more on success...

There is certainly evidence that many of these benefits can be realized without contract management software – that they result from the process definition itself. However, this argument could be applied to many areas of software implementation, including ERP. The key question is whether process definition will ever occur without the discipline of the software implementation, and also whether its benefits are sustainable without the controls and data capture that the software enables. The available evidence suggests that this is not the case.5
Recent research has illustrated the challenge that many early adopters have faced, when even successful projects have been constrained by their inability to achieve enterprise-wide benefits. Many initiatives fail to establish internal consensus and either die, or result in limited scope implementations. Projects are often narrowly defined, either in terms of the process areas they cover, or the functional or geographic range of activities. This is typically because of the limited authority of the project sponsor, directly reflecting the absence of overall process definition and ownership.
Even now, it is relatively hard to point to a true ‘enterprise wide’ implementation on a global scale, covering the entire contracts portfolio. Since most executives and their Boards would accept that contracts are one of the key assets and drivers of organizational performance, it is remarkable that they are so relaxed about their quality, accessibility, maintenance and control. Because they have never had detailed visibility of commitments or performance at a portfolio level, they cannot imagine what such visibility might enable in terms of organizational performance and success.
The results of this survey suggest that change is starting to occur – though in most cases not because of any grand vision, but due to more mundane issues of workload management, regulatory compliance and control