Company X is the largest retailer in its category in the UK. It needed a system that would enable it to know a great deal about the buying preferences of its customers, so as to retain its existing customer base, and attract new customers from its competitors. So it developed a loyalty card based on ERP technology that created a database of sales records of its customers. This helped the firm to gain quick, real time access to all the data without having to make special support requests to the IT department. This concurrent data helped the company to monitor target customer profiles without having to create a separate database dedicated to individual customer particulars. This unique feature helped it gain vital market intelligence comparing its products and services to its competitors. This new knowledge base was used to support business decisions outside the market arena and thus continue its domination over the market. (Dobbs, Stone and Abbott, 2002)
ADVANTAGES OF ERP
In general, the benefits/advantages provided to an organisation by ERP can be classified into the following:
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Operational benefits, which include process cost reduction through inventory management, cycle time reduction and productivity improvement.
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Managerial benefits, which include better resource management and improved decision making and planning.
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Strategic benefits, which include supporting business growth, building cost leadership, assisting with product differentiation and building external linkages to customers and suppliers.
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Information technology (IT) Infrastructure benefits, which include building business flexibility and IT cost reduction e.g. software maintenance costs. (Shanks and Seddon, 2000)
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Organizational benefits, which include supporting organizational change, facilitate organizational learning, empowerment of staff and helping to build a common vision. ERP systems are also likely to facilitate the learning process, the creation of a learning infrastructure, and the innovation and improvement loops.
Raychem RPG a part of the Fortune 500 - Raychem Corporation of USA, has a state-of-the-art plant near Mumbai, India catering to the Power, Telecom, Pipeline and Electronics industry. Raychem chose to upgrade its old IBM System with a world class ERP to maintain its technological superiority in the Indian Market.
The successful implementation of ERP enabled the company to use the existing IT infrastructure to boost its sales figures and thus augment its profitability. In addition it helped the company to it’s improve customer service through access to timely, accurate and cost effective information.
Employee effectiveness and efficiency was greatly enhanced due to improved communication caused by well integrated data. These contributed towards continual improvement of business processes thus creating further improvements for the business.
(http://www.objres.com/html/erp_case_studies.htm)
Specifically, ERP provides the following advantages to assist various departments of a business achieve greater performance:
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Accounting: ERP provides the department with customized and user friendly interface, thus eliminating their reliance on computer personnel for day to day operations. It also provides integrated information through a centralized database thus enabling increased control of invoicing and payment processing to Accounts Payable personnel.
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Operations: ERP systems come with standard methods for automating some of the steps of a manufacturing process. Standardizing those processes and using a single, integrated computer system can save time, increase productivity and reduce head count. Reduce paper documents by providing on-line formats for quickly entering and retrieving order processing information, there-by expediting the whole process. It allows for improved cost control by reducing order cycle time as well. Real time data recording and generation through ERP systems enables quick response to change in business operations and market conditions, thus providing competitive edge.
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Information Technology: ERP systems help improve timeliness of information by facilitating data sharing on a daily basis instead of monthly or quarterly basis. They help in generating more accurate information with detailed content, providing greater clarity and simplified data formats for easy use by auditors. It provides a unified customer database usable by all applications. Further more it provides a critical link between supply and demand information amongst remote locations and branches in different countries across the globe.
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Sales: A centralised database helps in faster response to customer queries and following up customer orders.
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Finance: The interconnected systems provide a clearer picture about creditors and debtors’ status ensuring the business has efficient and effective cash collection methods. It keeps a track of up-to-date international norms and procedures regarding a variety of tax structures, invoicing schemes, multiple currencies, multiple period accounting and languages, thus helping in carrying out international operations smoothly.
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Marketing: Tracking competitor moves and other developments to develop a superior edge in the relevant industry.
