You may see me in the kitchen, busy preparing a new dish. From the outside, everything looks fine — I’m chopping, mixing, tasting, researching, adjusting. It looks like progress.
But the real test isn’t in the process — it’s in the dish.
If the dish turns out terrible, I’ve failed miserably — wasting time, energy, and ingredients. I may have to start all over again. But if it tastes good, we close the project on a happy note, and I’ll carry a few lessons forward for next time.
ERP projects are much the same. When the project team is working hard, it may look like progress — meetings, reports, and constant activity. But if the team isn’t following sound project management principles or working within a proper governance structure, that visible activity can mask deeper issues.
The cracks usually appear near the end — when budgets are gone, timelines are stretched, and everyone just wants to finish. By then, it’s too late to fix what was missing from the start: good governance, solid analysis, change management, and genuine stakeholder engagement.
As project sponsors, don’t be fooled by busy teams. Look for disciplined teams. Invest in project assurance and engage an independent advisor to verify that the fundamentals are truly in place.
Because in projects — just like in the kitchen — presentation can fool you, but taste never lies.
