Alan Milliken of BASF sometimes says the letters ERP actually stand for “Extremely Rare Pain.” Change can bring pain, and the degree of change dictated by an ERP implementation can be massive. The total integration enabled by the ERP system is touted as its greatest benefit, but it also requires simultaneous participation by all value chain participants: supply chain, logistics, purchasing, finance, sales and marketing, and others. The degree of success with ERP can range from giving up entirely and going back to disconnected software, to using the system for some, or most, processes. One key to success is to plan early for the balancing of people-process-technology investment. This presentation provides insights from 25 years of experience with ERP use and implementation. Gain insight into how to avoid some of the major pitfalls; learn pointers for scoping and supporting the ERP evolution; and see examples of effectively balancing people, processes and technology in the quest for ERP. Presented at the 2019 ASCM Conference--Las Vegas, Nevada.