Change management underpins a successful ERP implementation at Marathon Oil

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems promise heaven, but the implementation is often just the opposite—cost overruns, exponentially expanding timelines, functionality shortfalls, even business failures. Yet ERP is as essential to the “new economy” as automation was to the old. Marathon Oil Corporation made this business‐critical changeover in record time and within the constraints of an aggressive budget. Flawless execution on the technical side was essential, but managing change—the people side of the implementation—was a key ingredient for success.