I’m Kayla. I lead ERP projects for a living. Big software. Many moving parts. People get nervous. I’ve been through three go-lives in the last few years, and I’ve got the gray hairs to prove it.
If you want the full story behind what being an ERP project manager really feels like, I’ve broken down my experience in a separate deep-dive.
You know what? I still love it.
What this job feels like
An ERP project manager sits in the messy middle. I talk to finance, ops, sales, and the warehouse. I translate stuff. I plan. I chase people. I fix weird problems at 2 a.m. It’s part air traffic control, part therapist, part coach.
We use fancy terms, but I keep it simple:
- UAT means “users test the system.”
- Cutover is “the switch from old to new.”
- A RAID log is “risks, actions, issues, and decisions.” It’s my brain on paper.
Now let me tell you some real stories.
Project 1: NetSuite for a fast e-commerce brand
Company size: about 200 people.
Teams: finance, warehouse, customer service, and IT.
Extra tools: RF-SMART scanners, Jira for tasks, and Smartsheet for timelines.
What went right:
- We cleaned item data early. Brand names were a mess. Sizes too. We made one style guide and stuck to it.
- We set up cycle counts, not just one giant count. Small bites. Fewer fights.
We leaned heavily on proven ERP implementation best practices throughout this phase, and this overview from NetSuite captures many of the tactics we used.
What blew up:
- The first pick wave ran slow. Scanners lagged. Turned out Wi-Fi dropped near aisle 17. We moved access points the same day and set a spare router on a cart. Not cute, but it worked.
- We forgot about gift wrap as a “service item.” Orders stalled. We added the item, wrote a tiny script, and it flowed.
My favorite moment:
- I trained the warehouse crew at 6 a.m. We used real totes. We scanned, packed, and shipped one live order. Someone yelled, “That was easy!” I almost cried.
Project 2: SAP S/4HANA for a metal parts maker
Heavy stuff here. MRP, work centers, and long lead times.
Tools: SAP S/4, SolMan notes, and a big whiteboard that we never erased.
Wins:
- Month-end close dropped from 10 days to 4. Why? Clean postings, clear routes, and one chart that showed stuck goods.
- Shop floor times got real. People stopped guessing. The system showed bottlenecks.
Chaos:
- MRP crashed at 2:07 a.m. on cutover night. Basis fixed it. We re-ran jobs. We ate stale pizza. We made it.
- Labels printed in the wrong size. The forklift crew got mad. We changed the print form and did a test run with scrap bins.
Lesson I won’t forget:
- We missed a tax code for one country. Small code. Big headache. Now I do a “tax walk” with finance on day one. Always.
Project 3: Dynamics 365 for a food distributor
Cold trucks. Lot tracking. EDI with big stores.
Add-ons: Power BI for reports, Zebra handhelds, and Teams for huddles.
Good stuff:
- We built a clean pick path. Fewer steps. Less backtracking. People smiled. Feet thanked us.
- The CFO wanted “yesterday’s sales by customer at 8 a.m.” Power BI handled it. The chart showed red for late AR. No hiding.
Sneaky problem:
- Unit of measure drama. Some items were “each,” some “case,” and folks mixed them. Returns spiked. We set strict conversions and locked it down. We ran short training with real boxes on a table. It stuck.
Go-live weekend:
- We had a war room. One page per issue. Owner. Deadline. Fix. Coffee. More coffee. At 3 p.m. on day two, orders flowed like normal. We let out a breath.
Tools and habits that saved me
If you ever need extra templates or a sanity check from other people who’ve stood in the same cutover war rooms, I lean on the PMO Network for quick advice and shared docs.
For a step-by-step look at ERP project-management best practices, I also like this implementation guide.
- RAID log: risks, actions, issues, decisions. I update it daily.
- Cutover checklist: who does what, down to the minute. No guesswork.
- Sandbox: we test ugly stuff here first. Delete and try again.
- Super users: one in each team. They know the job and the system. Gold.
- Daily stand-ups: 15 minutes. What’s done, what’s stuck, what’s next.
- Change gates: a light “stop sign” so random features don’t sneak in late.
Sometimes, after a 48-hour cutover marathon, even the most buttoned-up functional lead just wants to shut the laptop and scroll something fun. If swiping for a date sounds more relaxing than staring at yet another dashboard, check out this guide to the best hookup apps for meeting curvy women—it reviews the top platforms, weighs the pros and cons, and offers safety tips so you can make the most of your downtime without adding more stress to your life.
Outside of those crunch times, I’m often on the road visiting plants or distribution centers. When a project took me to Hampton, Virginia, the team joked that we needed something a bit more exciting than hotel-bar trivia to unwind. That search led me to the local review hub Erotic Monkey Hampton where you’ll find candid, first-hand insights on nearby adult entertainment options—perfect for vetting spots quickly and avoiding any awkward surprises during a well-earned night off.
Stuff I didn’t love
- Vendor SOW gaps. “That’s out of scope,” showed up too often. I now tie each line to a real test case.
- Dirty data. Old items, old vendors, odd spellings. It slows everything.
- Surprise custom code. Fancy, sure, but later it breaks updates. I push for config first.
- Holidays. People vanish. I pad the plan. I add snacks to keep folks around. It helps.
People side, the real work
ERP is tech, yes. But people make it work. I write simple guides with pictures. I sit by the printer and watch. I ask, “Can you show me?” If someone frowns, I know we missed something. We fix it fast.
I say this a lot: “No blame, just facts.” It lowers heat. It keeps trust.
Who will enjoy this role
If you can stay calm when four things break at once, you’ll do well. If you like checklists and chats, you’ll do well. If you hate saying “no,” this job will tire you out. I say “not now” more than I say “yes.”
If you’re weighing whether to step up from coordination into this seat, my comparison of project coordinator vs. project manager spells out the real contrasts.
My quick kit
- Smartsheet or MS Project for the plan
- Jira for tickets
- Power BI for simple charts
- Miro for messy maps
- Teams or Slack for fast notes
- A label maker, sticky notes, and snacks (no joke)
Templates I re-use:
- RACI (who is Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed)
- Test script sheet with steps, data, and pass/fail
- Go-live runbook with names and phone numbers
- Hypercare dashboard for the first two weeks
Final take
Being an ERP project manager is messy, loud, and weirdly fun. You solve real problems that touch money, time, and people’s days. Some nights are long. Some wins are quiet. But when orders ship clean and finance closes fast, it feels great.
Would I do it again? Yep. Tomorrow. Bring coffee. I’ll bring the checklists.