Welcome to a new series of interviews – ERP and Beyond – with movers and shakers in the ERP industry. And Cory McNeley certainly fits into that category. With over 20 years of experience across industries from defence to retail, he has seen firsthand what makes ERP projects succeed or fail. As Managing Director at UHY, he now leads clients through the process of implementing and enhancing these ERP solutions for themselves.
“ERP isn’t about technology,” he explains, “it’s about enabling smarter, faster and more informed decisions.” By helping clients align processes and people with the system, Cory’s vision extends well beyond the implementation of ERP systems: he wants to create a foundation that supports growth, scalability and long-term efficiency.
It’s a perspective earned the hard way, shaped by his first experience running an ERP rollout when working as a Retail Controller, a project he candidly describes as “18 months of total chaos”. It was in that chaos that he discovered a knack for ERP and the opportunity to learn the lessons that continue to shape his approach today.
Those lessons led Cory to develop a clear perspective of what ERP can deliver when done right. At its best, he says, a well-implemented system integrates core functions across finance, operations and supply chain, offering leaders “a single source of truth, where information is accurate, almost real time and accessible”. But for all of those advantages to be felt, proper implementation and execution is key.
Cory’s journey from Retail Controller to Managing Director has given him a unique view of ERP’s challenges and potential. But to begin our conversation, we asked him to walk us through his role and experience with ERP systems over the years.
Can you tell us about your role and your experience with ERP systems?
As part of my responsibilities at UHY Consulting, I help clients modernise their business operations through complementary digital transformation initiatives, with a strong emphasis on the implementation and enhancement of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. My primary role is to guide organisations through every stage of their transformation journey, which starts with a strategic assessment, moving into system selection, leading process design, and ultimately supporting implementation and adoption.
Over the last 20+ years. I have had personal experience across several technologies, including Acumatica, Epicor, Oracle, NetSuite, and SAP. Additionally, I also supported companies in integrating complementary tools like Prophix for financial planning and performance management or advanced automation tools like Blue Prism to streamline repetitive processes. The exposure to a diverse set of tools and companies gave me the ability to not only evaluate which system would best align with a customer’s need, but also how to anticipate potential challenges they will encounter during a transformation initiative..
Aside from the technical work, I advocate for the importance of data governance, change management, and user adoption. A system is only as strong as the data, the processes, and the people using the tool. I enjoy the blending of technology expertise with a strategic consulting perspective, helping clients not only implement technology but also rethink how they manage resources, get the most out of their technology investments, and grow with confidence.
What first drew you to working with ERP solutions?
It was kind of by default. I was working as a controller for a retail company, and one day I was informed that I needed to implement a new ERP system in conjunction with a planning system, a point of sale system, and a bunch of other technologies.
In all honesty, I didn’t even know what it took to implement a system of that nature. However, I was up for the challenge because I grew up using technology and was always curious. I didn’t fully appreciate or understand the details that go into a project like this, so I embarked on it just using some guesses of what I needed to do. I came up with a project plan, started working through it, and went through 18 months of chaos.
I was under the false impression that the software rollout would be pretty easy with some configuration, not a ton of planning. But I quickly realised about a week in, that this was going to transform the entire organisation. We needed to redefine all our processes, change our approach to accounting, and redesign everything that touched the system. So, I adjusted my approach, took more of a process improvement stance, and ran the project from that perspective.
In all honesty, I thought it was probably one of the poorer projects I ever ran, but in the end, the equity group that held the company moved me to another organisation to do the exact same thing. That’s when I figured out maybe I had a niche for implementing these complex systems. I already knew best practices of coding because I liked practising it on my own, so I started to refine my approach. After several different ERP implementations, I eventually began managing and overseeing multiple implementations at the same time.
Read the full article published by TechFinitive.
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