4 reasons your employees don't use your ERP

After months or even years of preparation and hard work, the new ERP was introduced to the organization and you got a nice bonus for completing the implementation on time. But after a while, it becomes apparent that many employees are still not using ERP the way they should. There are a few common reasons that may explain this low ERP user adoption.

1. Management isn't using ERP

ERP users figure this out quickly. They bring a report to their boss from the ERP and find the boss still wants to use his trusty Excel spreadsheet. The shop is supposed to run on a well-defined production schedule, developed by your ERP workflow and based on released jobs that in turn are based on actual sales orders. The VP of Sales comes to the daily production planning meeting and undermines the ERP system by directing the plant to drop everything and work on the job he hopes to land next week.

Recommended Reading: ERP Implementation Guide - Ensure incorrect implementation isn't the reason your employee don't use your ERP

2. Systems used alongside ERP are not integrated

I saw this first hand a few years ago. We used SAP for nearly everything but the engineers were in love with another system for job operations. We tried to get the two systems to sync but even when the SAP plan was better, we were told to use the engineers’ system. That system wasn’t any better or worse, only different and it was difficult to keep the two coordinated.

3. The new ERP doesn't fit with company culture

Well-run businesses have a culture that keeps them well run. One might pride themselves on being the lowest price producer in their market. Another gives their customers the best service and yet another is always the technology leader. But if that technology leader tries to implement an ERP that is set up primarily to drive low costs and doesn’t feel like a high-tech tool it will probably not be accepted by ERP users.

4. Someone is covering up fraud

The sweet little old lady in accounting hasn’t missed a day at work in years because she is so dedicated to the company and her job. At least that is the lore until some auditor questions where the money in her cookie jar is used and we learn she has taken it home every night for longer than anyone can remember. There are control systems in every ERP and not all are accounting-related. This isn’t an everyday occurrence but it is a possibility that ERP hasn’t been adopted for nefarious reason.