Fixing a failed ERP implementation
A failed ERP implementation is usually repairable without replacing the platform. The work is to reconcile the books back to a position you can defend, explain and clear whatever is sitting in suspense, define the processes that were never defined, configure the controls that were skipped, and retrain the people who were handed a system nobody explained. Replacing the software rarely fixes any of that, and starts the same clock again.
Implementations do not fail loudly. The system goes live, and then the team quietly builds workarounds around the parts that do not fit. Approvals move to email. A spreadsheet appears beside the ERP. Within two quarters the system is a place where transactions are recorded after the fact, and the books stop describing the business.
Following its migration to Zoho Books, PadCare engaged us to review and improve the consistency of its accounting records. Working closely with its finance team, we reviewed historical entries, addressed data inconsistencies, and brought greater structure to the books.
Our PadCare engagements also included process design, statement delivery, and a customer impact portal. Each addressed a distinct need, with support for the finance team continuing beyond the cleanup.
What the work includes
- Books reconciled to the audited financials, period by period
- Suspense balances explained and cleared
- GST and TDS ledgers reconciled to what has actually been filed
- Order-to-Cash and Procure-to-Pay defined and enforced
- Approval workflows configured — before commitment, not after
- Validation rules and mandatory attachments
- User roles rebuilt around who should really approve what
- Retraining on your own data
- A written assessment of what went wrong, so it is not repeated
How it runs
- 01
Find out what is actually true
We visit, watch the systems being used, and write up what we find. The report sets out the phases and what each will cost, before anyone commits to the work.
- 02
Clean the books
Reconciliation back to the audited financials, suspense cleared, tax ledgers tied to filed returns. Without this, everything built on top inherits the same uncertainty.
- 03
Re-engineer the process
Order-to-Cash and Procure-to-Pay defined, approvals configured so commitments are authorised before they are made rather than reconstructed afterwards.
- 04
Automate what remains
Once the process is right, the repetitive parts are worth automating. Not before — automating a broken process only produces wrong answers faster.
Recently delivered
PadCare Labs
Historical entries reviewed and data inconsistencies addressed in Zoho Books, with hands-on accounting guidance and continued help for the finance team.
Better organised books and a stronger foundation for ongoing finance operations, with continued support for accounting questions and better practices.
Read the caseQuestions we get asked
Should we replace the ERP or fix it?
Fix it, in most cases. The platform is rarely the cause — the usual causes are a configuration that never matched the business, data that migrated dirty, and training that never happened. Replacing the software carries all three problems into the next system.
How do we know how bad it is?
A process audit. We spend time inside the finance operation and write up what we find, ranked by what each finding is costing annually, with the options compared and a costed roadmap. The report is yours whatever you do next.
Our books do not tie to the audited financials. Can that be fixed?
Yes. The work starts with comparing the accounting records to the signed financials and available supporting records, identifying the differences, and working with your finance team to resolve them.
How long does remediation take?
It depends on how many periods need reconciling and how far the process has drifted. It is delivered in phases so you can stop, or reorder, between them — one client chose to take the process work first and hold the cleanup back.
Will you work with the partner who did the original implementation?
If you want us to, yes. More often we are asked to write up what went wrong so it is not repeated, which we will do factually rather than as an exercise in blame.
Can you retrain our team?
Yes, on your own data rather than a demo company. Training that does not use the real books is the most common single reason a correctly configured system stops being used.
Related
Start with a clear picture.
Fixed fee, fixed scope. The written report is yours, whatever you decide to do next.