Cory McNeley, Managing Director with UHY: “An ERP system fundamentally changes how people do their jobs”

Welcome to a new series of interviews – ERP and Beyond – with movers and shakers in the ERP industry. And Cory McNeley certainly fits into that category. With over 20 years of experience across industries from defence to retail, he has seen firsthand what makes ERP projects succeed or fail. As Managing Director at UHY, he now leads clients through the process of implementing and enhancing these ERP solutions for themselves.

“ERP isn’t about technology,” he explains, “it’s about enabling smarter, faster and more informed decisions.” By helping clients align processes and people with the system, Cory’s vision extends well beyond the implementation of ERP systems: he wants to create a foundation that supports growth, scalability and long-term efficiency.

It’s a perspective earned the hard way, shaped by his first experience running an ERP rollout when working as a Retail Controller, a project he candidly describes as “18 months of total chaos”. It was in that chaos that he discovered a knack for ERP and the opportunity to learn the lessons that continue to shape his approach today.

Those lessons led Cory to develop a clear perspective of what ERP can deliver when done right. At its best, he says, a well-implemented system integrates core functions across finance, operations and supply chain, offering leaders “a single source of truth, where information is accurate, almost real time and accessible”. But for all of those advantages to be felt, proper implementation and execution is key.

Cory’s journey from Retail Controller to Managing Director has given him a unique view of ERP’s challenges and potential. But to begin our conversation, we asked him to walk us through his role and experience with ERP systems over the years.

Can you tell us about your role and your experience with ERP systems?

As part of my responsibilities at UHY Consulting, I help clients modernise their business operations through complementary digital transformation initiatives, with a strong emphasis on the implementation and enhancement of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. My primary role is to guide organisations through every stage of their transformation journey, which starts with a strategic assessment, moving into system selection, leading process design, and ultimately supporting implementation and adoption.

Over the last 20+ years. I have had personal experience across several technologies, including Acumatica, Epicor, Oracle, NetSuite, and SAP. Additionally, I also supported companies in integrating complementary tools like Prophix for financial planning and performance management or advanced automation tools like Blue Prism to streamline repetitive processes. The exposure to a diverse set of tools and companies gave me the ability to not only evaluate which system would best align with a customer’s need, but also how to anticipate potential challenges they will encounter during a transformation initiative..

Aside from the technical work, I advocate for the importance of data governance, change management, and user adoption. A system is only as strong as the data, the processes, and the people using the tool. I enjoy the blending of technology expertise with a strategic consulting perspective, helping clients not only implement technology but also rethink how they manage resources, get the most out of their technology investments, and grow with confidence.

What first drew you to working with ERP solutions?

It was kind of by default. I was working as a controller for a retail company, and one day I was informed that I needed to implement a new ERP system in conjunction with a planning system, a point of sale system, and a bunch of other technologies.

In all honesty, I didn’t even know what it took to implement a system of that nature. However, I was up for the challenge because I grew up using technology and was always curious. I didn’t fully appreciate or understand the details that go into a project like this, so I embarked on it just using some guesses of what I needed to do. I came up with a project plan, started working through it, and went through 18 months of chaos.

I was under the false impression that the software rollout would be pretty easy with some configuration, not a ton of planning. But I quickly realised about a week in, that this was going to transform the entire organisation. We needed to redefine all our processes, change our approach to accounting, and redesign everything that touched the system. So, I adjusted my approach, took more of a process improvement stance, and ran the project from that perspective.

In all honesty, I thought it was probably one of the poorer projects I ever ran, but in the end, the equity group that held the company moved me to another organisation to do the exact same thing. That’s when I figured out maybe I had a niche for implementing these complex systems. I already knew best practices of coding because I liked practising it on my own, so I started to refine my approach. After several different ERP implementations, I eventually began managing and overseeing multiple implementations at the same time

In your view, what’s the biggest advantage a well-implemented ERP system can bring to an organisation?

