Assessing the Factors Contributing to the Failure of ERP Implementation in the Trading Company in Myanmar: A Case Study Analysis

Abstract

This study investigates the reasons behind the unsuccessful implementation of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system in a trading company in Myanmar. The research utilizes the Technology–Organization–Environment (TOE) framework to elucidate the impact of internal and external factors on the outcome. The company put a lot of money and time into the project, but the system didn't work as planned. Financial reports were not always accurate, operational processes were not fully integrated, and employees anymore. They gradually returned to manual work because they no longer trusted the system. A qualitative case study methodology was utilized. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with 10 participants, including senior managers, the project manager, IT personnel, end users from various departments, and a vendor consultant. The interview data were subjected to thematic analysis to discern persistent patterns and interrelations among organizational, technological, and environmental concerns. The results indicate that the failure cannot be attributed exclusively to technical issues. Instead, it was caused by a mix of employees not wanting to change, problems, extensive system customization, insufficient change management, poor project coordination, data migration errors, infrastructure issues, and communication problems with the vendor. Over time, these factors worked together each other stronger. The research indicates that effective ERP implementation in emerging economies necessitates not only technological proficiency but also robust organizational preparedness and coherence among strategic objectives, business processes, and external support frameworks.