What the H-E-Double Hockey Sticks Does Dante Know about ERP Implementations?

Dante Alighieri defined the Seven Deadly Sins in the second book of his epic poem The Divine Comedy. I struggled mightily with this reading assignment in college. My major issue was I did not think it was humorous at all, despite being a self-titled “comedy.” Dante could have used some time with Robin Williams, Richard Pryor, or Eddie Murphy on how to pull off comedy gags. Anyhow, Dante’s “comedy” reappeared in my life decades later. I was visiting family a couple of months ago and it was on the shelf in my mother’s house. An obscure choice of reading material for the family library, given, but there it was. The best part was this edition had lots of pictures. Graphic pictures that were not unlike some of my past ERP experiences.

Visiting my mother’s house is like jumping in the way back machine and going back to 1975: avocado appliances, shag carpet everywhere, and NO WIFI. Since I could not watch cat videos, I dusted off old Dante out of desperation. I needed to read something other than the ingredients on all her expired food labels. As I read (ok skimmed) the volume, I began to think Dante’s Comedy loosely applied to ERP Selections and Implementations. Without invoking the worst of the Seven Sins, Pride, I humbly submit that there are also seven deadly sins to an ERP Selection and Implementation. If he were alive today, I am sure Dante would trout slap me for dumbing down the sublime ideas in his epic poem, but this is a blogpost after all, and not Shakespeare.

Dante ordered the Seven Deadly Seven from the least to the worst starting with Lust and ending with Pride. I think they are all equally as damaging for an ERP Selection and Implementation, except for Wrath. I will let you be the judge.

1. Lust – While Lust is often interpreted to mean sexual misconduct, this is a family blogpost folks. There will be none of those monkeyshines here. However, Dante also conveyed that Lust includes an intense longing for money and power. This is one of the most insidious threats to ERP projects, the Lust of Interoffice and Intraoffice politics. The desire to grab power and consolidate knowledge at the expense of others will kill any project, and especially an ERP Implementation. Be a good team member, share your knowledge, talents, and understanding with the ERP team, and your company. You will be surprised at how well your life will turn out.
   
   
2. Gluttony – Alright, I admit it. I am shamefully and secretly a Glutton for breakfast foods in Wisconsin gas stations, but that is another blogpost. The sin I am describing here is the overindulgence of putting your own impulses ahead of the team. Typically, this is when you force the software to mimic your current off-track process instead of letting a new process transform your company. Another related variant is too much customization in order to mimic current processes instead of utilizing the power of the new ERP. Gluttony also rears its ugly head during selection, when one department or individual hijacks the selection to meet their narrowly defined needs. Be a team player. Participate in ERP sessions willingly and transparently. Give up a little to get the company a lot. You know the right thing to do.
   
   
3. Greed – Greed during an ERP relates to the hoarding of criticalmaterials and knowledge and theft of other’s ideas. Keeping critical insights from your project team, playing “stump 
   the chump” instead of answering direct questions, and shoplifting good ideas from teammates are all cancers to an ERP project. You will alienate your teammates and impede forward momentum. Come on Gordon Gecko, dial back the Greed, help the need, and your team will exceed.
   
   
4. Sloth – Aristotle stated that Sloth was the opposite of Greed in his Nicomachean Ethics. I did not intend for this to be a philosophy rant, but you don’t need to be Plato to know that Sloth can do irreparable damage to an ERP Selection or Implementation. Get off the couch, get invested in the ERP initiative, get excited and get involved. If you are a three-toed sloth and apathetically slowing down the team, stop it! I mean right now. Everyone needs your best efforts because someone out there is having to pick up your slack. We all noticed
   
   
5. Wrath – Uncontrolled feelings of anger. I disagree with Dante onthis point. I think Wrath and its closely related cousin, Discouragement, are the sharpest tools in the Devil’s toolbox and the worst of the Seven. Most ERP Wrath happens because there was zero change management and no realistic expectation setting. The end-users feel like a ping pong ball in a dryer and do not know what tomorrow will bring. The best way to channel that anger into positive momentum is to explain “What’s in it for me?” Invest in change management. Set Realistic Expectations. Predict the hard times and get your company ready for the implementation lifecycle. Celebrate the good times and the little victories. That is the best way to defuse Wrath during the ERP.
   
   
6. Envy – Ah Envy, the most alluring and attractive of the Seven Sins. I can’t remember how many selections started because a hated competitor had a new ERP system. Usually, this is followed up by a brother in law that can get the CEO or CFO a killer deal on XYZ software. Resist the temptation of coveting the ERP of your competitors and choose the correct software for your future state. Do the hard work, identify your key and unique requirements, and find a software that can closely align with where you want your company to go. Your brother in law will not mind.
   
   
7. Pride – Dante and the rest of the dusty, musty, philosophers considered Pride the most serious of the seven. I know empirically that Pride can be corrosive and can lead to hubris. In the case of ERP Implementations, I believe Pride is the fuel for the team member I call the “single point failure.” You have seen them, they are the superman or superwoman that does everything for everybody 24/7/365. They will carry an extraordinary load…to a point, then predictably collapse inward like a black hole when you need them the most. Put aside your Pride, ask for help and let others share the load as well. Many hands make light work. Teamwork makes the Dream Work. I could do this all day.

Testify for me Brothers and Sisters and we can all ride eternal, shiny and chrome! All of us have been found lacking sometimes during our lives. Sometimes it is during an ERP selection or implementation. Falling short in one or all the seven is not the end of the world or a complete waste of time because failure can be the fertilizer for success. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and get back into the game. However, one way to avoid the seven deadly sins of ERP Selection and Implementation is to have a righteous trail guide to keep you and your company on the straight and narrow. Not only will you make Dante happy (wherever he is), but you will save your project from Purgatory, or worse. The team of ERP experts at Liberty Technology Advisors has helped select and implement countless ERP systems over our 20+ year history. Contact LTA today and set your project up for success!