The Critical Success Factors Behind Successful ERP Implementations

Ramzan Amin, Founder and CEO of SIM Consulting, joins the Comparesoft ERP Podcast to explore why public sector organisations are being pushed to replace ageing ERP systems. Rising costs, security risks, and systems no longer fit for modern service delivery are forcing councils and public bodies to move from legacy ERP to cloud platforms. Drawing on his experience as ERP Programme Director at Kent County Council, Ramzan explains why many public sector ERP programmes lose control early, how governance and change management shape success, and what leaders must do to make legacy-to-cloud ERP transformations stick beyond go-live. In this episode, Ramzan talks about: The real drivers behind legacy-to-cloud ERP transformation in the public sector What happens when the wrong ERP system is selected, and how to deal with pushback Why change management, not technology, defines ERP implementation failure rates How public sector ERP shortlisting differs from private sector procurement The unique pressures facing councils compared to commercial organisations Lessons from Birmingham City Council's widely reported ERP implementation challenges How SIM's no-code, AI-based Testify platform is reducing risk and the skills gap in ERP delivery

Jen Payne, Co-founder of Bright Lambs, joins us to break down the critical success factors behind successful ERP implementations and why so many projects fail before they even reach go-live. Drawing on her Master's research into ERP critical success factors and her experience across manufacturing, engineering, and military logistics systems, Jen explains what matters most in the early stages of an ERP programme. The conversation covers why listening to real pain points comes before solutions, how to think about messy data and spreadsheets, and why leadership support, governance, and systems thinking still outweigh software choice.

Geraint Evans, Field Service Engineering Manager at B. Braun, joins the Comparesoft Field Service Management Podcast to explore what field service looks like when equipment uptime directly impacts patient care. Drawing on experience across industrial service and medical devices, Geraint explains why healthcare field service carries a different level of responsibility, and how compliance, preventative maintenance, and people-first leadership shape day-to-day decision making. In this episode, Geraint talks about: Why medical device field service is fundamentally different from industrial service How uptime and compliance link directly to patient outcomes Why first-time fix matters more than speed in regulated environments Early signs of burnout in field service engineers How preventative maintenance reduces pressure on NHS clinical teams Why predictive maintenance is becoming critical in healthcare service delivery What engineers should practise now if they want to move into leadership

Jean-Claude Jobard, former Technical Service Director at Tetra Pak, joins the Comparesoft Field Service Management Podcast to share leadership lessons from 24 years of operating large, distributed field service teams at Tetra Pak, with his experience spanning Europe, Africa, and Asia. Jean-Claude talks about: What 24 years at Tetra Pak taught him about leading global field service teams Why trust matters more than change in the first 90 days of a leadership role Which field service KPIs are overrated, and which ones actually reflect customer value Why time to restore often matters more than first-time fix How to balance commercial service pressure with long-term customer outcomes Preventing engineer burnout in high-pressure, customer-critical environments Where technology and automation genuinely help, and where they do not

Debbie Vaughn, Director of Field Services Delivery at Denali Advanced Integration, breaks down why traditional SLA reporting often fails in real-world, multi-site field service delivery. Drawing on enterprise rollout and managed services experience, she explains why communication, transparency, and shared success metrics matter more than speed alone. She covers operational interlocks, OLAs behind SLAs, translating technical risk for executives, preventing engineer burnout, and why green dashboards can still hide customer dissatisfaction.

Project Director and VP of Field Services, Sandy Laird, joins the Comparesoft Field Service Management Podcast to unpack a challenge every fast-moving infrastructure programme faces: quality and reliability versus speed. Sandy talks about: What it really takes to manage 27 projects at once Why limited training time is widening the skills gap on-site Balancing energisation deadlines with installation quality in renewables Data centre demand: building fast, but still lasting 25–30 years The KPIs that matter: revisits, install volume per crew, and delivery quality Where robots and AI can help O&M (and where caution is needed) Why accountability is the biggest issue on large-scale projects Practical insight for female field service leaders

Regional Field Service Manager Allan Fairhurst joins the Comparesoft Field Service Management Podcast to share his journey from Army logistics and plant operations to leading large fibre delivery teams across the UK. Allan talks about: What really happens on major infrastructure projects like HS2 and the Commonwealth Games Critical KPIs and metrics for empowering high-performance service teams Cutting utility strikes with better pre-site surveys and training Building a genuine safety culture in the field Turning great technicians into confident leaders  

In this episode, we sit down with Claire Ford, Head of Field Service Channel, Rest of World (ROW) at ABB E-Mobility, to explore what it takes to lead field operations during one of the fastest-growing periods in EV infrastructure. Claire shares her journey from the early days at EVBox - when the UK's charging network was still in its infancy - to overseeing service operations across the UK and Germany. She discusses how her experience building teams through COVID, managing exponential growth, and integrating systems like Salesforce and SAP shaped her leadership approach. From recognising the "unsung heroes" in logistics and back-office functions to the realities of remote team culture and cross-border collaboration, Claire offers a grounded perspective on what keeps large-scale EV field operations running smoothly.

Greg Markham, Estates & Assets Director at Serco Health, explains how the reality of working on the frontline can open your eyes to appreciating the work of FM teams and how predictive technology is being readied to improve patient care in healthcare facilities.

Tim Peacock, the Director of Estates and Facilities at Sherborne Girls School, explains how working with the pathology and history of older buildings is key to managing and maintaining the upkeep of a 40-acre site with both educational buildings and boarding accommodation.