Why ERP projects run over time and budget, the contract terms that cost the most later, privacy and data risks, and where to get official help.
Most expensive ERP problems are set up before go-live: a vague scope, a fixed-price quote with a long list of exclusions, a contract that auto-renews at a higher price, or no plan for getting your data out. These guides describe the common patterns generically and show what to do instead.
Start with why ERP projects fail and how to avoid it. Then read about budget overruns and how much contingency to hold, contract traps and the unfair contract terms law, planning your exit and data export, SLAs, uptime and support levels, and privacy, data breaches and where your data is stored. The disputes and official sources guide lists the regulators and free services that help small businesses with software disputes.
This site gives general information, not legal or tax advice. For a large contract, a dispute or a data breach, get advice from a lawyer, tax agent or the relevant regulator.
Failed Projects, Contract Traps and Official Sources
The cost lines that most often exceed an ERP budget, an illustrative overrun breakdown, how to size and control contingency, and what to do when spend runs ahead of plan.
Failed Projects, Contract Traps and Official Sources
The SaaS and ERP contract clauses that cost small businesses most, how Australia's unfair contract terms regime and its penalties since 9 November 2023 apply, and what to negotiate.
Failed Projects, Contract Traps and Official Sources
How to plan your exit from an ERP or SaaS contract before you sign, what data to export and in what format, illustrative exit costs, and how to meet record-keeping duties after switching.
Failed Projects, Contract Traps and Official Sources
Steps to resolve a dispute with an ERP vendor or implementation partner, the federal and state bodies that help small businesses, and the official sources for tax, payroll, privacy and contract rules.
Failed Projects, Contract Traps and Official Sources
What the Privacy Act 1988, the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme and the 2024 amendments mean for businesses running ERP, plus data location, sub-processors and contract terms.
Failed Projects, Contract Traps and Official Sources
The recurring patterns behind failed or troubled ERP projects, the warning signs at each stage, and the practical controls that small and mid-sized businesses can put in place.
Failed Projects, Contract Traps and Official Sources
What ERP and SaaS service level agreements promise, how uptime percentages translate into hours of downtime, how small service credits are, and what to ask for.
