Every type of business must execute effectively and move from a physical and information reality of weeks and days to minutes and seconds. The smart enterprise builds intelligence gathering in near real time, taking full advantage of faster operations. Consultants, executives, project leaders, software suppliers all play games that introduce unnecessary variables into a complex process. We share our experience of forty-five years because it will help businesses to succeed. Some stories are enlightening, but not funny because companies, their employees, and ownership paid the price. Ignorance is not bliss, excusable or acceptable. Discover the truth - think beyond the obvious and overcome ignorance with education and training. Major project pitfalls are assumptions, bias, and fixation. "The leaders who win with ERP perform extraordinary due diligence before selecting the software, the leader who loses does incomplete due diligence. Therefore, superior due diligence leads to victory and poor homework leads to defeat: how much worse with no due diligence. It is by attention to this activity that one can foresee who is likely to win or lose." Paraphrase Sun Tzu, The Art of War, speaking about planning and calculation. ERP projects are complex, involving strategies, internal assessments, evaluation of multiple alternatives, and making critical business decisions. They require assigning high performers to project teams, taking them away from important daily activities. ERP systems are so expensive that failure is not an option. Evidence based decisions and a structured process lead to successful results.