, by golly, it just didn’t fly . . .

Not a sale could be posted

Cash receipts unapplied

Pricing misaligned

Shipments awry

Maybe we weren’t as ready as we’d boasted

So now who’s to blame – we kinda just coasted.

Fingers were pointing between management and staff

It must have been the Ghouls of Halloween, someone then said with a laugh.

So, as this Halloween approaches, please check all around

Before launching your new system right into the ground.

Bring on a good Project Manager who really knows her stuff

From testing to training, it must be more than a bluff.

Plan Well, Budget Right, and Test Away

To be sure that this Halloween is a sweet holiday!

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Rubenstein / Justman Management Consultants (RJMC) is expert in systems Go-Live. RJMC provides Project Management for important financial and operations improvement projects. Give us a call today at 310-445-5300 - We Get Projects Done!