Why ERP Projects Fail After Go-Live and How to Prevent It
- Alfredo Iorio
- Oct 5
- 3 min read
ERP implementations are rarely lost in the technical build: they fail in the final mile. By the time a system is ready to go live, the budget is spent, the timeline is stretched, and user training is a checkbox squeezed into the final agenda.
Yet, what happens after go-live determines whether the project delivers value or becomes another cautionary tale. In this article, I explain why most ERP projects struggle post-launch and how a structured, adoption-focused training strategy can prevent failure before it starts.
The Real Risk Isn't Go-Live, It's What Comes After
Most ERP projects are declared a success the day they go live. The system is configured, data is migrated, and the project team finally exhales.
But three weeks later, the signs appear:
Support tickets surge.
Users revert to Excel and old workarounds.
Finance teams can't close the month.
Sales pipelines go quiet.
The technology hasn't failed; the people have not adopted the solution.
In most cases, the root cause isn't configuration, customisation, or integration. It's training. Or rather, the lack of a structured training strategy.
The Illusion of Go-Live Success
In ERP projects, the go-live milestone is often mistaken for success. It's not.
A successful deployment is when users can perform their roles confidently, accurately, and efficiently in the new system. Until that happens, the project hasn't truly delivered value.
The irony? By the time training becomes urgent, it's usually too late. Training is squeezed into the final phase, typically around UAT or afterwards, and it is quickly forgotten once the project team moves on.
The Common Symptoms of Post-Go-Live Struggle
If these sound familiar, your project may be suffering from adoption fatigue:
A spike in UAT or support tickets. Users can't complete basic processes without help.
Last-minute Change Requests are rushed, which increases the costs.
Manual work is creeping back in. Teams revert to spreadsheets "until we fix the system."
Declining system trust. Managers question data accuracy.
Productivity drop. Every task takes longer because users are second-guessing themselves.
These aren't technical issues; they're training issues.
Root Cause: Training Treated as a Side Task
Many ERP implementations still rely on a "train-the-trainer" approach. On paper, it sounds efficient. In practice, this approach does not enable user adoption.
Consultants finish the build, then train one or two key users, who are expected to cascade that knowledge across departments — while juggling their day jobs.
This is like training the pilot and hoping passengers can fly themselves.
Without a structured, role-based, process-driven training strategy, even the best ERP systems will fail to deliver.
How to Prevent It: Build Adoption, Not Just Delivery
Training must be treated as a project workstream, not a deliverable at the end. At D365 Training, we use the LEAD365™ Training Framework to embed adoption into every phase of a project.
Here's how it works:
1️⃣ Learn – Build Familiarity Early
Introduce the system during the Initiate phase. Early exposure builds awareness and reduces resistance.
2️⃣ Engage – Train Key Users During Build
Align training with role-based configuration. When key users test the system they helped shape, adoption starts before go-live.
3️⃣ Adopt – Deliver Tailored End-User Training
Move beyond feature demos. Teach users their daily work in the system through realistic scenarios and practice sessions.
4️⃣ Drive – Reinforce Learning Post Go-Live
Adoption doesn't stop at launch. Schedule refresher sessions, create onboarding materials for new hires, and update content as the system evolves.
This four-phase approach ensures that training isn't an event; it's a process that runs parallel to the implementation.
From Chaos to Confidence
One of our clients, a mid-sized manufacturing company, went live with Dynamics 365 Business Central. The system worked, but users didn't.
We restructured their training using role-based scenarios for Finance and Shopfloor teams. Within six weeks:
Support tickets dropped by 62%
Month-end close time reduced from 9 days to 2
User satisfaction (measured through post-training surveys) jumped by 40%
The system hadn't changed. The training approach had.
The Bottom Line
ERP projects rarely fail because the software is flawed. They almost always fail because users were never trained to succeed.
The risk of seeing go-live as the finish line is that user training is treated as a task, not an adoption strategy. When training is built into the project, not bolted on at the end, ERP projects deliver measurable business value.
Next Steps
If you want to learn more about our training strategy, use this link: LEAD365™ Training Framework is our proven methodology aligned with Microsoft's Success by Design approach.
Download the User Training Starter Kit (free video course + PowerPoint) and see how to embed adoption into every project.
Or book a consultation to discuss your Dynamics 365 rollout.
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