13. January 2026 By Ari Torpo and Sanna Keskioja
Relaunching Success: How to Turn a Stalled SAP Project into a Strategic Win
The Strategic Inflection Point
When a strategic ERP loses momentum — deadlines slip, budget swells, and original goals fade — it’s tempting to label it a failure. But in reality, this is a strategic inflection point, a chance to reframe, refocus, and build stronger foundation for long-term value.
According to Sanna Keskioja, Senior Project Manager and business transformation expert, what looks like a technical slowdown is almost always a governance and structure issue — not technology.
“Across industries and large-scale ERP programs, what looks like a technical slowdown almost always reflects deeper structural and governance gaps. Without clear decision rights and accountability, even the most capable teams lose direction — and the business loses value. Recovering a stalled program isn’t just about fixing IT; it’s about restoring focus, aligning leadership, and creating a framework that sustains long-term competitiveness.”
Two Patterns Behind Stalled Transformation
Both Sanna Keskioja and Ari Torpo, Country Managing Director of adesso Finland, have seen recurring patterns when ERP programs lose momentum. In Sanna’s experience, projects fail when governance and value filtering are missing. Ari adds that organizational setup and decision-making clarity are equally critical.
Two patterns consistently emerge when programs drift off course:
1. The 'Wish List' Trap
During scoping, a lack of deep system and industry knowledge often leads to what Sanna calls the 'wish list' trap. Without expert guidance, organizations risk migrating old, ineffective ways of working into a new, expensive system.
“You end up replicating legacy habits instead of transforming them,” Sanna notes. “When every business unit adds its own requirements without a clear value filter, complexity grows — and so does the cost. Eventually, the originally planned budget is consumed by unnecessary customization, and the organization has missed the chance to build processes that truly drive competitive advantage.”
2. The Decision-Making Gap
Ari emphasizes that success depends both on experience and right organizational setup. Without clear, centralized authority, conflicts linger, decisions are delayed, and the entire project inevitably slows — driving schedule and cost overruns.
The Power of Structural Resilience
Successfully relaunching a stalled project – or structuring a new one correctly from the start – is ultimately about building strategic resilience.
Ari shares an example that captures this idea perfectly:
"One of my clients, a CFO, told me the biggest benefit of their global SAP implementation came five years after completion, “ Ari recalls. “It wasn't about the reporting; it was about the resilience.
When, in a country organization outside Europe, the main competitor suddenly recruited the local CEO and the entire management team followed, the organization was left without leadership overnight. Yet, thanks to the harmonized global processes and shared data backbone, operations continued seamlessly. A temporary CEO from the U.S. and a CFO from another market were able to step in and keep business running until new local leadership was in place.”
This kind of structural integrity is what transforms an ERP system from a technical platform into a strategic stabilizer — capable of absorbing shocks, maintaining control, and protecting value even during intense internal disruption. It’s a reminder that when implemented with discipline, global process design doesn’t just enable efficiency — it creates resilience that scales across borders and crises alike.
The Value of Perspective
When a project reaches a critical point — whether it’s slowing, stalling, or demanding a major directional shift — experience and structure become the difference between recovery and costly failure. At this stage, organizations don’t just need more effort; they need clarity. Advisors who can cut through complexity, realign governance, and guide the business back towards value creation.
Sanna Keskioja and Ari Torpo both emphasize that this stage requires a shift in mindset, not just management.
“Stabilizing a transformation isn’t about firefighting,” Sanna notes. “It’s about restoring clarity, realigning leadership, and reconnecting the program to the strategic purpose it was meant to serve.”
Ari adds: “Once structure and accountability are restored, progress follows naturally. The challenge isn’t technical — it’s ensuring leadership alignment and decisive action.”
Their shared view underscores that successful recovery is less about fixing what’s broken and more about rebuilding the governance and trust that enable change.
At adesso, this balance of perspectives defines how we work. We combine deep understanding of Finnish business culture with the reach and discipline of a European powerhouse. We’re close enough to know your context — and strong enough to deliver under global complexity. Our teams bring the governance models, decision frameworks, and SAP best practices that restore direction, control, and confidence. Beyond scale, we offer industry expertise in sectors such as manufacturing and energy, and established methodologies for S/4HANA migration and program recovery — ensuring predictable outcomes and measurable business impact with German precision.
Ready to Turn a Stalled SAP Project into a Strategic Win?
If your ERP transformation is losing momentum or facing critical challenges, let’s discuss how we can restore focus, align leadership, and rebuild the foundation for lasting business value.
Contact Ari Torpo or Sanna Keskioja to start your relaunch journey.
