Coping with ERP Users’ Lack of Foresight: Consulting Perspectives

Consultants are key practitioners in the Information Systems field, even though their work seldom gets the attention it deserves. We investigate the consultant perspective on ERP adoption in Indonesia, examining how and why user failure to specify requirements completely and in advance, instead preferring to make late change requests, leads to situations where budgets are exceeded, and functionality is compromised. Our interpretive case study is informed by the expertise of seven current ERP consultants. Our data analysis leads to the identification of concepts and themes that coalesce into aggregate dimensions that we then theorise. We extend scholarly knowledge about the misalignments that exist between and among consultants and their clients, a key but under-examined cause of problems with ERP implementation. Our findings suggest the need for both consultants and their clients to adopt more contextually-sensitive working practices.