In my opinion, the biggest advantage of a well-implemented ERP system is the ability to create a single source of truth that connects people, processes, and technology throughout the entire business. Too often, companies operate in silo, finance has one set of numbers, operations rely on another, and sales teams track disconnected spreadsheets. This fragmentation creates inefficiency, risk, and slows down decision-making. From the C level, a well-implemented ERP changes that dynamic entirely. It integrates core functions of finance, operations, supply chain, and beyond into a single source of truth, where information is accurate, almost real-time, and accessible. This transition not only enhances operational efficiency but also enables leaders and their teams to make well-informed decisions. Executives are better equipped to forecast accurately when data is comprehensive and reliable. In addition to increasing internal efficiencies, a successful ERP implementation supports growth, scalability and drives consistency as organisations expand through new business units, acquisitions, or global growth.

The ERP provides the foundation for standardised processes and governance, reducing the friction that comes with growth and ensuring the company can scale without losing control. At the end of the day, ERP isn’t about technology; it’s about enabling smarter, faster, and more informed decisions. The ability to align strategy with execution, powered by accurate and connected data, is the true advantage of a well-implemented ERP system

What are the most common reasons ERP implementations fail or fall short?

From my experience, ERP implementations rarely fail as a result of the technology. Most ERP platforms are robust and capable of meeting complex business use cases. Usually, failures are a result of a lack of planning, failure to institute a sound change management program, and failure to redesign processes within the organisation.

One of the most common reasons is a lack of executive alignment and sponsorship. ERP systems touch every corner of the business, and if leadership isn’t fully committed or if departments are pulling in different directions. The project can quickly lose momentum or stall. Strong sponsorship and alignment across the organisation are absolutely critical to success.

Another significant factor is poor change management. An ERP system fundamentally changes how people do their jobs. If employees are not engaged, trained, and supportive, they tend to resist the system. Adaptation suffers, and the ERP never delivers its full value. Too often, organisations focus heavily on the technical rollout and neglect the people side of the transformation. Without shifting the culture to a culture that embraces the change, users won’t fully adopt the new system, and in a worst-case scenario, they may revert to old habits.

The third issue consistently encountered is Master Data. Without a robust master data management plan, the system may not function as intended. This can erode user confidence, limit trust in reporting, and prevent the ERP from fully achieving its full value.

Finally, many organisations view an  ERP implementation as a technology project versus a strategic business transformation. Technology teams lead the project without full alignment with the business users. Without a mindset of business transformation and continuous improvement, companies miss out on the efficiencies and scalability the ERP is designed to deliver.

At the end of the day, successful ERP implementations require:

• Leadership commitment and a voice from the C suite
• Strong change management
• Clean, governed master data
• A clear vision of long-term value and continuous improvement

What lessons have you learned from challenging ERP rollouts?

There are several lessons that come from challenging ERP rollouts, but the most critical one I’ve learned is to never underestimate the power of resistance inside an organisation. Even with the best planning and the strongest technology, one dissenter, whether it’s a key executive or an influential employee, can derail the entire project.

When a critical decision maker isn’t aligned, the business vertical they oversee may start ignoring the project. They might focus on other priorities instead of helping push the ERP across the finish line. That lack of engagement spreads quickly and undermines the momentum of the implementation.

The biggest lesson, therefore, is the importance of ensuring that everybody is engaged, everybody is informed, and everybody is rowing in the same direction. ERP is not a small IT exercise; it’s an organisation-wide transformation. To succeed, alignment and buy-in must extend across leadership, department heads, and frontline staff.

Another lesson is that change management cannot be treated as an afterthought. The technology may be solid, but if people feel disconnected, uninformed, or threatened by the change, adoption will stall. Hands-on communication, visible sponsorship, and ongoing involvement from leadership are necessary to mitigate resistance.

Ultimately, the lesson learned from difficult rollouts is this: ERP success is less about the system and more about the people and culture behind it. If the organisation embraces the project, stays aligned, and commits to moving forward together, even the most complex ERP rollout can succeed

How do you balance the complexity of ERP systems with the need for usability?

Complexity in ERP systems is largely driven by configuration and customisation. Modern ERP platforms are designed to be intuitive, often with search capabilities and interfaces that feel almost “Google-like.” On their own, these systems are quite usable. The real complexity begins when organisations change the system’s native functionality through heavy customisation.

Ideally, you avoid customisation whenever possible. Instead, you leverage the ERP’s existing usability and built-in processes to accomplish what you need. The challenge arises when organisations are unwilling to adapt their day-to-day operations to fit the ERP’s design. Instead of capitalising on the system’s capabilities, they force it to match legacy habits, which increases complexity and diminishes usability.

