As the BU community is aware the ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software implementation project, initiated in 2020, did not achieve its expected outcomes. To address this, an independent review has been planned to review the project's challenges, identify lessons learned, and guide future initiatives.
After a false start due to a conflict of interest brought forward by the originally selected external review firm, we went back out to market through the public MERX bidding process. The BU Board of Governors is happy to announce that we recently signed a contract with BDO Canada LLP to undertake the independent review of the incomplete ERP implementation project.
A Kick Off meeting with the BDO and BU's implementation steering committee members will take place later this week. The review will include a Scoping and Planning phase, a Conduct phase and a Reporting phase and is anticipated to take approximately 18 weeks.
Detailed input will be sought from key stakeholders during the Scoping and Planning phase. BU faculty, staff and student input will be incorporated via a short survey during the Scoping and Planning phase. A final report will be provided to the Board of Governors and implementation team members in the first instance and a presentation will be made to the campus community thereafter.
The scope of the engagement includes:
- Conducting a comprehensive, independent review of the ERP implementation project from its inception to contract termination using BDO's proprietary methodology ground in "Seven Sources of Success":
- Scope Management
- Schedule Management
- Stakeholder management
- Resource Management
- Risk Management
- Finance Management
- Benefits Management
- Reviewing and analyzing the overall approach taken and challenges encountered during the project through collaborative discussions with its key stakeholders.
- Identifying any gaps, findings, or concerns regarding the execution and project artefacts
- Analyzing the timing and speed of significant decisions, the allocation of resources, expenditures, and the project's reporting structure.
- Assessing the contributions of the external consultant who aided BU in the selection of the ERP software provider and oversaw the implementation process, while also evaluating the added value this consultant brought to BU.
The Board of Governors looks forward to hearing from the university community through this process, to gaining a better understanding of what went wrong with the ERP implementation project, and to receiving any expert recommendations that may improve the university's approach to similar projects in the future.
