Control Your ERP Destiny: Reduce Project Costs, Mitigate Risks, and Design Better Business Solutions - Softcover

Phillips, Steven Scott

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0615591086 ISBN 13: 9780615591087

Publisher: Street Smart ERP Publications, 2012

Synopsis

Not much has changed with managing Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) projects in the past fifteen years. While there are better software and new technology, the industry continues with the same approach with the same disappointing outcomes.

Meanwhile, history has shown that leaving the fate of your ERP project in the hands of software consultants and vendors may only create a false sense of security. Regardless of all the right intentions, software consultants are not all-knowing, have a limited ability to control the keys to project success, and are often the beneficiaries of cost overruns. When it comes to software vendors, their sales people will be long gone when it comes time to go-live with the new system.

This ERP book addresses strategies and techniques to help organizations take charge of their projects to drive success. The author Steven Phillips has been there many times before as an independent consultant and practitioner in industry. He demystifies ERP, tells it like it is, and describes how to become more self-reliant, significantly reduce implementation costs, and design better business solutions.

Successful ERP is not about becoming a technology guru, mastering project planning software or hiring more consultants. Success comes from education and knowledge that your senior management and the project team can understand and embrace. ERP projects do not fail overnight - they fail one uninformed decision at a time. The good news is a high percentage of cost overruns, software disappointments, and go-live disasters are avoidable.

Recently named the No. 1 book for ERP Project Managers by Book Authority.

This edition updated: Jan 2026

Reviews:

"This book fits nicely into what I call the Center of Excellence movement - the push by ERP customers to gain more value out of their ERP investments and endure less headaches. The book is a combination of hard-won advice, cautionary tales, and a bit of a manifesto for not placing blind trust in third party consultancies." - Jon Reed, SAP/ERP Market Analyst.

"You owe it to your company and yourself to read this book. If you do so, you will sharply increase your odds for success and spend a lot less money. Steve has done the ERP industry a big service." - Tom F. Wallace, early ERP pioneer, author, and Distinguished Fellow at The Ohio State University Center for Operational Excellence.

"I love this book." - R. Ray Wang. CEO and Principal Analyst at Constellation Research, a founding partner of the Altimeter Group and thought leader on enterprise digital transformation.

"If the Project Management Institute (PMI) had a certification program in ERP Management, this would be the only book needed." - Andy Klee, President, Klee Associates, ERPtips.com (SAP), and JDEtips.com (Oracle Enterprise One).

About this title

About the Author

Steven Phillips is an ERP professional with over twenty-seven years of implementation experience as a software consultant and a practitioner within industry. His background includes senior management education, software selection, project management, application consulting, process redesign, systems design, testing, training, and post go-live support. This extensive knowledge is coupled with a rare combination of functional experience in operations management, IT management, and business re-engineering. His industry experiences include manufacturing, distribution, business services, and the public sector. Steve has a degree in Production & Operations Management with advanced studies in Industrial Management. Previously certified by the American Production and Inventory Control Society, he has written articles appearing in APICS publications.

From the Back Cover

While there is better ERP software and new technology, the ERP industry continues with the same implementation approaches with the same disappointing outcomes. The good news is a high percentage of cost overruns, software disappointments, and go-live disasters are avoidable.

Edition details

• Publisher: Street Smart ERP Publications
• Publication date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0615591086
• ISBN 13: 9780615591087
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 268