A method for improving ERP implementation success by the principles and process of user-centred design

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are implemented to increase the productivity and operational efficiency of companies. However, the implementation activities and changes within operational processes pose a temporary threat to productivity. Reported difficulties in implementation projects frequently relate to organisational and human-centred issues; like the ability and motivation of the organisation to accept the new ERP system. User-centred design (UCD) is a multidisciplinary process that aims at improving human working conditions by early user involvement in the system design, e.g. user observation or usability testing. UCD was originally developed for the design of interactive computer systems. The underlying question for this research is how the principles and process of UCD can be applied to ensure the usability of an ERP system. This article presents: first, a literature review of ERP implementations; second, a literature review of UCD applications; third, a method to combine the UCD and ERP system implementation processes; and finally a discussion of the UCD approach for ERP implementation.     

MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS: ERP VERSUS BOB

The purpose of this study is to compare the use of enterprise resource planning (ERP) and best of breed (BoB) standalone systems in practice. The data for the study were collected through a postal questionnaire in 300 large and middle-sized industrial units in Finland. The questionnaire addressed questions concerning IS implementation (why, how and by whom the IS project was introduced), management accounting function, and the use of advanced management accounting techniques. The results obtained indicate that financial departments have been more interested in traditional BoB systems, while other departments have concentrated more on ERP solutions. Further, as the articulated motives behind the IS project were strategic, and moreover technical in nature, the solution in most cases was ERP, while in the cases where motives were either strategic or technical, the choice was BoB. Otherwise, there were no statistically significant differences between the groups of BoB or ERP adopters, and the problems perceived in management accounting or the adoption of advanced management accounting techniques (e.g. ABC, ABM and BSC).     

Risk assessment for enterprise resource planning (ERP) system implementations: a fault tree analysis approach

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) system implementations are often characterised with large capital outlay, long implementation duration, and high risk of failure. In order to avoid ERP implementation failure and realise the benefits of the system, sound risk management is the key. This paper proposes a probabilistic risk assessment approach for ERP system implementation projects based on fault tree analysis, which models the relationship between ERP system components and specific risk factors. Unlike traditional risk management approaches that have been mostly focused on meeting project budget and schedule objectives, the proposed approach intends to address the risks that may cause ERP system usage failure. The approach can be used to identify the root causes of ERP system implementation usage failure and quantify the impact of critical component failures or critical risk events in the implementation process.     

基于项目管理的ERP系统实施

为降低企业在ERP系统实施过程中的风险,文章从项目管理的角度对ERP系统的实施进行分析,围绕ERP系统实施的项目生命期从ERP系统项目准备、ERP系统项目评估以及ERP系统实施的3个步骤展开论述,阐明了基于项目管理的ERP系统实施的特点。     

中小企业ERP实施的建议与对策

为了适应我国加入WTO和经济全球化、管理信息化发展趋势的要求,广大中小企业必须建立高效、动态的快速反应系统,而实施ERP是中小企业的必然选择,也是提升广大中小企业竞争力的利器和手段。文章深入分析广大中小企业实施ERP面临的问题,并针对这些问题提出相应解决办法及建议。     

我国中小企业实施ERP的问题及解决方法

中国加入WTO之后，企业的竞争环境发生了根本的变化，全球化、信息化、过剩的经济时代的到来，要求企业必须建立高效、动态的快速反应系统，信息化是企业的必然选择，也是提升企业竞争力的利器和手段。近年来，ERP市场如火如茶，许多企业已购买并使用ERP产品，但企业实施ERP难点多、矛盾多、不可控因素多，实施ERP并获得成功的企业甚少。本文针对当前我国中小企业实施ERP中存在问题进行了深入分析，存在的问题主要有企业的高层对实施ERP的目标不明确；错误地把上马ERP当作万能工具；企业基础管理薄弱，普遍存在无法可依、有法不依的现象：缺乏相应的ERP实施人才。并针对这些问题提出了相应解决办法，实施企业必须明确ERP项目实施的目标并制定实施项目的总目标、分目标与分阶段目标；考察和选择ERP厂商；必须有一批精通ERP管理思想、掌握软件技术，同时又有在中国环境下组织实施ERP项目经验的实施顾问队伍：重视培训，并贯穿始终：ERP实施阶段需要领导强有力推进和各方协调。     

