A Novel Approach of Implementing ERP at a Biotech Startup

摘要

Enterprise Resource Planning System (ERP) has been implemented in all the largest US corporations. However the perceived value and the affordability of such a system for small companies are not commonly understood. In this paper we describe our experience in implementing an integrated ERP system at Aviva Biosciences, a biotech startup that delivers a biochip product with twenty employees. The initial driving force for implementing the ERP at Aviva Biosciences was based on investor's request to gain an insight into the financial accountability of the operation. We developed an innovative ERP implementation strategy built on successful experience gained at a Fortune 200 company customized for the limited resources at Aviva Biosciences. The CEO and process owners of Aviva Biosciences participated in a two-day ERP implementation Jump Start Workshop in which the ERP requirement and the implementation work process were established and concurred on. The Workshop was led by an experienced external consultant. The implementation was completed in two months as scheduled within the allocated budget. The payback for implementing this integrated ERP system at Aviva Biosciences is estimated to be less than a year. The major benefit is that besides financial transparency for the investors the appropriately tailored ERP will provide management with a potent tool to exercise focus in a highly entrepreneurial environment of a typical startup company.