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Human Resource (HR): In companies with multiple business units, HR may not have a unified, simple method for tracking employees' time and communicating with them about benefits and services. With a centralised ERP system that is not affected by geographical boundaries and similar limitations, ERP helps in tracking employee related functions. With an integrated database of personnel, it keeps a track of salary and benefits structures, supports planning and recruiting and also simplifies the payroll function of the HR department (Norris, Hurley, Hartley, Dunleavy and Balls, 2000).
COMMUNICATION AND ERP
Communication involves the exchange of information at various levels. This could be personal interaction or Business to Business (B2B) or Business to Consumer (B2C). Especially with the advent of globalisation and the vast geographical spread of various branches of an organisation, information sharing has become critical. The primary technology hurdle will be how companies exchange business documents and information over the web within the coming years: ERP systems possess the capability to support the communication and integration needs of a diverse e-business community.
ERP helps to maintain communication in the following manner:
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Dissemination of relevant information: ERP package acts as a central repository of data; storing, updating and communicating information to relevant departments on a timely basis. It also prevents information overload by presenting the applicable information in an organised and structured format.
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Integration of Software Packages: ERP integrates information from diverse systems in different departments into a uniform pattern that allows this information to be shared amongst different platforms.
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Security: When communicating classified information to various members across the value chain, it is imperative that this information passes through a secure and reliable channel. With the use of firewalls and other highly advanced security features, ERP ensures safe and secure communication of information across E-business environments.
USE OF ERP IN CORPORATE LOGISTICS
“The process of planning, implementing and controlling the efficient, cost effective flow and storage of materials, in-process inventory, finished goods and related information from point of origin to point of consumption for the purpose of conforming to customer requirements”. (Gudergan, 2001)
Logistics includes inbound and outbound logistics. “Inbound logistics include receiving, storing and disseminating inputs to the product, such as material handling, warehousing, inventory control, vehicle scheduling and returns to the suppliers. Outbound logistics comprise of collecting, storing, and physically distributing the product to buyers, such as finished goods warehousing, material handling, delivery vehicle operation, order processing, and scheduling.” (Smith and Rupp, 2002)
Strategic logistics planning allows the organization to align operations with overall business objectives and prepare to meet technology upgrades, globalization, and the ever increasing demands of a more interactive supplier community.
State-of-the-art ERP systems help to improve logistics visibility and create more efficient transportation ecosystems. Because of the lower-cost infrastructure of the Internet, these systems also are naturally more accessible and pervasive, thereby helping to fulfil some of the unfulfilled promises of EDI. ()
For example, FedEx Express, a $15-billion subsidiary of FedEx Corp., is the world’s largest express transportation company, providing fast, reliable and time definite transportation. The company has improved its package tracking capability by developing a GSM based handheld scanner known as SuperTracker. Upon collection and delivery, the Super Tracker scans packages, and passes on this information to a centrally based touch screen computer in order for the information to be processed. This GSM capability provides real-time communication between the driver and the dispatch office so that pick-ups and deliveries are registered instantly. In addition, it allows the couriers to plan manage their workload of pickups and deliveries in the most efficient manner.
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USE OF ERP IN MINIMIZING COST OF SUPPLY CHAIN
“Supply chain management is defined as the science of integrating the flow of goods and information from initial sourcing all the way through to delivery to the end user. Key activities within this end-to-end process include purchasing, production planning, order processing and fulfilment, inventory management, transportation, distribution, and customer service” (Chorafas, 2001).
Supply Chain Management consists of three basic areas: (1) raw material flow, (2) processing of that material through the manufacturing process, and (3) finally the distribution of products to end customers through a physical distribution channel. The chain includes all processes and activities, so there can be a mix of both suppliers and customers in the loop as well as a variety of intermediaries. The typical sequence of events is for products to flow from the supplier to the customer and for design and demand feedback to flow from the customer back to the supplier (Zindle, 2002).
