Complexity impact factors on the integration process of ERP and non ERP systems: a basis for an evaluation instrument

This study shows an expert confirmed initial list of factors which influence the complexity of the integration process of ERP systems and non ERP systems. After a thorough search for complexity factors in scientific literature, a survey amongst 8 experts in a leading European long special steel products company, which was recently composed out of independent international companies, was conducted. The participants confirmed the retrieved list from literature, consisting of 5 quantitative and 21 qualitative factors. The participants added one extra qualitative factor and scored the importance of all factors. Three quantitative factors, i.e. a technology, a business and a project factor, scored highest. When dealing with integration issues, this initial list of factors can provide awareness for organizations to support activities such as planning, control and risk management

Understanding complexity of ERP implementations::Exploration of three complexity research approaches,

Implementing enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems (in this thesis referred to as ERP implementation) is considered to be a complex matter. ERP implementation is considered complex because, in most cases, it affects many parts of an organisation. Also, the costs of software, hardware, maintenance and particularly the implementation process itself are high and risky for an organisation. Therefore, research in ERP implementation is focused on providing practice with useful insights and tools for better cost and risk handling. ERP implementations are executed for over 20 years. Unfortunately, neither science nor practice has produced sufficient tools, guidelines and methods for proper management and control of ERP implementations. After 20 years, research and practice still consider ERP implementation a complex matter. Through our research, we intend to approach this complexity of ERP implementation from a new perspective. A perspective which takes the mere construct ‘complexity’ as a starting point. We studied ERP implementation complexity as a construct in the context of complexity research and asked ourselves how the complexity of ERP implementations can best be explored

An Enterprise Layer Based Approach to Application Service Integration

Today many companies rely on third party applications and application services for (part of) their information systems. When applications from different parties are used together, an integration problem raises. In this paper we describe an integration approach based on the construction of an enterprise layer. This approach is deliberately kept away from a document based, flow-oriented approach were business processes are hard coded into the application architecture. Interaction is based on the concurrent update of a shared underlying enterprise layer. At the same time, the application architecture becomes easily adaptable to re-engineered business processes

An enterprise layer based approach to application service integration. special issue on 'Process outsourcing & application service providers'

Today many companies rely on third party applications and application services for (part of) their information systems. When applications from different parties are used together, an integration problem raises. In this paper we describe an integration approach based on the construction of an enterprise layer. This approach is deliberately kept away from a document based, flow-oriented approach where business processes are hard coded into the application architecture. Interaction is based on the concurrent update of a shared underlying enterprise layer. At the same time, the application architecture becomes easily adaptable to re-engineered business processes.status: publishe