Rescue projects are often defined by what went wrong. At Reach, we believe they’re also an opportunity to demonstrate what’s possible—especially in healthcare technology, where timelines, compliance, and patient-impacting operations are on the line.
Why Executive Strategy Matters in Healthcare Rescue Projects
When ERP and CRM initiatives falter in healthcare environments, the fallout goes beyond missed deadlines. Financial reporting, regulatory compliance, and mission-critical workflows are placed at risk. That’s why it’s essential for executive leaders to take ownership, reset—not just restart—a failing implementation, and redefine what success means.
In early 2024, we stepped into a project that had been paused after two attempts failed to deliver a workable solution. The client, a high-growth healthcare software provider with operations in the US and Asia, had been trying to migrate from heavily customized Dynamics AX 2012 to D365 Finance & SCM for nearly two years. Our role was to restore order, rebuild leadership alignment, and deliver a go-live by year’s end—and succeeded on December 1st, 2024.
1. Redefine Success—and Align Around It
Using Microsoft’s Success by Design framework, we began with an executive stakeholder realignment. The key outcome: prioritizing timeline over scope, with Phase 2 items documented and scheduled post-go-live. We embedded milestone gates with sign-off requirements. This realignment helped ensure executive decisions drove focus and clarity.
2. Reset Executive Engagement
Previously, the project lacked senior visibility. We launched a four-week cadence for steering committee sessions with strategic decision tracking, outcome-based planning, and sponsor communication plans. Leaders began owning the narrative and setting the pace.
3. Address Healthcare-Specific Risks
We encountered HIPAA compliance constraints, SaaS billing logic, and a layered system architecture (Salesforce, Mulesoft, legacy AX). Executive oversight helped resolve cross-platform ownership and funded necessary adjustments to protect compliance and ensure readiness.
4. Enforce Clear Ownership and Accountability
Each environment (gold, sandbox, test, prod, data migration) had defined owners. Enhancements were approved with full sponsor visibility. Sign-off became a leadership exercise—not a project afterthought.
Key Takeaway
Executive engagement isn’t optional in rescue work, it’s foundational. For healthcare leaders, strategy alignment and stakeholder visibility ensure priorities are clear, risks are mitigated, and success becomes measurable.
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Keep on reading, Blog 2: Project Management Discipline in Healthcare ERP Rescue Projects.
