3,385 research outputs found

    Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Implementation in Pakistani Enterprises: Critical Success Factors and Challenges

    Get PDF
    ERP systems are the backbone of global supply chain, while their success and failure determines the fate of the business. With enormous competition and ever increasing challenges in boundless trading, the IT linkages and E-Business involve extensive customization. There are many researches on the implementation facilitators and barriers in all types of organizations throughout the world but limited literature can be found in work specific to Pakistan. This study brings out the critical factors that drive a successful ERP system in Pakistan and also discusses the pitfalls to be avoided in order to prevent a disaster. Through this study, the critical success factors and the main challenges for implementation of ERP in Pakistani organizations have been recognized. In this way, suggested to localize for ERP implementation in Pakistani organizations

    Achieving enterprise integration through software customization: part I - evidence from the field

    Get PDF
    Achieving business and IT integration is strategic goal for many organisations – it has almost become the ‘Holy Grail’ of organisational success. In this environment Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) packages have become the defacto option for addressing this issue. Integration has come to mean adopting ERP, through configuration and without customization, but this all or nothing approach has proved difficult for many organisations. In part 1 of a 2 part update we provide evidence from the field that suggests that whilst costly, if managed appropriately, customization can have value in aiding organisational integration efforts. In part 2, we discuss in more detail the benefits and pitfalls involved in enacting a non-standard based integration strategy

    Organizational energy: A behavioral analysis of human and organizational factors in manufacturing

    Get PDF
    This paper seeks to explore the behavior and embodied energy involved in the decision-making of information technology/information systems (IT/IS) investments using a case within a small- to medium-sized manufacturing firm. By analyzing decision making within a given case context, this paper describes the nature of the investment through the lens of behavioral economics, causality, input-output (IO) equilibrium, and the general notion of depletion of executive energy function. To explore the interplay between these elements, the authors structure the case context via a morphological field in order to construct a fuzzy cognitive map of decision-making relationships relating to the multidimensional and nonquantifiable problems of IT/IS investment evaluation. Noting the significance of inputs and outputs relating to the investment decision within the case, the authors assess these cognitive interrelationships through the lens of the Leontief IO energy equilibrium model. Subsequently, the authors suggest, through an embodied energy audit, that all such management decisions are susceptible to decision fatigue (so-called 'ego depletion'). The findings of this paper highlight pertinent cognitive and IO paths of the investment decision-making process that will allow others making similar types of investments to learn from and draw parallels from such processes

    EXPLORING THE ERP PRE-IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS IN A SMALL-AND-MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISE: A CASE STUDY OF A NORWEGIAN RETAIL COMPANY

    Get PDF
    This study examines the ERP pre-implementation process in a Small-and-Medium-Sized Enterprise (SME), and identifies critical issues in this process. The ERP pre-implementation phase comprises issues of selecting ERP software, vendors, and consultant. It is a critical process especially for SMEs which normally have limited resources and IT competencies. Interesting findings from this study demonstrate that ERP pre-implementation in a SME is a demanding process which required a high level of knowledge and competencies about the system, and tough negotiation processes between project leader, vendor, resellers and consultants. By using the CEO’s business network to check the resellers’ track records, and invite prospective resellers for auditions, the project team was able to find a proficient reseller and consultant. In addition, the company organized business case scenarios to test the competencies of consultants. Building a long term partnership and trust between the company, the reseller and the consultant was considered critical. Thus, to choose the most sufficient actors for implementing and supporting the system, seemed to be just as critical as selecting the system itself

    An Exploratory Study of the Emergent Theory for Enterprise Resource Planning Upgrade Decision

    Get PDF
    This study finds that ERP upgrade decision is highly related to the type of incentives expected to be derived (or the type of business problems expected to be resolved by) from an ERP upgrade project. The incentives expected to be realized from an ERP upgrade appears to be a strong factor influencing ERP upgrade decision. Likewise, our empirical results here also suggest that the similarity between a firm and an ERP system business process has a strong impact on an ERP upgrade decision. However, symbols attached to an ERP system do not seem to be a strong differentiating- or salient-factor for an ERP upgrade decision. This is also the case for top management supports, which fail to prove to be a strong factor influencing ERP upgrade decision. However, we can argue that top management supports are necessary but not a sufficient factor to justify for an ERP upgrade