ERP can act as a very important apparatus for the function of saving costs on supply chain. It saves companies money through inventory reduction, improved manufacturing productivity, reduced lead times, and fewer disruptions from last-minute changes. It also avoids shortages and other surprises that can lead to short runs, overtime costs to meet orders, and ever-changing priorities.
How does ERP help minimize the cost of Supply Chain?
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Synchronisation: ERP aids in the proper planning and coordination of the various activities and processes among the different components of the supply chain. It helps in promoting effective and seamless collaboration, thus helping to deliver the products or services to customers quickly, accurately and often at a lower cost.
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Process Automation: Automating any or all parts of the supply process, including planning, procurement and purchasing. All the isolated tasks of procurement are merged into one efficient process. Suppliers can be allowed to view parts of the production process and automatically deliver goods when they are needed, thus contributing towards lowering overall costs.
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Integration: Integrates data from various sources thus eliminating redundancy and obsolete data reducing costs of managing and running the supply chain.
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Inventory Management: Controlling inventory involves much more than just counting receipts and issues. Knowing the stock amounts based on historical evidence based on different factors, establishing outdated components, tracking inventory movements include few of the activities needed to properly manage an inventory for a business firm. Using various inventory management techniques, like Just in Time (JIT), ABC etc., ERP helps to minimize the cost of managing and storing of inventory, be it raw materials or finished goods. By automatically and optimally managing the inventory management and reordering process, ERP manages to eliminate human error and thus prevent incorrect reporting which could eventually lead to huge costs. By accurately anticipating replenishment requirements it eliminates the high-picking, handling, and shipping costs of rush replenishments. )
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Optimization: With up to date information and data, ERP helps in maintaining the supply chain as a well oiled machine working at maximum efficiency and highest level of optimization.
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Labour Costs: ERP greatly reduces labour costs associated with manual inventory checks, manual ordering, and cumbersome handling of errors, rework, returns, and deductions thus cutting the cost of supply chain.
MASTERCARD INTERNATIONAL AND SPS INTERNATIONAL have launched a new software product called SmartLink designed to integrate procurement information from MasterCard purchasing cards with popular ERP systems including SAP R/3. This allows enterprises to streamline monitoring, management, and other administration overheads. SmartLink provides corporations with a solution for driving effective ()
e-procurement as well as greatly enhancing paperless transactions. In addition, MasterCard SmartLink enables a business to automatically approve transactions, generate invoices, merge data with the general ledger, make split payments, and download individual transaction information without having to wait until the end of the month to receive the statements to track expenses. SmartLink and a MasterCard corporate purchasing card also enable a corporation to link its business processes with those of customers and suppliers, both online and offline, thus helping the company achieve the right balance between supply and demand. It eliminates the use of paper as the means of communication by automating the processes electronically based on user preferences. (,2001)
The concept of SmartLink is thus to integrate the complete supply chain by automating the connections between suppliers and a corporation.
USE OF ERP IN MINIMIZING COST OF DEMAND CHAIN
“A demand chain is a network of trading partners that extends from manufacturers to end consumers. The partners exchange information, and finished goods flow through the network’s physical infrastructure. The physical facilities include manufacturers’ warehouses, wholesalers’ distribution centers, retail chains’ warehouses, and retail outlets”
A demand chain can include multiple business enterprises. As product flows through the network, the partners incur costs—but they also enjoy revenue, as product moves between business enterprises. It requires the company to transform from a supply-centric to a customer-centric demand chain, in which actual customer demand drives design, production and replenishment. ( 2002)
It consists of the following components:
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Sell Side Commerce: This encompasses the all important aspect of order management. It also includes functions like customer service. This embraces all activities from placing and tracing an order, to technical support, updated product and brand information, to processing returns.
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Marketing and Product Brand Information Management: As the name says it incorporates one to one marketing such as door to door marketing, Marketing Automation and Brand Information as given by the famous “Just Do It” slogan of Nike. (Kayser, n.d.)
