One of the biggest lessons I've learned over the years is that organizations invest significant effort in onboarding customers and trading partners but often underestimate the importance of onboarding their own project teams. During a recent international integration programme, I experienced firsthand how important this can be.

The Missing Onboarding Process

I joined the programme because of my experience with a specific integration platform and my background in trading partner onboarding. Due to changing priorities and resource constraints, I quickly found myself supporting other parts of the programme. As a result, the formal onboarding process never really happened.

Understanding the programme, its standards, governance structure and existing methodology became an exercise in self-study rather than structured knowledge transfer. Experienced consultants adapt. They ask questions, review documentation and find ways to add value. However, this inevitably takes more time than necessary.

Technology Wasn't the Problem

At the same time, another challenge emerged that I have encountered in many integration projects.

The technology itself was not the bottleneck.

Business processes were still evolving, product cross-references had not been agreed, and the scope of the message exchanges kept changing. As a result, detailed technical specifications became a moving target. Without clear business decisions, technical implementation becomes difficult, regardless of the technology being used.

What Really Causes Delays?

A later internal review confirmed something I have seen throughout my career. Many project challenges had little to do with technology. Common causes included:

• Resources not aligned with the work that best matched their skills.
• Constantly shifting priorities.
• Limited decision-making authority.
• Growing backlogs that made it difficult to focus on delivery.
• Insufficient knowledge transfer between teams.

These factors often have a much greater impact on project success than the choice of integration platform itself.

Key Lessons Learned

Successful integration programmes require more than good technology. In my experience, the foundations for success are:

• Clear business ownership.
• Well-defined processes.
• Effective onboarding of both trading partners and project teams.
• Strong governance and decision-making.
• Alignment between resources and project objectives.

When these foundations are in place, technology becomes an enabler rather than an obstacle.

How Enosym Helps

At Enosym, we regularly support organizations that are facing these challenges. Successful integration programmes require more than selecting the right technology. They depend on the right combination of strategy, execution and expertise. We help organizations with:

• ‍Strategic Advisory: Roadmaps, software selection, architecture and digital supply chain strategy.
• ‍Implementation & Project Support: Project management, migrations, implementations and optimization of integration solutions.
• ‍Specialist Consultants: Experienced professionals available for EDI, e-invoicing, B2B integration and data management projects.