Implementing or replacing an ERP system is one of the largest, most disruptive investments your business will make. Done well, it transforms how you operate. Done without experienced leadership, it overruns, overspends and under-delivers — and far too many do. Some stall entirely.
I'm Matt Wood. I take client-side ownership of ERP programmes for mid-sized organisations — leading clean-start implementations and recovering programmes that have lost their way. I specialise in Sage Intacct, with particular depth in multi-entity, multi-currency and multi-country implementations.
The problem with most ERP projects
Your implementation partner knows their software. They don't carry your business outcomes — and they're not meant to. That leaves a gap exactly where the risk is highest:
- Decisions get made to suit the software, not the business
- The plan slips quietly until a deadline forces the conversation
- Your own team is asked to run the programme on top of their day jobs
- No one in the room has delivered an ERP implementation before
An ERP programme needs someone senior, experienced and independent — sitting on your side of the table. That's the role I do.
What I do
I lead your ERP programme end to end, as an extension of your leadership team:
- One point of accountability for delivery, cost and timeline
- Independent of every software vendor and implementation partner — my only interest is your result
- Hands-on management of the implementation partner, the plan, governance, risk and board reporting
- Clear, honest visibility for your board and executive sponsors — no surprises
You keep your team focused on running the business. I keep the programme on course.
Recovery work
Not every engagement starts at the beginning. Around half of the programmes I lead are ones that have already lost momentum — implementations that have stalled, scope that has drifted, or relationships with implementation partners that have broken down.
Recovery work is demanding and it requires a different set of skills to running a clean-start programme. I have done it repeatedly, and it is work I take on deliberately.
At Salute Mission Critical, I was brought in to recover a stalled EMEA Sage Intacct implementation — delivering the full platform while maintaining existing transaction flows in parallel, then leading the Intacct integration of three acquired UK and Ireland entities into the US parent group.
See how I approach recovery → (links to Services page)
Why fractional
An ERP programme rarely justifies a full-time senior hire. The work is intense in some phases and quiet in others, and it ends. A permanent appointment means paying full-time for a temporary need; a day-rate contractor means paying full-time rates whether the programme needs it that week or not.
Fractional is the sensible middle: an experienced programme leader engaged for the time your project genuinely requires — scaling up through selection, design and go-live, and down through the steadier stretches.
It works because I run programmes on a modern, AI-supported PMO. Reporting, planning, risk tracking and stakeholder updates are produced faster and to a higher standard than traditional methods allow — and that efficiency is what lets one experienced leader give your programme proper senior attention, without a full-time cost.
How I can help
- Client-side project & programme management
- Sage Intacct implementation — multi-entity, multi-currency, multi-country
- ERP software & vendor selection
- Implementation partner selection and management
- Board & executive sponsor advisory
- Project planning, governance & assurance
- Recovery of programmes that have lost their way
[ See how I work → ] (links to Methodology page)
Proven on real programmes
"Matt demonstrated all the skills needed to be a great project manager... he led the successful upgrade of our ERP system — to time, to budget, and with vastly improved functionality."— Caroline Evans, Senior Finance Executive, Co-operative Group / Somerfield
"A focused and hard-working individual... he had the right energy and understanding to drive successful outcomes, and was a great asset to the organisation throughout delivery."— Matthew Clay, Chief Digital & Technology Officer, NHBC
[ Read what clients say → ] (links to Testimonials page)
Let’s talk
If you have an ERP programme on the horizon — or one that's already causing concern — let's have a conversation. The first call is 30 minutes, free, and there's no pitch.
