Starting a NetSuite implementation is a big step for any business. The platform has the potential to improve efficiency, cut manual processes, and give you better visibility across your operations. But when things go wrong, they can go very wrong. And we get it, a failed or delayed ERP project is more than just a technical hiccup. It can mean frustrated teams, lost time, wasted budget, and an overwhelming sense of, “How are we going to fix this?”
Well, as experienced NetSuite implementation experts, we're here to help. This guide covers five of the most common reasons NetSuite projects struggle, and what you can do to recover, reset, and get back on track.
1. Picking NetSuite Without Fully Understanding Your Needs
NetSuite isn’t a one-size-fits-all product. It’s flexible, but that flexibility can become a headache if you haven’t fully mapped your processes or understood what you’re trying to fix or improve. We’ve seen businesses jump into a NetSuite project because it seemed like the right choice, only to realise later that it doesn’t work for how their teams actually operate.
When this happens, the project often stalls. Additional development is required. Costs rise. Timelines stretch. And the confidence everyone had at the beginning starts to fade.
What to do: Before you begin, or even if you’re already part-way through, revisit your original requirements. Are they clear? Do they reflect how your business really works? If you’re unsure, speak with a partner who will challenge assumptions and pressure-test whether NetSuite is genuinely the best fit.
2. Choosing the Wrong Implementation Partner
You need a NetSuite partner who gets what you do, not just technically, but commercially. If your partner doesn’t understand your industry, or if they take a cookie-cutter approach to implementation, things can quickly unravel. You may find yourself constantly explaining things that should be obvious, or trying to bridge the gap between what you asked for and what’s being built.
This kind of mismatch can be exhausting. You feel like you're project managing your own implementation, and that defeats the point of bringing in help.
What to do: Don’t just look for a partner with NetSuite certifications. Look for one who takes the time to learn how you work, asks the right questions, and stays involved beyond the go-live date. If you’re a smaller business with simple needs, Oracle’s own team might be enough. If your requirements are more complex, you’ll want someone who can adapt and build a longer-term relationship with you.
3. Unrealistic Timelines and Trying to Do Too Much
One of the most common issues we see is when projects try to cram everything into phase one. Customisations, reports, integrations, all going live at the same time. It sounds efficient, but in reality it creates pressure and complexity that most teams simply don’t have the capacity to manage.
When the project starts to wobble, deadlines slip. People lose confidence. And instead of delivering something useful, it becomes an exercise in firefighting.
What to do: Strip things back. Focus on what must be live in phase one. Get those parts working well, then build from there. It’s better to have a basic system working properly than a complicated one that nobody trusts.
4. Poor Data Preparation
If your data’s a mess, your implementation will be too. Migrating dirty or incomplete data into NetSuite creates problems that ripple out across the whole system, inaccurate reports, failed processes, and daily user frustration.
What’s more, cleaning and structuring data always takes longer than people think. It’s not just about exporting spreadsheets, it’s about making decisions. What’s kept? What’s cleaned? What’s left behind?
What to do: Start early. Get your team involved in reviewing data before the build begins. Make sure there’s ownership, not just from IT, but from the people who actually use the data day to day. If the team doesn’t buy into it, you’ll carry the same mess into your new system.
5. No Ownership After Go-Live
A NetSuite implementation doesn’t end at go-live. If there’s no internal ownership, systems don’t evolve, and users don’t get answers when they hit a wall. Over time, usage drops. Workarounds creep in. And the system never delivers the value it could.
We’ve seen businesses who had a technically ‘successful’ go-live, only to find six months later that teams were barely using the system, or worse, actively working around it.
What to do: Appoint internal owners from the start. Train them properly. Give them space to manage change. And if you don’t have capacity in-house, work with a partner who can support you post go-live, not just fix things when they break, but help you keep improving.
What to Do If Your NetSuite Project Has Gone Off Track
Coming to terms with the fact that your implementation isn’t working is tough. It’s frustrating, time-consuming, and can leave you questioning every decision made. But it can be fixed.
Refocus the Project
Start by simplifying. Go back to your core goals and ask: what absolutely needs to be in place for this to support the business? Prioritise those items. Save the rest for later. It’s better to pause, adjust and move forward than to continue pushing a broken plan.
Get the Right People Involved
That might mean bringing in a new partner. If you’re not getting the support or answers you need, it’s okay to make a change. A fresh perspective can often make the difference between a project that limps along and one that delivers real value.
Talk to Your Team
Often, your team already knows what’s wrong, they just haven’t had the space to say it. Get feedback from users. Understand where the pain points are. Sometimes what’s needed isn’t a full rebuild, but small tweaks to how things are set up or communicated.
Review Your Customisations and Workflows
Take a hard look at what’s been built so far. Are there too many scripts or workflows running in the background? Are they needed? Are they performing as expected? Overengineered setups are a common source of frustration, they make simple tasks more complicated than they need to be.
Use NetSuite’s Script Execution Log and Workflow History tools to see what’s slowing things down. If you’re not sure how to interpret that data, this is where a technical review from an experienced NetSuite developer or partner can help spot unnecessary complexity.
Audit Saved Searches and Reports
If dashboards are slow or timing out, it’s worth reviewing saved searches and reports. Poorly built saved searches can drag system performance down across the board. Look for searches with broad filters, full table joins, or large result sets that are being run too frequently.
Consolidate where you can, remove anything redundant, and consider scheduling heavier searches to run overnight rather than in real time.
Check Your Data Health
A failing project often includes rushed or messy data migration. Are users struggling to trust the system because fields are empty, inconsistent, or wrong? It might be worth pausing to clean things up properly. Fixing the front end won’t matter if the data behind it is a mess.
A Final Word
We know a NetSuite implementation is a major investment, and it can be incredibly stressful when things don’t go to plan. But you don’t have to settle for a system that only half works, or a project that leaves your team burned out.
If you think your project’s gone off track, we’re happy to take a look and give you an honest view of what’s working, what’s not, and what can be salvaged. No sales pitch, just a conversation.
