The Hidden Risk: When Key Users Are Replaced Mid-Project

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2/22/20262 min read

The continuity of key users is one of the most underrated risks in project management, despite the fact that scope, budget, and timelines are frequently discussed. Even the best-laid plans can be subtly derailed by changing important users during the simulation or testing phase, especially in ERP systems and digital transformation initiatives.

Let’s explore why this matters and what leaders and cross-functional teams can do to mitigate it.

Key Users: More Than Functional Testers

Key users are essential in the early phases of a project because they help collect requirements, validate designs, and shape future-state procedures. However, during the testing and simulation stages, they play an even more crucial role as a link between system functionality and actual business activities.

They are aware of the background of informal procedures, legacy data, edge cases, and business rules that are rarely documented. Their observations guarantee that simulations represent reality rather than merely process theory.

The Mid-Project Replacement Risk

Replacing a key user at this point introduces several risks, such as:

Knowledge Loss: Valuable know-how built throughout workshops and earlier project stages is lost. New users often lack the background to validate or challenge decisions.
Reduced Accountability: A replacement user may not feel ownership over previous configurations, leading to passive participation and rubber-stamp approvals.
Slower Testing Cycles: New users must be trained not just in the system, but in project history, business flows, and testing protocols, and this process that takes time.
Increased Error Rates: Without context, critical test scenarios may be overlooked, and incorrect validations can lead to failures post-go-live.

This can trigger a cascade of rework, misalignment, or, in worst cases, failed go-live attempts.

Impacts on Business and Project Outcomes

From a business perspective, key user turnover during simulation or testing phases can:

Delay timelines and stretch the budget
Undermine business confidence in the solution
Weaken post-go-live adoption
Create misalignments between process owners and the implemented system

It’s not just a resource management issue. It’s a strategic risk to the entire transformation effort.

Mitigation Strategies That Work

Here are steps business leaders and cross-functional managers can take to minimize this risk:

Plan for Continuity: Include knowledge transfer and documentation checkpoints throughout the project.
Promote Overlap: If a key user must be replaced, ensure an overlap period for shadowing and active mentoring.
Engage Sponsors Early: Escalate potential user turnover risks to executive sponsors before transitions occur.
Recognize and Retain: Keep key users engaged with recognition, responsibility, and support from their business units.
Integrate with Governance: Treat key user continuity as a monitored risk item, not just an HR matter.

Final Thoughts: It's a Leadership Issue

While project teams are responsible for carrying out the work, business units and leadership share responsibilities for ensuring the continuation of critical users. Make sure you're not unintentionally jeopardizing the success of your own project by undervaluing important users if you're sponsoring or overseeing a cross-functional venture.

They do more than just test things. The success of your project rests on them as guardians of operational expertise.

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