Most ERP projects don’t fall apart because of bad software—they fall apart because people weren’t brought along for the ride. When leadership isn’t aligned, training is rushed, and communication is vague, things go sideways—fast. Here’s how to avoid those traps and get your ERP to deliver real results, with your people fully behind it.
Let’s be honest: no one gets excited about ERP software. It’s expensive, it’s complicated, and it usually comes with promises that feel too good to be true. But ERP done right can transform a business—if your people are ready for it. That’s the catch most manufacturers miss. ERP doesn’t fail because of missing features. It fails because no one took the time to prepare the team, set clear goals, or lead the change. Let’s break this down into what really matters.
ERP Isn’t Just a System—It’s a Company-Wide Culture Shift
One of the biggest mistakes manufacturers make is thinking ERP is something you can delegate to IT or finance. But ERP touches nearly every process in the company. The way your team enters jobs, tracks parts, monitors inventory, schedules production—it all changes. And if your people don’t feel like they’re part of that change, they’ll find ways around it.
There was a metal parts fabricator that installed a top-tier ERP. But no one spoke with the team leads on the shop floor during setup. After go-live, operators found the new work order process clunky, so they started tracking jobs on whiteboards again. Three weeks in, the ERP dashboards showed perfect on-time delivery. In reality, late shipments were piling up. The system didn’t fail—the people weren’t brought into the process early enough to trust or shape it.
If you want ERP to stick, make it a shared project. Sit down with your teams before you ever sign a contract. Ask how they do things today. What frustrates them? What takes too long? Then configure your ERP around that—not around a demo someone saw in a boardroom. When people feel like the system reflects how they work, they’ll be more willing to use it—and improve it.
If Leadership Isn’t on the Same Page, ERP Will Pull You in All Directions
ERP systems are great at one thing: exposing misalignment. If your production manager wants throughput, your purchasing lead wants fewer SKUs, and your finance head wants tighter cost controls—without agreement upfront, the ERP gets caught in the middle. It becomes a battleground of competing priorities, and no one’s happy with the outcome.
A mid-sized tooling business went into ERP thinking it would solve their operational headaches. But leadership didn’t define a clear goal. Halfway through implementation, one team wanted the ERP to drive lean inventory, another pushed for detailed traceability, and the owner just wanted better reporting. The result? The system ended up doing none of it well, and everyone blamed the software.
Before you invest a single dollar, get your leadership team aligned. Ask: What does success look like six months from go-live? What problem are we solving first? Don’t accept three different answers. Agree on one clear, measurable goal—and make every decision, from setup to training, support that outcome. ERP isn’t a magic wand. It’s a tool that works best when everyone’s using it to build the same thing.
Training Can’t Be One-and-Done—It Has to Build Confidence Over Time
A common mistake is treating ERP training like a box to check. One week of sessions, a few PDFs, and maybe a recorded webinar—and you’re live. But ERP changes how people work. They’re going to forget steps. They’ll make mistakes. And if support isn’t there when they need it, they’ll go back to old habits.
A machine shop rolled out a new ERP with a quick burst of training before launch. Operators learned how to clock into jobs, but didn’t fully understand how their data flowed into scheduling or billing. Within days, gaps showed up in the system. Managers made decisions off inaccurate data, and the trust in the ERP quickly eroded.
If you want adoption to stick, treat training like a continuous process, not a one-time event. Assign ERP champions in each department. Keep quick-reference guides handy near workstations. And encourage questions—even the basic ones. When people feel supported, they’ll keep learning. And the system gets better, not just more used.
Poor Communication Creates Fear—And Fear Kills Adoption
People don’t resist ERP because they hate change. They resist because they’re afraid of losing control. Or getting blamed. Or not knowing what’s expected. Most ERP resistance comes from silence—not defiance. When leadership rolls out a major change without explaining why, people fill the silence with assumptions.
