Post-Traumatic Ariba Implementation Disorder (PTAID)

A satirical professional article from the grey zone between IT, humor, and self-help. Any resemblance to real implementations is, of course, entirely intentional.

If your Purchasing Department suddenly reverts to using Excel after Ariba goes live, you're not alone!

What feels like resistance is actually a disorder. We call it:
Post-traumatic Ariba-Implementation Disorder (PTAID). PTAID is a severely underdiagnosed disorder that affects even previously perfectly healthy procurement organizations – usually immediately after what project management persistently refers to as a “successful go-live.”t.

Typical Triggers include:

Templates the length of a red carpet
„Best Practices“ from a parallel universe in which time, logic and end users are irrelevant
and the sudden realization that ordering a pen now requires more master data than buying a production line required in 1998.

How do you recognize this disease?

Symptoms and Clinical Presentation

1. Intrusive Thoughts

The near-death experience known as “Ariba Go-Live” was so intense that affected buyers repeatedly relive the trauma in their thoughts. The memory simply refuses to fade.

Individual Ariba functionalities can also act as triggers, disappointing expectations in such innovative ways that executing the corresponding transaction carries an immediate risk of emotional breakdown.

2. Hyperarousal

People suffering from PTAID live in a state of constant alertness combined with chronic exhaustion. Patients report that five clicks often feel like three working days. Sleep quality is poor – even during office hours. Panic or aggressive reactions are common when exposed to Ariba-related stimuli, including spontaneous flashbacks triggered by merely mentioning words like “Ariba,” “workflow,” or “mandatory field.” - A typical disease progression is the unstoppable transition from occasional frustration to freely flowing, permanent irritation.

3. Avoidance Behavior

Affected individuals avoid computers (“ordering phobia,” “click anxiety”), places, and people associated with Ariba. In severe cases, repression of the traumatic experience leads to a complete lack of memory regarding certain Ariba processes. Experts refer to this phenomenon as “training-resistant amnesia.”

Another frequent symptom is the emergence of Excel shadow processes as a form of emotional self-defense. These provide short-term comfort and a sense of safety but quickly develop addictive characteristics, resulting in long-term damage that is difficult to predict.

4. Negative Thoughts

Many patients blame themselves and repeatedly ask:
“How could we have prevented this?”

This often leads to depression, guilt, and anxiety disorders. Repeated re-traumatization – for example through upgrades or release changes – significantly worsens the prognosis.

Have you observed one or more of these symptoms in your staff?

Then you should confidentially contact Dr. Rudi’s Ariba Clinik. We specialize in patients with chronic and acute Ariba implementation disorders.

Our highly professional Network of experienced Ariba therapists offers both outpatient („remote“) and inpatient („on-site“) system therapies.

Even complex problems that have existed for years respond surprisingly well to our customized treatment plans. Many patients report after just a few sessions that their system finally feels like a tool again - not an enemy.

contact@ariba-improvements.com

How the treatment works:

Free initial consultation

We listen carefully to where it hurts most

Professional Diagnosis

Our experts provide a clear assessment of how and why your issues can be resolved

(therapy proposal without PowerPoint anesthesia)

Voluntary treatment decision

Only then do you decide whether you want to continue.
We force no one into therapy.
We’re not an implementation.

Try us.
You have nothing to lose.

Except unnecessary approval steps, absurd processes, and chronic procurement frustration.

Describe your problem per email. We get back to you with a free initial assessment!

contact@ariba-improvements.com