Enterprise resource planning
Enterprise Resource Planning systems (ERPs) integrate (or attempt to integrate)
all data and processes of an organization into a unified system. A typical ERP
system will use multiple components of computer software and hardware to achieve
the integration. A key ingredient of most ERP systems is the use of a unified
database to store data for the various system modules.
The term ERP originally implied systems designed to plan the use of
enterprise-wide resources. Although the acronym ERP originated in the
manufacturing environment, today's use of the term ERP systems has much broader
scope. ERP systems typically attempt to cover all basic functions of an
organization, regardless of the organization's business or charter. Business,
non-profit organizations, non governmental organizations, governments, and other
large entities utilize ERP systems.
Additionally, it may be noted that to be considered an ERP system, a software
package generally would only need to provide functionality in a single package
that would normally be covered by two or more systems. Technically, a software
package that provides both payroll and accounting functions would be considered
an ERP software package.
However, the term is typically reserved for larger, more broadly based
applications. The introduction of an ERP system to replace two or more
independent applications eliminates the need for external interfaces previously
required between systems, and provides additional benefits that range from
standardization and lower maintenance (one system instead of two or more) to
easier and/or greater reporting capabilities (as all data is typically kept in
one database).
Examples of modules in an ERP which formerly would have been stand-alone
applications include: Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Financials, Customer
Relationship Management (CRM), Human Resources, and Warehouse Management.
SSA Enterprise Resource Planning
SSA Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is what you need to automate, plan,
collaborate, and execute according to your specific business requirements. It is
designed for a wide range of manufacturing industries and used by more companies
to actually manufacture products than any other ERP system. Its modern, flexible
architecture and Web-based user interfaces deliver competitive advantage, while
its superior functionality enables you to automate key business processes, meet
changing demands, and collaborate internally between departments and externally
across your supply chain. Integration with SSA Leanware facilitates the
transition from traditional to lean manufacturing.
SSA ERP helps companies like yours
Evaluating enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems using an interpretive
approach
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems may be defined as the
implementation of standard software modules for core business processes, usually
combined with customization for competitive differentiation. The aim is to
provide breadth of integration and depth of functionality across
multi-functional and often multi-national organizations. However, current
research has shown that there has been a notable decrease in the satisfaction
levels of ERP implementations over the period 1998-2000. The environment in
which such software is selected, implemented andused may be viewed as a social
activity system, which consists of a variety ofstakeholders e.g.users,
developers, managers, suppliers and consultants. In such a context, an
interpretive research approach is appropriate in order to understand the
influences at work. This paper reports on an interpretive study that attempts to
understand the reasons for this apparent lack ofsuccess by analyzing issues
raised by representatives of key stakeholder groups. Conclusions are drawn on a
wide range of organizational, management, cultural and political issues that
provide guidance in managing such large-scale, complex business projects. These
conclusions have led theauthors to review the area of critical success factors (CSFs)
for IS projects and to identify those peculiar to ERP projects
The enterprise resource planning (ERP) software
The enterprise resource planning (ERP) software market has been growing at a
very fast pace over the last few years and has been predicted to keep growing
rapidly in the long term. This has led to an abundance of media reports on the
subject of ERP and to managers wondering whether their companies should
implement ERP systems. In order to separate the reality of the ERP phenomenon
from the hype that surrounds it, we studied 14 ERP implementation projects in
Irish organizations and focused on the key relationships between organizations
which attempt to implement ERP systems and their implementing partners. We found
that the ERP implementations that are going on in Ireland at the moment are
different to the projects that have been reported elsewhere in two key respects.
Firstly, the organizations interested in ERP software are, on average, far
smaller than the case studies reported in the literature and the majority of the
cases we reviewed were small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Secondly, the
durations of implementation were far shorter than reported elsewhere. These
results are not surprising if one considers the smaller average size of Irish
organizations, but they indicate that the ERP movement is truly ready for an
extension towards the SME market. They also indicate that the duration of the
implementation of ERP software may be related to the size and complexity of the
client organization and that SMEs can expect to have an easier time implementing
ERPs than the current literature suggests. We also found that software
implementers play a key role, not only in technical terms, but also in
managerial and political terms, because they can help their clients in
correcting their expectations and perceptions of ERP systems and ERP
implementations
The impact of critical success factors across the stages of enterprise
resource planning implementations
The paper describes the impact of critical success factors (CSFs) across the
stages of enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementations using the responses
from 86 organizations that completed or are in the process of completing an ERP
implementation. Our results provide advice to management on how best to utilize
their limited resources to choose those CSFs that are most likely to have an
impact upon the implementation of the ERP system.
Resource Planning (ERP)
Now that Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) has shown itself to be a source
of significant business value, many organizations are looking to extract even
more from their existing ERP systems. Shifts in corporate structure and new
compliance requirements are driving the need for improved access to information,
process clarity and cost savings.
In order to realize greater return on investment (ROI) in ERP systems, ERP
applications need to be tailored to more effectively support adaptive business
processes and help drive growth.
Different Capabilities, According to Your Need
BearingPoint’s Enterprise Resource Planning solutions strategically position
your technology assets to align with and adapt to your business processes,
reducing your total cost of ownership and improving responsiveness, quality and
ROI.
Our global methodology, along with the offshore capabilities available through
our Global Development Centers, can deliver ERP installations and upgrades that
reflect our industry-leading knowledge and industry-hardened experience.
Our experience with service-oriented architecture (SOA) and business process
management can help accelerate the creation of agile, flexible systems to better
address today’s marketplace and operational demands.
Whether you’re implementing a new ERP system or upgrading an existing one,
BearingPoint can help you:
Unite people, process and strategy
Create flexible technology solutions
Deploy timely and accurate information across the enterprise
Get Greater Value from Your ERP Initiatives
BearingPoint’s ERP solutions can help you gain:
Greater operational efficiency — We work with you to achieve process innovations
that facilitate greater integration and focus organizational attention on
prioritized demands.
Faster Time to Benefit — Our industry-leading, industry-tailored application
assets speed our time of delivery and reduce project risk to get your process
and system up and running faster.
Improved business responsiveness — With agile IT architecture, applications can
respond faster and more effectively to changes in business process coming within
the organization or from the marketplace.
Reduced IT expenditures — Effective reuse of IT assets helps realize sustainable
cost reductions from your IT function and makes resources available to deploy
toward growth initiatives.
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