One packaging supplier sent out a single email two weeks before ERP go-live. It had a few bullet points about timelines and features. That was it. Operators were left wondering: will this change my job? What if I mess it up? Why are we even doing this? Morale dropped, and adoption followed.
Strong communication isn’t about technical updates. It’s about telling a story your team can believe in. Be honest about what’s changing—and what’s staying the same. Share small wins as the rollout unfolds. Let your people see how the ERP is helping—not just the business, but them personally. Even a simple weekly check-in from a manager can go a long way.
People Support What They Help Create
There’s a simple truth that too many leaders overlook: people commit to what they help build. If ERP is done to them, they’ll push back. If it’s done with them, they’ll lean in. The fastest way to drive adoption is to involve real users from day one.
A precision component manufacturer invited three team leads from production, scheduling, and inventory into early testing sessions. Their feedback simplified several workflows and caught a handful of issues before launch. When go-live came, they weren’t just users—they were advocates. They helped others troubleshoot and kept morale high when early bugs popped up.
If you want that kind of ownership, don’t just consult users—co-design with them. Bring them into pilot groups. Let them test features. Ask them what doesn’t make sense. When people see their fingerprints on the system, they feel responsible for its success.
3 Actionable Takeaways
1. Set one clear goal and get full leadership alignment around it.
Define success before you choose a vendor or touch the configuration. Use that goal as your filter for every decision.
2. Build ERP around your people, not just your processes.
Involve frontline users early. Design for the real way work gets done, not just how it’s “supposed” to happen.
3. Keep training and communication alive post-launch.
Assign internal champions, simplify access to help, and regularly reinforce the “why” behind the system to maintain momentum.
Let me know if you want help turning this into a version tailored for a leadership team meeting or an onboarding guide for your ERP task force.
The Hidden Costs of Not Getting the People Side Right
When ERP goes off track, it doesn’t just delay the project—it damages trust. You end up with frustrated employees, messy data, workarounds, and a system that never delivers what you paid for. Worse, it often leads to additional consultants, reconfigurations, and more months of disruption. And once your team tunes out, it’s much harder to bring them back in later.
But here’s the good news: you don’t need to be perfect. You just need to lead intentionally. Small improvements—like holding weekly update huddles, inviting input before major decisions, or recognizing early adopters—can turn the tide. When your people feel seen, heard, and supported, they’ll give the system a real shot. And once it starts working, they’ll help you improve it.
You’re not just installing software. You’re setting a new way of running the business. That takes leadership, not just licenses. The software is just the stage. It’s your people who decide whether the show succeeds or not.
Top 5 FAQs on People Problems in ERP
1. How early should we involve frontline employees in the ERP process?
As early as possible—ideally before vendor selection. They can provide insights into daily workflows that leadership often overlooks, and their early involvement builds buy-in.
2. What’s the most common leadership mistake in ERP rollouts?
Not aligning on a single, clear business goal. Without a shared definition of success, decisions get inconsistent, and the system ends up trying to serve too many agendas.
3. How do we keep morale up during a bumpy ERP go-live?
Communicate often, admit issues honestly, and share progress—even the small wins. Celebrate people who help solve problems, not just point them out.
4. How much training is enough?
More than you think. Plan for at least one round pre-launch, and ongoing sessions for the first 3–6 months. Offer bite-sized resources and peer support to reinforce learning.
5. What if we already rolled out ERP and people aren’t using it?
It’s not too late. Run listening sessions to find out what’s blocking adoption. Fix what you can quickly, retrain where needed, and relaunch the vision clearly with leadership support.
Your Next Step
If you’re considering ERP—or already neck-deep in one—don’t just focus on the features. Focus on your people. Ask yourself: do they feel involved, supported, and aligned? If the answer is no, now’s the time to shift. Your ERP’s success won’t be determined by how much it cost or what brand it is—it’ll be decided by how well your team comes together to make it work. Start there, and everything else becomes a whole lot easier.