Critical role played by ERP in Demand Chain Planning.
ERP performs the following functions that help in cost cutting:
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Collaborative Forecasting with Suppliers - ERP focuses on collaboration between the company and its suppliers/retailers to provide more accurate product demand forecasts. Accurate and real time data help in reducing inventory holdings for company products.
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E - Procurement – E- Procurement is perhaps the most effective medium for an organization to leverage the Web to reduce costs, improve productivity and boost profits. In this E- Procurement scenario, ERP provides real time information thus giving an accurate picture of inventory whether raw or finished goods, thereby reducing maverick buying and solving the problem of stock outs or pile ups. This provides critical visibility by allowing easy on-line ordering of materials.
Consider the example of a leading electronics manufacturer in the Americas. The challenge faced by it was to - consolidate spending on “operating resources” across the organization. Earlier different divisions were negotiating with various suppliers for the same commodity – “Pens”. As a result, each of the divisions had to go through this time consuming process whenever there was a demand for “Pens” and finally none of them were able to get the best price.
The introduction of E-Procurement streamlined the entire procurement process and diminished administrative expenses. Furthermore it led to a major reduction in order cycle time and improved cross-business entity analysis for better contracts and pricing.
(Chatterjee, 2003)
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Customer Service- A fully integrated and up to date ERP system helps in managing customer information database which can be used in conjunction with various services like call centers to provide on the spot help to customers. This not only saves labour costs but also helps to free resources that can be pooled in other useful channels.
HOW DOES ERP AID IN COLLABORATION, KNOWLEDGE SHARING AND DATA TRANSFER?
As venerable management guru Peter Drucker pointed out, “Knowledge has become the key economic resource and the dominant—perhaps only—source of competitive advantage” ( 2003). This has become a key advantage with companies trying to provide added incentives with value chains.
Some advantages that ERP provides with respect to knowledge sharing include:
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Cooperation: Strategic value chains need ultimate collaboration between companies, their suppliers and their vendors. The Internet offers an unrivaled vehicle for information exchange. With growing competition, there is an ever increasing need for security and stability. ERP with enhanced facilities plays a crucial role in helping a company share its knowledge with its value chain members.
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Decision Making: With ERP systems, people have greater and faster access to information, which reduces the time and resources needed for decision making. Having an ERP system means increased information availability for the organization resulting in easy and quick access to information. With a sheltered back end driven by secured and high speed communication of essential data, ERP provides a manager with ideal conditions and consolidated data to make the right and logical decisions in the best interests of the company.
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Access to consistent information: ERP endows the company with a uniform source of information leading to reduction in errors like insufficient inventory levels. A non- ERP enabled business can suffer from unfulfilled orders resulting in delay of payment to creditors, in turn causing poor cash flow management.
- An example of it could be Christmas shopping sales at K-Mart. With large scale shopping, it could almost be disastrous for a company to check its inventory at the end of the day to maintain its stock. With real-time knowledge sharing, it provides supplier with accurate and timely information regarding the needed items. This prevents stock outs which not only could have a direct outcome on the company’s bottom line, but also could harm the company’s image if customers feel hard done by lack of products on shelves.
ROLE OF ERP SYSTEMS IN VALUE ADDING IN E-BUSINESS ENVIRONMENTS
ERP and E-business ‘Supercharge’ each other
E- Business improves business performance by strengthening the linkages in the value chain between businesses, and between a business and the ultimate consumer. It centres on efficiency attained by superior customer service, lowered costs and streamlined business processes. However the information required by businesses to fortify these linkages requires accurate, consistent and timely information. Without ERP, E-business would fail to generate reliable and accurate information from the vast pool of data available. This would hinder the ability to make intelligent decisions and take effective actions on the newly available information flowing into the company from suppliers and customers. (Grant Norris et al., 2000)
The value of an organisation can be increased by reducing costs, increasing revenues and retaining customers. E- Businesses upon successful implementation of ERP can achieve these as follows:
-Amalgamate e-marketplaces in the public and private domains to efficiently evaluate suppliers world wide.
