IFS-ERP CRIMS customization of IFS Cloud

The Go-Live Fallacy: Why Your IFS Cloud “Finish Line” Is Actually a Risk Handover

Why most IFS Cloud projects fail after Go-Live and how to fix it. A strategic guide for CIOs on shifting from technical delivery to enterprise behaviour change.

January 2026 | IFS​-ERP​.Con​sult​ing Strategy Team

Most ERP programmes celebrate go-live like it’s the finish line. The steering committee pops the champagne, the System Integrator closes their tickets, and the project is marked «Green.» In reality, you haven’t finished the job. You have just handed over the risk.

Over the last few weeks, we’ve spoken to organisations that have invested $10m – $100m+ in ERP platforms — and are now quietly battling a different problem:

For IT Directors and CIOs, this is critical. The system is technically stable. The uptime is 99.9%. But business value is flatlining.

What Actually Went Wrong?

  • Governance owned delivery, not outcomes. PMOs measure «On Time, On Budget,» but often dissolve before «Value Realization» begins.
  • Adoption was assumed, not designed. Organizations assume that because IFS Cloud is modern, users will naturally flock to it. They won’t.
  • Training focused on “how”, not “why”. Users are taught which buttons to click, but not why the data matters to the downstream supply chain.
  • Post-go-live support vanished. The expert consultants left just as the reality of the new process hit the shop floor.

Turning the Ship Around: 4 Strategic Pivots

If your ERP is live but value isn’t, the work isn’t finished — it’s just starting. Here is how we turn ERP programmes around.

Reframe the Narrative

Shift from «System Implementation» to Enterprise Behaviour Change. When you frame it as a technical upgrade, you get technical engagement. When you frame it as an operational shift, you get executive buy-in.

Redesign Governance

In an Evergreen environment like IFS Cloud (R1/R2 releases), governance must be perpetual. Assign a Product Owner whose KPI is User Adoption, not just system stability.

Treat Adoption as Risk

Low adoption is a commercial risk, not an HR issue. Track metrics like «Percentage of POs created via automation» and report them to the Board alongside uptime.

Capability After Go-Live

Shift your training budget. Reserve 40% for months 2 – 6. Learning sticks when users are facing real scenarios, not during UAT in a sandbox.

Long-term success isn’t technical. It’s cultural.

If you are looking at your post-go-live landscape and seeing frustration instead of flow, it is time to stop patching the software and start patching the strategy.


Curious how other IFS customers are tackling post-go-live adoption? Let’s compare notes.

Schedule a Strategy Call

Frequently Asked Questions

Adoption often fails because the focus is placed on delivery milestones rather than behavioural change. If training focuses only on «how» to click buttons rather than «why» the process matters, and if support vanishes immediately after Go-Live, users revert to old habits or workarounds like Excel.

Unlike legacy ERPs, IFS Cloud updates twice a year (Releases R1 and R2). «Evergreen Governance» means maintaining a permanent Center of Excellence or Product Owner role to manage these updates, test new features, and drive continuous improvement, rather than dissolving the project team after the initial launch.

We recommend reserving approximately 40% of your training budget for the post-go-live period (Months 2 – 6). Users absorb information best when they are facing real-world scenarios. Heavy front-loaded training in a sandbox environment is often forgotten by the time the system is live.

Move beyond «System Uptime.» Track business value metrics such as the percentage of automated transactions vs. manual interventions, the time to complete key workflows, or the reduction in offline spreadsheets. These indicators reveal whether the system is actually being used to perform or just to comply.