ERP Programme Recovery
ERP programme recovery for programmes that have stalled, slipped or gone live badly
When an ERP programme is reporting green but missing milestones, when the data migration hasn't turned up in testing, or when a go-live has stopped orders, stock and month-end, I step in, establish the facts and lead the recovery.
Signs your ERP programme needs recovery
- Status green, major milestones missed, go-live date untouched
- Only new-business test cases running, because nobody has worked out how to migrate the existing business
- Stakeholders say the system is missing critical functionality, with no requirements trail to check
- Integrations failing silently: payroll, billing and group reporting no longer match the ledger
- Workarounds and extra staff filling gaps with no owner and no end date
How I recover an ERP programme
- Evidence, not opinion. Where the programme should be, where it is, and what the gap means in months and money.
- Sponsor first, privately. The sponsor hears it before the steering committee and fronts the recovery.
- A range now, a date later. Four to six weeks to assess before re-baselining.
- Fix what breaks the business. Cash, customers and compliance first; then scope reset, supplier negotiation, data, integration and adoption.
Platforms and suppliers
Oracle Fusion and Oracle ERP, SAP S/4HANA and SAP Central Finance, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and CE, NetSuite and Salesforce. I have managed Accenture, EY, McKinsey, Slalom, LTM, Gestinov and Trinio as systems integrators and delivery partners, and I know how to hold an SI to the contract.
Case studies
Where I've done this
Recovering a failing €10M global ERP programme in five months
Read the case studyA £20M+ sector-wide Oracle Fusion procurement across 20 health boards
Read the case studyQuestions
Frequently asked
How quickly can an ERP programme be recovered?
It depends on what has been skipped. I give the sponsor a range for time and cost early, then a re-baselined plan after four to six weeks of assessment. At Quadient, a failing €10M global programme was recovered and delivered end to end in five months.
Do we need to replace our systems integrator?
Usually not. Most recoveries are won by holding the SI to the best practice it committed to in the contract and putting the right governance around it. Replacing an SI is a last resort, not a first move.
What if we bought the wrong ERP?
Build the evidence from the tender, the supplier's written responses and the evaluation notes, separate real gaps from old habits, and take it to executive level. Suppliers often fund the fix, because their money is in long-term licences.
Do you work outside the UK?
Yes. I'm based in Derbyshire and work remote, hybrid or on-site across the UK, and I have led programmes across Europe, the US, Australia and New Zealand.
Further reading
Related insights
The hardest part of an ERP recovery is getting executives to admit it's failing
Status green, milestones missed. How to move a management team from 'there is no problem' to 'what do you need?' in an ERP recovery.
13 October 2026 Go-live recoveryHow to recover an ERP go-live that's falling apart
Stop working tickets and find where the business is broken. A four-step approach to stabilising a failing ERP launch within weeks.
20 October 2026 ERP procurementSo you bought the wrong ERP
When the demo promised everything and the system can't deliver: how to negotiate a resolution and make the vendor carry the cost of overselling.
24 October 2026Is a programme keeping you up at night?
A short, confidential conversation is usually enough to tell whether it needs recovery, assurance or simply a second opinion.