Why 75% of Construction Software Implementations Fail | Emanuel Falaguerra

WIP problems, failed ERP implementations, the gap between PM and accounting — Emanuel Falaguerra has spent 30 years watching construction companies blame software for what's really a process problem. In this episode of Finance at the Jobsite, host Rishi Srivastava digs into why 55–75% of construction software implementations still miss their objectives, what a high-functioning WIP process actually looks like, and what AI is about to do to companies that haven't fixed their process first.
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🎙️ ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Emanuel Falaguerra has implemented construction ERP and accounting systems for over three decades. His core argument: the industry keeps shopping for features instead of designing process — and that's why so much software spend never lands.
Rishi and Emanuel cover:
▸ Why construction lags every industry except agriculture in tech adoption
▸ How private equity-owned software vendors stopped innovating
▸ Why "Sage 100 to Acumatica" migrations are a six-month nightmare
▸ The "innocent" way silos start (a PM downloading a toolbox-talk app)
▸ Why PMs and accountants live with two different versions of the truth
▸ What CFOs really pay for a failed implementation
▸ WIP as "the one report to rule them all"
▸ Where WIP actually breaks — data, process, or ownership
▸ What a high-functioning WIP meeting looks like in practice
▸ Why the 20–80% window of a job is where you can still affect the outcome
▸ Emanuel's new WIP software product (launching next month)
▸ Whether AI in 3–5 years will help construction — or just amplify the mess
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⏱️ CHAPTERS
00:00 Cold open & intro
00:42 Meet Emanuel — 20+ years in construction tech
01:00 What hasn't changed despite all the new software
01:48 Is construction more efficient — or just more complex?
02:49 Why Emanuel stayed in construction
03:55 Private equity, milked cows, and 1990s software
05:16 Sage 100 → Acumatica migrations are a nightmare
06:13 When sales walks away and implementation eats it
08:30 What chaos looks like inside a typical contractor
10:49 Why companies buy software but never fully implement
13:05 What most companies get wrong evaluating tech
14:32 PM vs. Accounting — two sources of truth
15:47 The real cost of failed implementation CFOs miss
18:01 WIP and financial truth
19:39 WIP — "the one report to rule them all"
19:54 Where WIP breaks: data, process, or ownership
22:24 Alignment — in software and in AI
23:01 What a high-functioning WIP process looks like
24:17 First thing to fix if your WIP is unreliable
26:12 Emanuel's WIP software product
27:17 How to actually evaluate software ROI
29:56 AI in construction finance — 3 to 5 years out
33:35 The "thousands of knobs" problem
34:28 What construction work looks like in 3–5 years
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🔥 KEY QUOTES
"WIP is not a math problem. It's an alignment problem."
"55 to 75% unsuccessful or failure rate in meeting the objectives of the system. That hasn't changed in 30 years."
"AI is there to help you amplify. For good or for bad."
"The software by itself really doesn't do anything. It's about how you design it and how you fit it into your organization."
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👤 GUEST: EMANUEL FALAGUERRA
30+ years implementing construction accounting and ERP systems. Spent the last decade focused on WIP. Currently building a new WIP product, launching next month.
🎙️ HOST: RISHI SRIVASTAVA
Host of Finance at the Jobsite. Founder of Beiing Human — AI for construction finance teams. Former Bank of America engineer.
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🔔 SUBSCRIBE for new episodes of Finance at the Jobsite every week. Conversations with construction CFOs, controllers, and operators about the real work behind the numbers.
🌐 Beiing Human: https://beinghumans.co
📨 Want to be a guest? rishi@beinghumans.co
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#ConstructionFinance #ConstructionTech #WIP #CFO #ERP #ConstructionAccounting #AIinConstruction #FinanceAtTheJobsite

Видео Why 75% of Construction Software Implementations Fail | Emanuel Falaguerra канала Beiing Human