Back in uni, a lecturer once joked about ERP: “It’s like cutting the legs of a 7-foot man to fit him into a 6-foot coffin.”Funny at first, but the more I’ve seen businesses wrestle with ERP system fit, the more that analogy rings true.
Too often, companies choose an ERP that looks powerful on paper — only to realize they have to restructure their entire business just to match the system’s demands. Instead of improving efficiency, the ERP ends up creating frustration, inefficiency, and costly detours.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. ERP should serve the business, not the other way around.
When the System Becomes the Master
The whole point of ERP is to create visibility, streamline operations, and save time. Yet I’ve seen organizations do the exact opposite: bending their long-standing processes, re-training staff endlessly, and re-calculating things that used to work fine… all just to satisfy the ERP’s “requirements.”
One large company I knew implemented a big, feature-rich ERP. On paper, it was supposed to be their magic bullet. In practice, every department had to redesign how they worked to fit into the system. Employees were frustrated, efficiency plummeted, and what once took days suddenly took weeks.
Instead of enabling productivity, the ERP became a straitjacket.
The Real Cost of Poor Fit
When businesses “force fit” themselves into a system, three common issues show up:
- Employee Resistance – Staff start seeing the ERP as a burden rather than a tool. Motivation drops.
- Process Inefficiency – What used to be straightforward becomes complicated because the system wasn’t designed for the way you actually work.
- Data Problems – If employees are forced to key in data that doesn’t make sense to them, accuracy and reporting suffer.
These ripple effects don’t just hurt morale — they impact cash flow, decision-making, and customer experience too.
Fit Over Features
It’s tempting to go for the ERP with the most features, biggest name, or flashiest demo. But more isn’t always better.
A right-fit ERP:
- Adapts to your business needs, not the other way around.
- Improves existing strengths instead of tearing down working processes.
- Makes employees’ lives easier so adoption feels natural, not forced.
In short: the best ERP is the one your business can actually use effectively, not the one with the longest brochure.
When Choice Comes from the Top
Of course, there are times when the choice of ERP system comes from the top. Leaders may decide on a system without fully grasping how the ground works, and that’s where mismatches often happen. In such cases, a strong change management program becomes essential. It helps align leadership’s vision with day-to-day realities, prepares staff for transition, and ensures ERP implementation doesn’t stall. We’ll explore this more in our upcoming post on ERP implementation and change management.
Food for Thought
Before you commit to a new ERP system, ask yourself:
- Will this system support the way we work, or will we have to overhaul everything to fit it?
- Have we spoken to the people who actually run the day-to-day operations about what they need?
- Are we focusing on the features that look impressive, or the ones that solve our real problems?
- Does this system allow the right level of customisation so it fits us, instead of us bending to fit it?
The answers might save your business from ending up in that 6-foot coffin.
Final Word
ERP systems are meant to be partners in growth, not obstacles. When chosen thoughtfully, they can give your business the structure and visibility to scale with confidence. When chosen poorly, they can tie you up in knots.
So don’t rush. Don’t fall for “bigger is better.” Find the system that fits your business — not one that forces your business to shrink just to fit inside.
If you’re exploring ERP options, let’s have a chat. Sometimes all it takes is a conversation to figure out what fits best for your business — without the trial-and-error headaches. Get in touch through our form.
Want to hear what happens when ERP implementation goes wrong? Stay tuned for our next post on ERP horror stories.
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