A System for One
The best system failures aren't badly built — they're built for one person, one vision, and one moment in time.
A construction company building low to mid-rise condominiums had solid operations but relied heavily on spreadsheets and unused Primavera software. Frustrated by delays from their parent company’s IT department, the president decided the construction unit would independently purchase and implement an ERP system.
During discovery, the implementation team found that the president’s custom reports — which he had personally designed — were already available as standard features in the ERP. They could simplify his designs, but the president requested they implement his custom reports first, planning to transition to standard reports once the team grew comfortable with the system.
Months into implementation, something remarkable occurred. When reviewing the reports with the client’s team, the implementation team realized the staff couldn’t truly explain what the reports meant. The project manager and finance people could run them and generate numbers, but they lacked understanding. The president was the only one who truly understood them.
After going live, the president announced his departure to start his own business. The successor inherited management reports nobody could adequately explain. A newly hired CFO, recently retired and unfamiliar with cloud computing, wanted to reimplement using outdated methodologies from twenty years prior.
Throughout the engagement, three different project managers cycled through their positions. Each transition eroded the foundation of understanding the implementation required. Eventually, the incomprehensible reports were abandoned and replaced with a customized set tailored to the CFO — who himself left the company over a year later.
This experience revealed a recurring pattern I’ve witnessed repeatedly. Leadership establishes direction, but teams lack full understanding or necessary support. When leadership changes, everything built on personal understanding unravels. As a consultant, I’ve observed that systems fail when the person driving implementation moves on — everything reverts to previous practices.
I think of my mother-in-law, an excellent baker. She describes three essential elements: a tested recipe that actually works. A baker who understands not just the steps but why each step matters. And the right ingredients, measured properly, added at the right time.
The construction company had the recipe and system in place, with proper data and processes configured. However, the baker — the person who truly understood what it was all for and why it was built the way it was — had left the kitchen.
The critical question becomes: does your team understand not just what you’re building, but why you’re building it? Will they maintain this understanding when you’re no longer present?
The best systems I have seen fail were not badly built. They were built for one person, one vision, and one moment in time.