Enterprise resource planning system implementation and success measurement : case study of a small to medium sized enterprise

摘要

It is widely believed that major financial benefits can be achieved byorganisations implementing Enterprise Resource Planning software. It is alsobelieved that such systems are a time consuming and a costly endeavour whichcan result in loss of resource and eventually failure of implementation.Furthermore not all companies have the technical competence or financialstability to take such a risk. Alternatively companies can be more modular intheir approach in implementing such solutions, adopting one module at a time:the one that suits them best according to their financial and technical situationand so gradually work towards Enterprise Resource Planning implementation. Ameasurement technique is also required to track progress, success and failureof such a process.As global trade routes become more affordable and the cost of shippingbecomes marginalised compared to the overall cost of a product there is adirect impact on Small to Medium sized enterprises as they start competing withglobal businesses and not just locally. Enterprise Resource Planning or ERP'sare one of the many tools that a company can utilise to enhance its efficiencyand become more competitive however implementing such a technology is anexpensive and risky undertaking.This thesis aims to outline the systems and technologies that a SME can utiliseto achieve such a goal using open-source software infrastructure while reducingthe expenses and risk involved. It also points out a more “one step at a time”approach to such implementations, hinting that you implement only what youcan afford in terms of time and resource and then build towards a bigger systemwhen time and cash prevails hence having a gradual improvement to the overallecosystem.The observations derived in this paper are outputs of implementation of suchtechnologies at a local SME acting as the case study. Results show thatalthough such an approach can be helpful in bringing the development costdown, continuous efforts in improving the system and on-going systems supportis required for the post-implementation phase to have a positive impact on theperformance of the company.