Effect of Change Management on the Success of Enterprise Resource Planning Projects in Nigerian Universities

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system implementation represents a complex organizational transformation that frequently fails when change management is neglected. This study examines the effect of change management on the success of ERP projects in Nigerian federal universities. A cross-sectional survey will recruit 180 IT directors, project managers, ERP administrators, and end users from six federal universities that have implemented or are implementing ERP systems, drawn from the South West, South East, North Central, South South, North West, and North East geopolitical zones. The Prosci ADKAR model will frame change management assessment across awareness, desire, knowledge, ability, and reinforcement dimensions. ERP project success will be measured using user adoption rates, system utilization, and business process improvement scores. Multiple regression analysis will identify which change management components most strongly predict success. Nigerian university ERP implementations have historically suffered from poor user adoption and project abandonment attributed to inadequate organizational change preparation. Findings will guide university management and IT departments in designing future ERP rollouts. Keywords: change management, ERP implementation, Nigerian universities, ADKAR, project success