The 80/20 of resource management software implementation

Most firms spend 80% of implementation effort on technical configuration and 20% on governance. But firms that succeed do things differently. 

When it comes to resource management software implementation, the technical parts are usually thorough, including data migration, system integrations, user training, and dashboard configuration. 

But three months in, decisions about the system take longer than they should. Your IT team and resource managers aren't aligned on who handles what. The Super User is becoming a bottleneck. Different departments are using the platform inconsistently.

We spoke with Andre Franklin from Linked Workforce , who works with professional services firms on resource management transformation, about why implementations struggle and what successful firms do differently.

How most firms tackle resource management software implementation

Here's what a typical resource management implementation looks like:

• Your team focuses on data migration, such as pulling information from spreadsheets and legacy systems into the new platform. 
• You map integrations with your CRM, HR system and financial software. IT configures dashboards and reports. 
• You schedule training sessions on features and workflows. 
• Then there's testing, troubleshooting and refinement.

Implementation plans allocate months to technical configuration and maybe a week (often less) to the organisational questions. 

As Andre points out, firms often misidentify where the real challenge lies: "The biggest mistake I see during RM implementations is assuming the software will create alignment on its own. Most challenges are organisational rather than technical in nature."

The 20% that’s rushed (or missed out entirely)

While firms meticulously plan their technical implementation, a different set of questions gets minimal attention:

• Who owns resource management decisions?
• Where does IT responsibility end and business ownership begin?
• What authority do Super Users have?
• How are scheduling conflicts resolved?
• Who maintains data quality?

These seem like details that will sort themselves out once the system is live. They don't.

"Those are the 20% of design conversations that get skipped because they seem administrative, yet they drive 80% of adoption issues later," says Andre. "Without agreed roles and escalation paths, every small change becomes a debate after go-live."

In fact, Gartner estimates that up to 70% of ERP implementations fail to achieve their intended outcomes, often due to ineffective or absent process governance. The technical work gets done. The governance conversation doesn't.

How to get the implementation ratio right

The good news? Getting this right doesn't require months of work. You simply need to prioritise governance at the start of implementation.

Andre adds: "Roles and decision rights should be clarified in the first weeks of implementation. When governance is established early, Super Users, IT, and leadership all know what they're accountable for, and decisions can be practiced during testing instead of discovered afterward."

Here's what that actually looks like in practice:

Week 0 (Pre-kickoff): 

• Identify your four key roles - Executive Sponsor, Resource Management Leader, IT Partner, and Super User(s). 
• Make sure everyone understands they'll need to participate in a governance workshop.

Week 1: 

• Facilitate the governance conversation. 
• Use a simple RACI framework to clarify who's Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed for key areas: decision rights, data quality, system configuration, user support, and IT/business collaboration. 
• Document it in one page.

Weeks 2-8: 

• Proceed with technical implementation. 
• Everyone knows who owns what, so configuration decisions happen quickly and requests go to the right people.

Month 3 onwards: 

• Revisit your governance framework as the system matures and your team's needs evolve.

The alternative?

"When it's delayed until post-go-live, the system launches with ambiguity baked in - and every permission request or workflow tweak becomes urgent rework," Andre explains. "Sorting it out early prevents confusion and builds confidence."

How Retain supports resource management software implementation 

Retain 's platform is designed to support the governance structures that successful implementations establish early, without requiring perfection from day one.

For instance, Role-based permissions let you define who can view, edit, or approve different aspects of resource management. This directly supports the RACI framework. Your IT team can have technical administration access, Super Users can manage workflows and support, and resource management leaders can own scheduling decisions, all within the same system.

The platform's transparent AI matching helps build trust during adoption. When the system suggests resources for roles, it shows you why - the skills, experience, and availability that informed the recommendation. People don't need to trust a "black box." They can see the reasoning, which makes it easier for teams to adopt new ways of working.

Retain's Skills+ taxonomy, powered by Lightcast, creates a common language across departments. When Audit, Tax, and Advisory all use the same skills framework, cross-department collaboration becomes simpler. The governance conversations about who owns skills data and how skills are verified become easier when everyone's working from the same foundation.

Workflows and permissions can evolve as your team's capabilities mature. You don't need to define every nuance of governance before go-live. Start with clear basics, such as who owns what and how decisions get made, then simply refine from there as you learn what works.

Planning a resource management implementation? The firms that succeed establish governance clarity in week one. Book a demo to see how Retain supports role-based permissions, transparent workflows, and organisational evolution from day one.

💬Got any questions? Please drop a comment below or reach out directly.

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