Lessons from 1,000+ Reviews on Software Implementation Success

Bonnie Tinder is the founder and CEO of Raven Intelligence, an
independent B2B peer review site that amplifies the voice of the
customer. She focuses on software customers, consulting partners,
and software vendors and helps identify the best partners for
their needs. In this episode, Bonnie shares seven hard-earned
lessons from over 1,000 customer reviews, covering everything
from data migration and partner selection to change management,
over-customization, and planning beyond go-live.


Episode 54 | Avoiding Project Pitfalls


The Big Themes:



Choose Your Partner Strategically, Not
Cheaply: Raven Intelligence data reveals customers who
chose systems integrators (SIs) based on price often ended up
spending weeks onboarding the partner—because they lacked
industry expertise. Others defaulted to familiar names or
existing vendor relationships without assessing fit. A
well-matched SI should offer deep, relevant experience—not just
a good rate.


Over-Customization Leads to Long-Term Pain:
One of the most common regrets customers share with Raven
Intelligence is excessive customization. While it’s tempting to
rebuild old workflows in new systems for comfort or continuity,
Bonnie Tinder warns this strategy almost always backfires. One
company customized so heavily that their upgrade a year later
cost nearly as much as the original implementation.


Clarity on Requirements Prevents Costly
Detours: Poorly defined requirements derail even
well-staffed projects. A client lost three months mid-project
because two departments had opposing expectations for payroll
reporting. Before implementation, all stakeholders—from
executives to end-users—must agree on goals, deliverables, and
boundaries.



The Big Quote: “Vendors and SIs are really good at presenting the
highlights reel during the sales process. What customers really
need to be successful is the actual game footage."


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