成功实话ERP项目细节问题探讨

本文阐述了ERP信息管理系统在制造业实施过程中遇到的普遍性难题，分析ERP使用人员的感觉周期并提出了可量化的解决方案，对实施中各个环节容易忽略细节问题给出了说明．     

Business Strategy at the Base of the Pyramid

The design and implementation of base of the pyramid (BoP) solutions or products require multinational companies to make adjustments to their business strategies and processes. While this strategic opportunity has been argued for in BoP related publications, a 'traditional' strategic management perspective has not been applied. This paper aims towards using the strategic management process as an analytic framework for case studies at the BoP, allowing analysis of which aspects are particularly critical for achieving respective solutions. This includes reaching sustainability related objectives. A total of seven cases covering both products and services have been researched, allowing a contribution towards the applicability of strategic management in respective situations. Further, the importance of specific strategy process elements is assessed. While it seems obvious that strategic management thought can be applied, the analytic criteria put forward (i.e. company, initial need, motivation, external analysis, stakeholder, product/service, strategic choice, organizational implementation, supply chain, economic outcome, effects on sustainable development) are particularly geared towards the BoP solutions. While previous literature centres on analysing needs, the case based research provides the insight that aspects of internal organization, supply chain management and sustainability outcomes are of equal importance. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.     

企业信息化与ERP

应用企业资源计划 (EnterpriseResourcePlanning,ERP) ,最终目的是重新整合业务流程 ,快速响应市场,从而提高企业竞争力。尽管有一些如海尔集团那样成功应用ERP的事例 ,但ERP系统的实施充满了挑战与风险 ,大多数企业的ERP系统建设是投入巨额资金却收效甚微。作者认为 ,ERP系统成功的关键不仅仅在于企业信息化建设 ,而更重要的在于管理信息化建设。     

ERP实施前企业能力评估模型及方法研究

企业在实施企业资源计划（ERP）前对自身实施能力认识不足是导致项目实施失败的重要原因之一。本文从企业ERP立项决策前的视角出发,以企业能力理论为基础,借鉴ERP实施关键成功因素的研究成果,构建了企业ERP事前实施能力五维评估模型,提出了ERP实施能力评估指标体系,运用层次模糊综合评价法（AHP—FCE法）对实施能力进行综合评价。最后,通过案例验证了评估模型、指标体系和评价方法的有效性。本研究对于企业ERP实施能力自评估,提升ERP实施成功率具有重要指导意义。     

Implementing Lean in aerospace—challenging the assumptions and understanding the challenges

Lean manufacturing appears to hold considerable promise for addressing a range of simultaneous, competitive demands including high levels of process and product quality, low cost and reductions in lead times. These requirements have been recognised within the aerospace sector and efforts are now well established to implement Lean practices. Lean manufacturing was initiated within the automotive sector. However, since the publication of the influential book, The Machine That Changed the World (Womack et al., 1990) there has been a range of documented cases of Lean implementation in a variety of sectors. Despite this evidence, the perception remains that Lean manufacturing is to some degree, an ‘automotive idea’ and difficult to transfer to other sectors especially when there are major differences between them. In this paper we discuss the key drivers for Lean in aerospace and examine the assumption that cross-sector transfer may be difficult. A Lean implementation case comparison examines how difficulties that arise may have more to do with individual plant context and management than with sector specific factors.     

西安房地产企业ERP实施绩效评价

房地产企业在实施ERP后其应用效果能否达到预期目标,已经成为学术界和企业界关注的热点问题。本文针对西安市房地产企业ERP应用实际,首先构建了房地产企业ERP实施绩效评价体系,在此基础上设计BP神经网络模型。通过这种方式计算出各房地产企业ERP实施绩效值,企业可以在此基础上制定有针对性的ERP实施效果持续改善策略。     

Shared leadership in enterprise resource planning and human resource management system implementation

Human resource management systems (HRMS) integrate human resource processes and an organization's information systems. An HRMS frequently represents one of the modules of an enterprise resource planning system (ERP). ERPs are information systems that manage the business and consist of integrated software applications such customer relations and supply chain management, manufacturing, finance and human resources. ERP implementation projects frequently have high failure rates; although research has investigated a number of factors for success and failure rates, limited attention has been directed toward the implementation teams, and how to make these more effective. In this paper we argue that shared leadership represents an appropriate approach to improving the functioning of ERP implementation teams. Shared leadership represents a form of team leadership where the team members, rather than only a single team leader, engage in leadership behaviors. While shared leadership has received increased research attention during the past decade, it has not been applied to ERP implementation teams and therefore that is the purpose of this article. Toward this end, we describe issues related to ERP and HRMS implementation, teams, and the concept of shared leadership, review theoretical and empirical literature, present an integrative framework, and describe the application of shared leadership to ERP and HRMS implementation.     