When customisations are introduced, they often create long-term issues. For example, ERP vendors release multiple updates each year. With every release, custom code must be tested extensively, making upgrades slower and more resource-intensive. By contrast, standard configurations are easier to maintain and scale.

The best way to balance complexity with usability is to align business processes with the ERP’s out-of-the-box functionality. These standard processes are not arbitrary. They’ve been shaped by input from hundreds or even thousands of customers over time. Using them allows organisations to benefit from proven best practices without overcomplicating the system.

That said, there are times when minor customisation may make sense, such as when integrating with a unique third-party system. In those cases, customisations should be strategic and always evaluated against long-term scalability and usability.

Ultimately, fewer customisations will lead to a more stable system and lower costs. The guiding principle should always be: Is this process truly unique and value adding, or are we just holding on to legacy habits? Organisations that honestly assess this question find a balance between harnessing ERP’s capabilities and maintaining an intuitive, user-friendly environment

Is it better to change your processes to fit in with your chosen ERP solution or go down the route of customisation?

It’s a best practice to adopt the standard processes inside an ERP whenever possible rather than defaulting to customisation. Customisation almost always creates problems down the road.

First and foremost, it makes upgrades far more complex. Most ERP vendors release multiple updates each year, and every time an update comes through, all configurations and custom code must be tested. Testing customisations is much more resource-intensive than testing basic configurations, which slows down the ability to stay current.

Whether you’re using Epicor, Acumatica, or another platform, aligning your business processes to the ERP’s out-of-the-box capabilities is the best approach. These systems have been designed and refined based on input from hundreds. If not thousands of customers. That collective experience has shaped proven processes that support a wide variety of business models. Organisations often fail to see the value of these built-in workflows because they cling to legacy ways of working.

That said, there are times when customisation cannot be avoided. For example, integrating with a custom system unique to your business may require minor modifications. But even in those situations, the principle should be to minimise customisations and maximise configuration.

There is a danger in over-customisation. It will increase long-term costs, slow down the implementation, create additional dependencies, and potentially reduce the overall usability of the system. A good rule of thumb is to ask: Is this process truly unique and value adding, or are we holding on to legacy habits because “that’s the way we’ve always done it”?

Ultimately, the most successful ERP projects strike a balance: they adopt standard processes whenever possible and only customise when absolutely necessary. Fewer customisations mean a more stable, scalable, and user-friendly system and that stability ensures the ERP continues to deliver value well into the future

When migrating, do organisations tend to underestimate the challenge of data migration? If so, how can you mitigate against that?

Organisations consistently underestimate how challenging data migration really is. It’s not just an exercise of extracting data from one system and loading it into another. Migration requires a deep understanding of how the data is structured today, what it represents, how it needs to be structured in the new system and how that will interact. For example, your chart of accounts might change, segmentation might change, and dimensions might change. That means the data must be mapped, reformatted, and validated in a way that aligns with the new ERP. Simply carrying over old structures without this analysis weakens the foundation of the new system.

Another common pitfall is data hoarding. The old adage of the more the merrier doesn’t necessarily apply when it comes to data. Most organisations want to migrate every piece of historical data, regardless of its relevance to the new system. This adds unnecessary clutter to the new system with information that doesn’t even serve a business need. A key strategy is to ask one simple question for each data element: “Is this necessary for us to run our organisation?” If the answer is no, don’t move it, just archive it in case you need it in the future.

To mitigate the challenge, organisations need to establish clear and concise master data management practices before migration begins. That means cleaning, correcting, and standardising the data so it’s accurate and ready to be restructured for the new system. You want to make sure what goes into the ERP is reliable and supports decision-making from day one.

Ultimately, the way to avoid underestimating migration is to treat it as a strategic initiative in its own right, not just a technical step in the project plan. By being disciplined — only moving what’s necessary, ensuring it’s clean, and aligning it to the new structure — organisations set themselves up for a much smoother ERP go-live

What’s your perspective on customisation versus out-of-the-box ERP functionality?

My perspective is that it’s almost always better to leverage out-of-the-box ERP functionality whenever possible and only turn to customisation when it’s absolutely necessary.

