Most failed implementations don’t fail for technical reasons. They fail because the system was chosen on a generic demo, and the mismatch with real processes surfaced only in months 4–6. Here are five warning signs you can see before the contract.
1. The demo ran on the vendor’s data, not yours
Any system looks good on clean data invented for a demo. Ask for your scenarios – with your products, customers and exceptions – to be run in the system. If the vendor refuses or delays, that’s a sign.
2. Nobody asked you uncomfortable questions about processes
A good implementer wants to know where the mess is: how you handle returns, what you do with catch-weight, who corrects stock. If the conversation was only about features and modules, mismatch is guaranteed.
3. The quote doesn’t include your internal effort
Licences, implementation, maintenance – yes. But your people’s hours for data cleaning, testing, training? If they’re missing, the real cost is 30–50% higher than the quote.
4. “That’s solved with a customisation”
Every specific requirement solved by customisation is cost at implementation and cost at every future upgrade. If the customisation list grows from the first conversation, the system doesn’t fit your industry.
5. There are no acceptance criteria in the contract
“Implementation complete” must mean something concrete: scenarios X, Y, Z work with your data, users are trained, migration is validated. Without criteria, you pay in full for a half-working system.
What to do instead
Write your scenarios before calling vendors. Score them all with the same grid. Calculate the 5-year total cost including internal effort. And put acceptance criteria in the contract.
That’s exactly the process we run in software analysis and selection.