Why New Systems Fail: An Insider's Guide to Successful IT Projects 1st Edition

Book has a good and organized approach, well suited for people entirely new to the ERP implementation wars. On the other hand, while more seasoned people (and I'm talking here about someone who has done one implementation at least) would have a thing or two to learn, they would be able to quickly browse over the material with nothing much to pick up. As well, most of the case studies are very simplistic, perhaps for the sake of making a point in relation to the chapter at hand. I did find some of the alternative solutions to implementation issues realistic in that it could help solve the issue at hand, but something that I'd never recommend seriously, the specific example was in a case where the organization implementing payroll had found that they were calculating it wrong all along and they decided to keep the 'miscalculation' in the new ERP: the author solved their problem by downloading data into an Access application that did calculation and then re-upload pre-processed data into the ERP. Seriously? Access to compute payroll?One point the author makes over and over is that you want a system integrator that tells you how it is, even at the risk of losing the business; how true!; now, finding an integrator that actually does that is as rare as a 70 degree day in a Texas Summer.The book does a good effort in pointing out some of the things that can go wrong and how bad it can be if the right decisions are not taken; it is however near impossible to paint to a newby how bad and how fast can things explode and/or blow out of a seemingly inocous decision; and more importantly, that many effects of a bad decision will not show until very long time, sometimes not until well into being live.An important topic: what to do when things are going wrong; and more importantly: how do you know when things are going wrong before it is too late; is not well developed. There is a chapter on 'mid implementation correction mechanisms', that does a decent job on outlining most of what can go wrong; however, I find that it relies way too much in project management status and reports to detect something getting off course; the reality is that it is much too easy to hide details on issues as you start rolling those status and reports, especially when the people reporting those have a vested interest in showing everything is good. Wy would someone do that? Because it has been embedded into the organization that if you don't go along with the seemingly 'progress' everyone is reporting, then you are not a team player. The result of such bondogles is that the whole reporting/status structure is self feeding false information, the book does not discuss methods or mechanisms to mitigate the problem and/or obtain good representations of the true status.

I'm a service provider and I've started reading a book because I wanted to see different points of view on a system development and implementation subject.The book contains everything it states to have. It is detailed enough, I really liked it for its completeness.However I think it's a bit over-detailed. Basically in order to implement system successfully, you need to:* know what you need exactly (how the system is going to work, what processes it should automate, maybe you need to change your processes)* ask yourself who will be using the system and how (employees should be trained)* selected correct vendor (check his offering, check contract, ask about support, training etc)I really think the book could be more condensed.On the other hand, it gives an excellent and detailed overview of ERP business to the business owners providing case studies and real world examples.Maybe I was just not the right person to read the book since I'm offering system development, not choosing the vendor.And I disagree about the point that building system for your own is more expensive than buying. Yes, it costs money and yes, it demands from the business owner high commitment to describe his business needs. However given that outsourcing is possible (we're providing this service from Ukraine), custom-built systems for small and mid-sized companies may be quite affordable. As for support and training, yes, it may be a problem, but it depends on the vendor. Training is mostly easy if the system is done right and employee understands the business of the company.

This is just an incredible book from Phil Simon! Phil combines his vast experience with an amazing gift: outstanding writing. The books flows extremely well, and it reads almost like a novel, and you just want to find out what happens next!The book is well organized in 5 major parts that make sense chronologically when going through a major IT overhaul. The parts are:- Deciding to take the plunge- System Selection- The System Implementation- The Brave New World of Post-Production Life- Maximizing the Chance of SuccessEach part is composed of well organized chapters with a multitude of case studies and practical guides. Mistakes are clearly explained along with ways to prevent them.Phil has a natural ability to explain complex problems in terms you can easily understand and relate to your own situation. Besides, what other author makes Rush references??As a Rush fan myself, I'll quote:"Good work is the key to good fortune...Why does it happen?Because it happensRoll the bones"

The book takes a very practical approach to IT systems implementation by providing many examples from successes as well as failures. Many books concentrate on the development phases and neglect somehow the implementation phases, which are as important. This book concentrates on the implementation phase and this is what makes it unique. The examples are mainly from ERP implementations and specifically HR and Payroll modules, but you still can extrapolate from those examples to other type of modules an systems.

I had to purchase this book for a class so it wasn't a leisure read. I found this book to be an easy read that presented a lot of great examples. I'm only giving 4 stars because in all honesty I wouldn't have picked this book up if it hadn't been assigned.