When organisations start selecting a new ERP, the focus naturally falls on ownership, functionality, fit, implementation partners, timelines, change and more.
All of that matters. But one question can often be left too late:
What Happens Once the System Goes Live?
When the implementation partner steps away, many organisations find they are holding the reins themselves.
Yes, there are plenty of support models available, but very often organisations want to have specific expertise in-house.
And whichever ERP you choose, there are some very real resourcing implications to think through early.
Critical Post Go-Live Questions
Post go-live support affects business continuity, cost control, speed of change, and long-term value from the ERP investment.
Before signing off on an ERP platform, leadership teams should be asking:
- Who will support the system after go-live?
If this isn’t covered by external support, do you have a credible BAU support model in place? - How will internal capability be built?
Will you cross-train existing resources? What does that look like in practice: formal training, vendor accreditations, implementation led knowledge transfer, or end user training? - How common is the ERP in your region or sector?
Some ERPs benefit from strong local talent pools. Others don’t. - Are the skills you’ll need readily available, or genuinely scarce?
Not all ERP skillsets are equal in the market. - If on-site presence matters, where will that talent come from?
Are there other local users of the same ERP to draw from? - Can your internal team realistically own the platform long-term?
If not, what’s the plan to bridge that gap?
Turning questions into decisions.
The table below reflects the most common post go-live risks we see when these questions are not clearly answered upfront.
| Executive Question | What to Look For | Risk if Ignored |
|---|---|---|
| Who owns BAU support? | Clear ownership and accountability post go-live | Shadow ownership and slow response |
| How is knowledge transferred? | Contractual knowledge transfer milestones | Dependency on SI |
| Is talent locally available? | Active regional user base | High contractor cost, and/or ongoing reliance on partners |
| Are skills scarce? | Realistic time to hire benchmarks | Delayed fixes and enhancements |
| Can the team scale? | Cross trained internal roles | Burnout and attrition |
Commercial Risks of Poor Post Implementation Planning
When post go-live resourcing isn’t planned early, organisations often experience:
- Over reliance on contractors at premium rates
- Knowledge loss once the System Integrator exits
- Slower enhancements and innovation cycles
- Reduced negotiating power with vendors and partners
- ERP ROI erosion… despite a “successful” implementation
These risks are predictable – and avoidable – if addressed during ERP selection rather than after go-live.
Top Tier vs Mid Tier ERP
Different ERP platforms come with very different resourcing realities.
Top tier ERPs (SAP, Oracle, Dynamics 365)
In practice, top tier ERP platforms tend to come with the following resourcing considerations.
| ERP | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| – SAP – Oracle – Dynamics 365 | – Broad talent pools – Clear training and certification paths – Niche skillsets, with candidates often focused on specific technical or functional areas | – High market competition – High candidate mobility and attrition |
Consider:
How will you attract top tier candidates, and why should they choose your organisation over others competing for the same skills?
Mid tier ERPs (IFS, Infor M3, JD Edwards, NetSuite)
Mid tier ERP ecosystems typically present a different set of resourcing dilemmas.
| ERP | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| – IFS – Infor M3 – JD Edwards – NetSuite | – Smaller, tight-knit communities – Often strong contractor loyalty – Broader skillsets, with individuals covering multiple disciplines | – Fewer available candidates – Longer lead times for niche experience |
In mid tier ERP environments, finding someone with the exact product, version and industry experience can be rare.
Consider:
How can you position your organisation as the natural next step for someone already embedded in that ecosystem?
Vendor Dependency and Ecosystem Risk
Another factor often overlooked during ERP selection is dependency.
Some platforms create long term reliance on:
- The original implementation partner
- A small number of certified consultants
- Vendor led support models with limited flexibility
From an executive perspective, this affects:
- Cost predictability
- Speed of change
- Negotiating power over time
Understanding the broader talent and partner ecosystem is just as important as evaluating software functionality.
Build, Supplement, or Blend?
There’s no “one size fits all” answer, but there are sensible options:
- Build internal capability where possible, for long-term ownership and ROI
- Use contractors to plug critical gaps, particularly where skills are scarce or time critical
- Blend external expertise with internal knowledge transfer, so capability is retained, not lost
The most successful post go-live teams usually combine all three.
A Quick Executive Sense Check
Before committing to an ERP platform, leadership teams should be able to answer:
- If needed, can we realistically hire or develop 2–3 core experts or SMEs within 12 months?
- Is there a healthy local or regional talent market for this ERP?
- What happens if our implementation partner exits earlier than planned?
- How exposed are we to total vendor or partner dependency?
If these answers are unclear, the ERP choice itself may carry more risk than expected.
Thinking Beyond Go-Live
At Cedar Stone, we help organisations plan beyond implementation.
With over 25 years’ experience in ERP and transformation hiring, we support leadership teams with permanent hires, contractor solutions, and honest advice about what the market will and won’t support.
We’re often engaged during ERP selection to pressure-test whether a platform is operationally sustainable after go-live (from a resourcing perspective) and not just viable on paper.
If you’d like to talk through post go-live resourcing, market availability, or realistic timelines, feel free to get in touch.
- Website: https://cedarstonerec.com/contact
- Email : peter@cedarstonerec.com
- Call : 020 4600 7766
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