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AI can process millions of data points in seconds. It cannot convince Sarah from accounting to embrace change.
We watch organizations celebrate artificial intelligence breakthroughs while their ERP implementations stumble over the same human dynamics that have derailed projects for decades. The technology evolves rapidly. The leadership challenges remain remarkably consistent.
The numbers tell a stark story.
ERP failure rates hover between 55-75%, with 40% of organizations pointing to lack of executive buy-in as a significant factor. Meanwhile, 77% of successful companies identify institutional leadership support as their most critical success factor.
AI changes the speed of implementation. It does not change the fundamental requirement for leadership engagement.
ERP implementations have always been about more than software. They’re about people, alignment, and change. AI has transformed the pace and efficiency of delivery, but it hasn’t changed the essential truth: without strong executive sponsors, ERP projects stall, stumble, or fail.
I’ve seen it dozens of times. The projects that succeed aren’t just the ones with the smartest consultants or the slickest AI accelerators. They’re the ones where leaders stay engaged - not as figureheads, but as visible, active stewards of vision, culture, and adoption.
What AI Can Do
Over the last two years, AI has reshaped how we work inside ERP projects. At Techfino, we’ve tested Oracle NetSuite’s new AI Connector MCP and Anthropic’s Claude on real-world use cases. The gains are undeniable:
- Requirements gathering: What once took weeks of workshops can now be drafted in hours by prompting AI with process descriptions.
- Solutioning: Natural language prompts generate SuiteQL queries or prototype configurations on the fly.
- Testing: Automated scripts can run hundreds of test cases in minutes.
The result? Faster cycles, fewer hands required, and lower implementation costs.
That’s good news. But here’s the tension: speed without leadership just gets you to the wrong place faster.
Shock 1: Misaligned Outcomes
One of the most common patterns in ERP implementations is the divergence between executive sponsors and frontline users.
- Executives want strategic transformation - growth into new markets, stronger compliance, or a step-change in decision-making speed.
- Users and project managers want today’s processes preserved, only smoother. They’re focused on continuity, not reinvention.
Neither group is wrong. But without leadership connecting the dots, the gap widens. The system gets built to replicate yesterday, while the business needs tomorrow.
“Executives want transformation; users want today’s work made less painful. Someone has to bridge that gap.”
That “someone” is always leadership.
Shock 2: Risk Isn’t the Enemy
ERP projects are messy. No matter how well-scoped, risks and issues pile up: data migration snags, integration failures, reporting gaps, user resistance.
The healthiest projects I’ve seen don’t avoid risks - they surface and resolve them quickly. And that only happens when leaders model transparency.
I remember one sponsor who, during a tense project meeting, leaned in when a critical issue was raised. Instead of brushing it off, she said: “Great. Let’s get it on the log. We’ll solve it together.”
Everyone in the room exhaled. From that point forward, issues flowed freely. The team knew problems weren’t punishable - they were progress.
“Healthy projects raise - and resolve - a lot of risks.”
Leaders who normalize transparency change the entire culture of an implementation.
Shock 3: Adoption is Emotional
Ask any implementor: the hardest part of ERP isn’t the code. It’s user adoption.
Fear is real. Employees worry the system will make their work harder - or obsolete. Training sessions become confessionals where frontline staff voice their doubts.
One of the worst moves a leader can make is to dismiss those fears. A head shake, a “don’t worry about it,” or an impatient sigh sends a message: your voice doesn’t matter.
The opposite - a leader who acknowledges the fear, validates it, and shows how the system supports users - turns the room. You can feel resistance soften when people realize leadership is listening.
“ERP success isn’t technical. It’s cultural. Adoption lives or dies on leadership.”
The Old Playbook
Too many ERP projects still run on an outdated model:
- Executive sponsors sign off at kickoff, then disappear.
- Managers optimize for minimal disruption.
- Consultants carry the load, assuming “the tech will sell itself.”
It doesn’t work. The result is predictable: over-engineered systems, underwhelmed users, and a business no closer to its strategic goals than before.
The New Practice
The projects that deliver transformation share a new playbook - one built on leadership.
- Executive sponsors stay visible. Not just in kickoff and steering committees, but in day-to-day touchpoints. Presence signals importance.
- Leaders model transparency. Risks are logged publicly, issues are addressed head-on, and “bad news” is treated as healthy data.
- Empathy drives adoption. Leaders listen to user concerns and respond with clarity and respect.
- Consultants master the technical. Firms like Techfino deliver the AI-powered speed and accuracy. But the cultural lift? That belongs to leadership.
Compact Operating Disciplines
For leaders steering ERP implementations in the AI era, here are the operating disciplines that matter most:
- Stay present. Visibility is influence. If you’re absent, the project will drift.
- Lead with vision. Remind teams why the transformation matters - not just what’s being built.
- Normalize risks. Treat issues as evidence of progress, not failure.
- Honor users. Fear is natural. Address it with empathy, not impatience.
- Trust your implementors. The technical work is covered. Your role is to unlock adoption.
AI has given us speed. It has reduced the grunt work of ERP projects, making the technical side more efficient than ever.
But leadership? That hasn’t changed. If anything, it’s more critical now. Because the faster we move, the more essential it is to keep vision, culture, and adoption on track.
ERP success isn’t about code. It’s about people. And people look to leaders.
“AI can accelerate requirements and testing, but it can’t replace leadership.”
If you’re leading through a transformation and wrestling with adoption, I’d love to compare notes.
Get Started Now
The easiest way to get started is to contact Techfino today. If you’d like a little more information first, you can download our ContinuedSuccess Whitepaper. Either way, we hope you’ve found this guide helpful and hope that we can further assist you on your path to leveling up your NetSuite Support.