An empirical identification and categorisation of training best practices for ERP implementation projects

Although training is one of the most cited critical success factors in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems implementations, few empirical studies have attempted to examine the characteristics of management of the training process within ERP implementation projects. Based on the data gathered from a sample of 158 respondents across four stakeholder groups involved in ERP implementation projects, and using a mixed method design, we have assembled a derived set of training best practices. Results suggest that the categorised list of ERP training best practices can be used to better understand training activities in ERP implementation projects. Furthermore, the results reveal that the company size and location have an impact on the relevance of training best practices. This empirical study also highlights the need to investigate the role of informal workplace trainers in ERP training activities.     

ERP远程接入实现技术应用案例研究

随着公司业务的发展,不同地区间分支机构的远程办公和移动办公需求激增,ERP软件遭遇远程接入应用需求的新难题。本文以浙江某投资集团公司为例,阐述了ERP远程接入Citrix解决方案的应用过程和实施效果,为企业利用基于服务器的计算技术解决ERP软件远程接入难题提供了经验。     

从MRP-Ⅱ到ERP,中国企业物流信息化的发展

在对中国实施MRPⅡ、ERP系统状况回顾的基础上,总结了ERP实施中的相关问题,得出"最先进的系统不一定是最合理的"结论,试图通过全面总结我国企业实施ERP的经验,为ERP的成功实施提供借鉴,寻求ERP实施的合理途径。     

Factors affecting post-implementation success of enterprise resource planning systems: a perspective of business process performance

ABSTRACT

The study investigates critical factors which are important to evaluate enterprise resource planning (ERP) in the post-implementation stage. A conceptual framework is proposed with a set of relevant hypotheses and a structural equation modeling is used to analyze the survey data using Smart-PLS package program. The results illustrate that post-implementation success factors are significant for assessing an overall impact of ERP post-implementation. Likewise, the possibility of business process performance is higher in a condition of when the systems are employed in a coordinated way. The findings may assist ERP professionals and developers in other countries for ERP implementation in future.     

改进的TOPSIS法在ERP软件选型中的应用

ERP软件选型是企业在实施ERP过程中的重要内容。文章通过对ERP软件选型的影响因素分析,建立了ERP软件选型评价指标体系,并尝试利用逼近理想解的排序法(TOPSIS法)进行评价。由于人们对ERP软件选型的认识处于一种灰色的状态,故在求解过程中用灰色关联度来确定各指标的权重,以使得ERP软件选型更客观合理。     

Thank you to Reviewers 2014

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, such as SAP, have become widely used in recent years, especially in large companies. Although a considerable amount has been written about them in the professional accounting and computing literature, somewhat surprisingly comparatively little attention has been given to them in accounting research journals. However, the field studies which are beginning to appear suggest that ERP systems are having only a relatively moderate impact on the character of management accounting and the work of management accountants. However, it is argued in this paper that as such studies adopt a relatively 'static' approach, they do not explore the processes of management accounting change or study how opportunities are opened up by the implementation of ERP systems. The paper reports a longitudinal case study of the implementation of SAP in the European division of a large US multinational, in which management accounting change is viewed as an evolutionary process. In this case, although there were no fundamental changes in the nature of the management accounting information used following the implementation of SAP, there were changes in the role of management accountants - in particular: (i) the elimination of routine jobs; (ii) line managers with accounting knowledge; (iii) more forward-looking information; and (iv) a wider role for the management accountants. However, it is not claimed that SAP was the driver of these changes; rather it is argued that the characteristics of SAP (specifically, its integration, standardization, routinization and centralization) opened up certain opportunities and facilitated changes which were already taking place within the company. The paper ends with a call for further longitudinal case studies of the implementation of ERP systems to study how these characteristics facilitate and reinforce processes of management accounting change in other companies.