Four Microsoft Dynamics GP Project Team Blunders and How I Become a Hero

After reading the title you may be asking "what does one thing has to do with the other?" In the spirit of disclosure, most customers come to know about me for the very same reasons I am writing this article: failed implementations. As a result, a lot of my business comes from remediation of these implementations.

My first meeting with project sponsors of these failed implementations usually starts with, "I hired a partner a few months a back and put some internal resources in charge of the project and nothing went the way it was supposed to, that's why you are here". Generally, this statement is followed some sighs about the amount of money and time wasted in getting nowhere.

Let's head down memory lane of how most of these project teams were put in place to begin with.

1.       "Let's get our internal tech guy to run the Dynamics GP implementation and a few consultants to help him"

Translation: the company has selected a technical individual on staff, which has never implemented Dynamics GP, or at best has run a few queries at his previous job and will surround himself with consultants acquired via some job posting board.

What to expect? While I have met a number of brilliant technical individuals working for clients, they all confess one thing to me: "I did not feel qualified for this project, but had no other choice." To make matters worse, teams that are formed by individuals with no previous experience working together usually fail due to lack of project management and clear objectives.

2.       "Let's get our executives to run the Dynamics GP implementation"

Translation: we ...