Hi NetSuite Pros, I'm researching the biggest gaps in the NetSuite implementation process. Beyond the usual scope creep, what's the one 'invisible' thing that most often derails a NetSuite project? Is it bad data, ghosting stakeholders, or something else entirely? Trying to pinpoint the real 'hair on fire' problem that spreadsheets and status meetings don't solve. Your feedback is greatly appreciated!

2 of the biggest things I saw with our implementation was: User not buying into the change to a new ERP and the second thing was the Implementation Partner not knowing our business structure or how we run our business.

Thanks for your feedback Todd! People generally resist change, and I can see this being a real issue in many software changes. Finding a quality Implementation Partner that understands the business seems to be a recurring theme among major software implementations. What was the earliest sign that users were not buying into the change? When did you actually find out? Assuming you were notified earlier of users not buying in, what would you have done differently? I look forward to your insights on these follow-up questions. Thanks, Marc

The Earliest Sign was when they kept saying "we always used to, why cant we now", also when we asked questions about current processes and the users delayed and stalled on giving use the info. Not sure what we could have done differently, move of the users we had that struggled with the buy in where older employees, stuck in their ways of doing things on the old system. One of the biggest issues I saw with the Implementation partner not knowing our business, was the escalated time line of the implementation, I think we tried to move to fast, not giving the implementation team the chance to learn and see what and how we did things.

Fair enough - employees stuck in their ways are often the last to buy in. No amount of onboarding would have changed this outcome. As for your implementation partner not knowing your business, were there early signs that the implementation partner would not meet the original timeline? How did you track the overall 'health' of the implementation? Was there a metric or data point that you wish you had known?

Todd makes some spot-on observations. I especially find that there isn't clear alignment because the customer doesn't know NetSuite and the Implementation team doesn't know the business, which falls under the lack of communication because they speak 2 different languages and don't know what questions they aren't asking. I'd add that budget pressures on both sides can impact any implementation, the customer demands a fixed fee price and the implementer then wants to scale back the deliverable to earn a profit based on that amount. This also drives a less than desirable outcome.

Bob, that's a great way to put it. The 'two different languages' problem seems to be a common issue. Quick follow-up on that thought, what kind of 'unasked questions' would be most valuable to surface during the design phase to minimize this lack of understanding between both parties?"

One example I can think of, which is a minor one and we still struggle with it with users, is Reports vs Saved Searches, in previous and other systems getting data out of the system was always using Reports, where as in NetSuite you can use both, but Reports in NetSuite typically are used in the financial area, not for pulling data on Items and many transactions, or Customers. I am constantly getting people asking me for reports when a saved search is what they want.

@Todd Juenemann you're preaching to the choir on that one from an internal standpoint! In my opinion, really understanding the strengths (and weaknesses!) of both standard and custom segments and best practice for use vs the company's needs is such a basic one to spend time on but often gets only a quick assignment. This can be especially true of Location, which gets commandeered by inventory but also is used to manage things on the accounting side like fixed assets and headcount for tax purposes.

Todd, Bob, these examples are great and get to the core of the 'two languages' problem. It's not about 'minor' features; it's about how small misalignments in terminology ('Reports' vs. 'Saved Searches') or architecture (like using 'Location' for headcount) create significant 'architectural debt' down the line. Quick question for you both: How much time is spent post-go-live fixing these kinds of initial misalignments? In your experience, are we talking about a few dozen hours of rework, or does it spiral into hundreds of hours over the first year?"

That's a great question Marc! It really depends on each situation so likely the answer is that range, and to be honest, I'm guessing in a number of cases it never gets addressed as a post-go-live fix and is just "worked around" using (shudder!!!) spreadsheets.

We have been live for over 3 years, and I still have users saying "Reports" when they really mean to say saved search, the implementation team never correct them, and now management never corrects it, so there is no way to correct it.

Bob, Todd, this is incredibly helpful. So, the real cost here isn't just the initial rework. It's either (a) a permanent state of confusion that slows everyone down, or (b) forcing teams into inefficient, manual workarounds with spreadsheets for years. Both outcomes mean the company never realizes the full ROI on its massive NetSuite investment. Last question, and it's the most important one: In your opinion, who at the company ultimately feels the pain of this lost ROI the most? Is it the Head of Finance struggling with messy data, the COO frustrated with broken processes, the original project sponsor whose credibility is on the line, the struggling end users, or the sysadmins having to constantly deal with these issues? I'm trying to understand who would have the most to gain by preventing this from happening in the first place. This has been invaluable. I'll step back now and let the channel get back to its regular programming. Thank you both.

ha, the answer is everyone shares in the pain, but the hammer ultimately comes down on whoever(s) pushed for moving to NetSuite and led the implementation. Though often accountability is a slippery slope and often swept under the rug of excuses (no bias there...)

For me I struggle a lot with the Report vs Saved Search, I have learned based on the user what they really mean, but when I get 2 users that do not understand, it can get very confusing and frustrating. We still have several "outside" process that take place due to the lack of business understanding by the implementation team, but we are slowly working through them, but creating custom records, saved searches. Like recently I built a saved search that our Accounting Manager uses to track Collections calls and email and notes. They were doing that in a spreadsheet and manually or not even entering it into NetSuite.

Hey Todd, do you have an internal intranet where you can post some basic "NetSuite terminology and guidelines" that everyone can access? I find that at least being able to point people to something like that can help a little.

Yes, we use Teams, we have a Team Channel that is 100% NetSuite, I have created NetSuite Terms, Tips and Tricks, and some other documents. But users are lazy and instead of referencing that, they just wing it