    Ontologias para Manutenção Preditiva com Dados sensíveis ao tempo

    Get PDF
    As empresas de fabrico industrial devem assegurar um processo produtivo contínuo para serem competitivas e fornecer os produtos fabricados no prazo e com a qualidade exigida pelos clientes. A quebra da cadeia de fabrico pode ter desfechos graves, resultando numa redução da produção e na interrupção da cadeia de abastecimento. Estes processos são compostos por cadeias de máquinas que executam tarefas em etapas. Cada máquina tem uma tarefa específica a executar, e o resultado de cada etapa é fornecido à próxima etapa. Uma falha imprevista numa das máquinas tende a interromper toda a cadeia produtiva. A manutenção preventiva agendada tem como objetivo evitar a ocorrência de falhas, tendo como base o tempo médio antes da falha (MTBF), que representa a expectativa média de vida de componentes individuais com base em dados históricos. As tarefas de manutenção podem implicar um período de paralisação e a interrupção da produção. Esta manutenção é executada rotineiramente e a substituição de componentes não considera a necessidade premente da sua substituição, sendo os mesmos substituídos com base no ciclo do agendamento. É aqui que a manutenção preditiva é aplicável. Efetuando a recolha de dados de sensores dos equipamentos, é possível detetar irregularidades nos dados recolhidos, através da aplicação de processos de raciocínio e inferência, conduzindo à atempada previsão e deteção de falhas. Levando este cenário à otimização do tempo de manutenção, evitando falhas inesperadas, à redução de custos e ao aumento da produtividade em comparação com a manutenção preventiva. Os dados fornecidos pelos sensores são sensíveis ao tempo, variações e flutuações ocorrem ao longo do tempo e devem ser analisados em relação ao período em que ocorrem. Esta dissertação tem como objetivo o desenvolvimento de uma ontologia para a manutenção preditiva que descreva a sua abrangência e o campo da sua aplicação. A aplicabilidade da ontologia será demonstrada com uma ferramenta, igualmente desenvolvida, que transforma dados sensíveis ao tempo recolhidos em tempo real a partir de sensores de máquinas industriais, fornecidos por WebServices, em indivíduos dessa mesma ontologia, considerando a representação do fator temporal dos dados.Manufacturing companies must ensure a continuous production process to be competitive and supply the manufactured goods in time and with the desired quality the customers expect. Any disruption in the manufacturing chain may have disastrous consequences, representing a shortage of production and the interruption of the supply chain. The manufacturing processes are composed of a chain of industrial machines operating in stages. Each machine has a specific task to complete, and the result of each stage is forwarded to the next stage. An unpredicted malfunction of one of the machines tends to interrupt the whole production chain. Scheduled Preventive maintenance intends to avoid causes leading to faults, but relies on parameters such as Mean Time Before Failure (MTBF), which represents the average expected life span of individual components based on statistical data. A maintenance task may lead to a period of downtime and consequently to a production halt. Being the maintenance scheduled and executed routinely, the replacement of components, does not consider the effective need of its replacement, they are replaced based on the scheduling cycle. This is where predictive maintenance is applicable. By collecting sensor data of industrial equipment, anomalies can be determined through reasoning and inference processes applied to the data, leading to an early fault and time to failure prediction. This scenario leads to maintenance timing optimization, avoidance of unexpected failures, cost savings and improved productivity when compared to preventive maintenance. Data supplied by sensors is timesensitive, as variations and fluctuations occur over periods of time and must be analysed concerning the period they occur. This dissertation aims to develop an ontology for predictive maintenance that describes the scope and field of application. The applicability of the ontology will be demonstrated with a tool, also to be developed, that transforms time-sensitive data collected in real time from sensors of industrial machines, provided by a WebServices, into individuals of the same ontology, considering the representation of the temporal factor of the data

    An evolutionary complex systems decision-support tool for the management of operations

