Programme overview
Technical depth: Conceptual · Practical mode: Case study
Introduction
Enterprise resource planning programmes are among the largest and riskiest investments an organisation makes, and most overruns trace back to governance rather than software: unclear decision rights, unchecked customisation, optimistic go-live decisions and benefits that nobody owns. This Core Concept course equips executives to oversee an ERP programme from business case to post-go-live stabilisation using ISO/IEC 38500, ISO 21503 and the major vendor implementation methods. Participants test their judgement on case material from several sectors and leave with an ERP Programme Governance Charter for a live or planned programme.
Course Objectives
- Establish ERP programme governance structures, decision rights and escalation paths aligned to ISO/IEC 38500 and ISO 21503
- Challenge an ERP business case, scope baseline and system integrator contract before committing investment
- Oversee delivery through the stage gates of vendor methods such as SAP Activate, Oracle Unified Method and Success by Design
- Direct independent assurance, risk and design-authority reviews that keep customisation, data and integration risk under control
- Take evidence-based go-live, cutover and hypercare exit decisions
- Produce an ERP Programme Governance Charter ready for board or steering committee approval
Target Audience
- Executive sponsors and senior leaders accountable for ERP investments
- Steering committee members representing finance, operations, supply chain and human resources
- Chief information and digital officers overseeing enterprise platforms
- Transformation and programme office directors responsible for large-scale delivery
- Internal audit and risk executives providing assurance over major programmes
Course Outline
Day 1: ERP Programme Context and Governance Foundations
- ERP Failure Patterns from Post-Implementation Review Findings
- ISO/IEC 38500 Evaluate-Direct-Monitor Model Applied to ERP
- Cloud, Hybrid and On-Premise ERP Deployment Models and Their Governance Implications
- ERP Business Case Challenge: Total Cost of Ownership and Benefit Assumptions
- Programme Governance Maturity Assessment Against ISO 21503 Practices
Day 2: Governance Frameworks and Implementation Methods
- PMI Standard for Program Management Performance Domains
- SAP Activate Phases and Quality Gates
- Oracle Unified Method and Microsoft Success by Design Checkpoints
- COBIT 2019 Governance Objectives for Enterprise Platforms
- Steering Committee Charter, Design Authority and RACI Decision Rights
Day 3: Executive Oversight of Delivery
- Fit-to-Standard Decisions and Customisation Approval Criteria
- System Integrator Contract Governance: Milestones, Acceptance and Change Control
- Programme Status Reporting with RAG Dashboards and Earned Value Indicators
- Data Migration and Master Data Readiness Oversight
- Organisational Change and User Adoption Readiness Metrics
Day 4: Assurance, Risk and Go-Live Decisions
- Independent Quality Assurance and Programme Health Check Reviews
- ERP Risk Register Aligned to ISO 31000 Principles
- Three Lines Model Roles in Programme Assurance
- Go/No-Go Criteria, Mock Cutover Evidence and the Cutover Decision
- Hypercare Exit Criteria and Benefits Realisation Tracking
Day 5: Case Work and the ERP Governance Charter
- Stalled Multi-Country ERP Rollout Case Study: Diagnosing Governance Failure
- Public Sector Finance System Case Study: Reviewing a Contested Go-Live Decision
- Programme Health Check Scorecard Build for an Own Programme
- ERP Programme Governance Charter Drafting
- Executive Peer Review Panel and Charter Defence
Skills You Will Gain
- ERP Programme Governance
- Business Case Scrutiny
- Decision Rights Design
- System Integrator Oversight
- Programme Assurance
- Go-Live Readiness Judgement
- Benefits Realisation Oversight
Why Attend This Course
- Return with an ERP Programme Governance Charter that sets decision rights, stage gates and assurance for a live or planned programme
- Ask the questions that expose optimistic status reports, uncontrolled customisation and weak data readiness before they turn into overruns
- Hold system integrators and internal teams to evidence at every go-live and cutover decision
- Compare governance practice with executives from other sectors and countries overseeing similar platforms
Conclusion
An ERP platform changes how finance, supply chain and people processes run for a decade or more, so the quality of executive oversight shapes the return on the investment. This course moves from the governance principles of ISO/IEC 38500 and ISO 21503, through vendor implementation methods and delivery oversight, to independent assurance, risk and the go-live decision. The final day turns that material into an ERP Programme Governance Charter that participants take back to their steering committee, ready to guide the next decision the programme asks of them.