The reason is simple: customisation creates complexity. Every time your ERP vendor pushes out an update and most modern systems release multiple updates per year. All of your custom code must be retested. That means longer upgrade cycles, more resources devoted to testing, and a higher likelihood of something breaking. By contrast, standard configurations are easier to maintain, easier to scale, and inherently more stable.

Out-of-the-box functionality has another advantage: it’s been shaped by the collective input of hundreds or even thousands of customers who have contributed to how the system’s processes are designed. These aren’t arbitrary workflows. They represent best practices that have been proven across industries. Too often, companies overlook this and insist on customising to fit “the way we’ve always done it.” In reality, those legacy habits are frequently more of a liability than a strength.

That said, there are instances where customisation makes sense. For example, if you’re integrating with a unique, homegrown system or if you have a process that truly differentiates your business and creates measurable value, limited customisation may be justified. Even then, it should be minimal, carefully scoped, and evaluated for long-term scalability.

The danger of over-customisation is significant:

• Increased costs during both the implementation and ongoing support
• Slower system performance is possible since it’s not a native procedure.  more complicated operations
• Dependency on specialised resources that understand the custom code
• Reduced usability for employees who now must navigate around non-standard workflows

The guiding principle I use is this: ask whether the process in question is truly unique and value adding, or whether it’s simply a legacy way of working. If it’s the latter, it’s usually best to adapt the process to the ERP’s out-of-the-box capabilities.

Ultimately, the organisations that are most successful with ERP strike a balance: they adopt standard functionality wherever possible, and they customise strategically only when it delivers a clear, long-term business advantage

What’s the most exciting ERP innovation you’ve come across recently?

One of the most exciting ERP innovations I’ve come across recently is in the area of mobile applications and executive visibility. What really stands out is the ability to manage and understand how a business is performing directly from a cell phone without needing to log into the full ERP system.

Modern ERP mobile capabilities now allow executives and managers to receive automatic dashboards or on-demand snapshots of performance delivered straight to their email or device.

To me, that kind of proactive, mobile-first visibility represents a major step forward in ERP usability. It’s not just about putting data into the system; it’s about getting actionable insights out of the system in a way that aligns with how executives and managers actually work today. That level of accessibility and immediacy is a powerful tool for leveraging technology to drive better, faster decisions.

If you could give one piece of advice to a CIO about to embark on an ERP project, what would it be?

The single most important piece of advice I would give a CIO about to embark on an ERP project is this: treat it as a business transformation, not a technology implementation.

Too often, organisations approach ERP as an IT upgrade, something owned by the technology team with limited business involvement. That mindset almost guarantees problems. An ERP system touches every corner of the business: finance, operations, sales, supply chain, and even customers. If you frame it as just a software rollout, it becomes risky, more expensive, and far less likely to deliver long-lasting value.

By treating ERP as a business transformation, CIOs can secure executive sponsorship, cross-functional alignment, and cultural commitment. This ensures decisions aren’t only about configuration, but about rethinking how and why processes are done, and how they can be improved to align strategy with execution.

It’s also essential to set clear, measurable goals from the start. Success should be defined in business terms, not technical terms. For example, reducing days to close the books, improving inventory accuracy, or enabling real-time reporting. These goals become the benchmarks that keep the project focused on delivering tangible value. My advice is simple but critical: treat this project as a business transformation process with a technology backbone.

If there was one single pitfall you would warn people of, what would it be?

If I had to highlight one single pitfall, it would be this: underestimating the true scope of change that an ERP project entails.

Too many organisations treat ERP as a straightforward software rollout, configure the system, train the users, and go live. But the reality is that ERP touches every corner of the business. It changes how finance closes the books, how operations run workflows, how supply chain manages inventory, and even how employees perceive their day-to-day roles. Leadership and project teams need to approach the project as a true transformation and not a simple installation of software.

The most common issues I see with our clients are:

1. Poor or inconsistent executive engagement. The tone from the top truly drives the transformation.
2. Poor change management occurs when employees are not fully engaged, trained, or transformed during the implementation process.
3. Resistance to letting go of legacy habits, where companies force the ERP to fit old processes instead of adapting to the processes that are native within the system

So if there’s one warning I would give, it’s this: don’t minimise the cultural and organisational shift required. Treat ERP as a transformation, prepare your people for the journey, and align leadership from the very beginning. If you get that right, the technology will follow.

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