    Get PDF
    Purpose - The purpose of this is to add both to the development of complex systems thinking in the subject area of operations and production management and to the limited number of applications of computational models and simulations from the science of complex systems. The latter potentially offer helpful decision-support tools for operations and production managers. Design/methodology/approach - A mechanical engineering firm was used as a case study where a combined qualitative and quantitative methodological approach was employed to extract the required data from four senior managers. Company performance measures as well as firm technologies, practices and policies, and their relation and interaction with one another, were elicited. The data were subjected to an evolutionary complex systems (ECS) model resulting in a series of simulations. Findings - The findings highlighted the effects of the diversity in management decision making on the firm's evolutionary trajectory. The CEO appeared to have the most balanced view of the firm, closely followed by the marketing and research and development managers. The manufacturing manager's responses led to the most extreme evolutionary trajectory where the integrity of the entire firm came into question particularly when considering how employees were utilised. Research limitations/implications - By drawing directly from the opinions and views of managers, rather than from logical "if-then" rules and averaged mathematical representations of agents that characterise agent-based and other self-organisational models, this work builds on previous applications by capturing a micro-level description of diversity that has been problematical both in theory and application. Practical implications - This approach can be used as a decision-support tool for operations and other managers providing a forum with which to explore: the strengths, weaknesses and consequences of different decision-making capacities within the firm; the introduction of new manufacturing technologies, practices and policies; and the different evolutionary trajectories that a firm can take. Originality/value - With the inclusion of "micro-diversity", ECS modelling moves beyond the self-organisational models that populate the literature but has not as yet produced a great many practical simulation results. This work is a step in that direction

    Change Management and ERP Implementation Success

    Get PDF
    Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems have become an integral part of the technology infrastructure of large organizations. However, its implementation has been troublesome partly due to end-user resistance arising out of an inadequate understanding of system functionalities and related processes and fear of disruption to existing work routines. To counter this, ERP implementation teams execute user-centric change management strategies such as the establishment of an ERP help-desk, user involvement in system implementation, end-user training, and the deployment of power-users. This study analyses the impact of these change management strategies on implementation success. Analysis of empirical data indicates that an ERP help-desk and the deployment of power users influence implementation success, whereas user involvement in system design and user training has no significant impact. The study contributes to a better understanding of change management as it relates to the end-user and would aid organizations in prioritizing their strategies

    ERP Project Retrospectives—55 Enterprise Systems: Evaluating Project Success, Lessons Learned, and Business Outcomes

    Get PDF
    This paper provides a description of fifty-five ERP Project Retrospectives. The study uses the ERP project retrospectives to shed light on relevant issues identified in the literature review of ERP research conducted over the past decade (Schlicher and Kraemmergaard, 2010). The retrospectives provide insight into a number of key questions, including: (1) project justification, including the business and system benefits of ERP; (2) lessons learned, including common mistakes, challenges met, and best practices in managing these challenges; (3) and critical success factors in implementation. The study describes the similarities and differences between the literature and the walkthroughs

    MANAGING CHANGE IN ERP IMPLEMENTATION: LESSONS LEARNED FROM AN SME CONTEXT

    Get PDF
    Organizations implementing enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems experience the need for extensive changes in structure, core processes, and roles - making change management crucial. Prior research on change management in ERP implementations focuses mostly on large enterprises and lacks empirical insight into why change management is challenging. We conducted a case study in a Norwegian Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) working in mechanical manufacturing. Interviews, observations, and documents were analyzed. This study contributes to the literature focusing on change management in ERP implementations and pro-vides rich insight into how and why change management is challenging in an SME context by detailing eight key reasons behind 33 challenges. Lessons learned from this study may have transferable value to other SMEs implementing ERP. The study highlights the importance of considering culture, overall organizational workload, and ensuring deep engagement during an ERP project. Several of the challenges were interconnected. Customizing organizational processes was challenging because it opposed the established culture within the company, risk management was underestimated, and culture was more of an impediment than a facilitator for change management. Finally, the management style, lack of holistic project view, and lack of competence in computer usage were also identified as challenges impeding an efficient implementation
    • …
    corecore