-Compare and contrast supply and demand through integrated and collaborative planning tools.
-Reduce inventories, without reducing the ability to meet unexpected demand, thus preventing lost sales, optimal use of resources, etc.
-Increase output; maximizing utility of resources, competence of chain processes and other over heads such as administration functions, etc.
-Coordinate activities with partners and optimize supply planning and execution across enterprise limitations.
-React faster to unforeseen and abrupt increases in demand.
-Condense order cycle times, ultimately speeding the conversion of materials to cash.
-Improve asset utilization and minimize unnecessary capital expenditures.
-Helps provide quality products and services at competitive prices.
-Increase planning accuracy and real-time location of products around the world, improving customer service.
-Access detailed and accurate order status information, resulting in higher customer satisfaction.
-Respond to changing customer requirements quickly and efficiently.
Whirlpool, a $10.5 billion corporation is the world’s leading manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances. The company needed a more efficient and cost effective ordering system for its distributors’ network segment because their middle-tier trading partners were not large enough to maintain dedicated connections with it. Hence they used the inefficient methods of order submission by phone or fax.
In order to overcome this challenge, Whirlpool forged an alliance with IBM. It utilized e-business to develop a B2B trading partner portal (Whirlpool Web World) and integrated it with SAP R/3 inventory system, thus enabling the sellers to order online. Through the portal it has become easier and quicker for the middle tier trade partners not only to place orders, but also to track the status of their orders through a secure and reliable medium.
By doing so, Whirlpool has become one of the first companies in the world to successfully integrate a web based, B2B solution with generic ERP systems.
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IMPROVING CUSTOMER SUPPORT WITH ERP
In today’s day and age, with so many companies vying for customer attention and interest, it is becoming more and more imperative for every organisation to be unique. It is of greater consequence today that you offer the customer products based on his needs and requirements. Here lies the need to change from a product focussed company to a customer focussed one. More and more companies are realizing this fact and are trying to attract customers not only with new and improved products but also enhanced service. Buying and using merchandise is easier today than ever before. The Internet has made a significant difference to the way companies market and sell their products. Buzz words like Customer Relationship Management (CRM) have become more than just words of management literature. Using the high tech medium of internet has more to it than just glitz and glamour. With a strong back end support the Internet is fast becoming a very essential and significant medium for transactions.
CRM can be defined as “all the tools, technologies and procedures to manage, improve or facilitate sales, support and related interactions with customers, prospects, and business partners throughout the enterprise”. (Davenport, Harris, J. G. and Kohli, 2001)
E- CRM constitutes an important ingredient of ERP systems and plays a vital role in improving business value through customer satisfaction and retention by managing, synchronizing and coordinating all customer touch points whether in the call center in the field or over the Internet.
How does CRM add value to an organization through customer support and satisfaction in E- Business environments?
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Relationship Management: A key facet includes increasing customer satisfaction by providing instantaneous response to customer input. While providing solutions to customers’ requirements on a one-to-one basis helps in customizing the service and attracting more customers, customer retention is achieved through direct online communications with customers anytime and anywhere.
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Sales force automation: By automating activities such as sales promotion analysis and tracking client information including account history, provides an opportunity for repeated sales or future sales and hold on to esteemed customers.
- Use of technology: In today’s competitive environment, differentiated and customized service is required to dominate the market. Real time scheduling and data updating technologies help in adding value to a business and maintain a premier position in the market place.
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Opportunity management: CRM helps in managing unpredictable growth and demand in volatile settings and avoiding inaccurate forecasts by incorporating state of the art forecasting methods. These features aid in optimizing the supply and demand chains and meeting customer needs in a better way.
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24X7 information access: With a Web-enabled ERP system customers can interact directly with the server over the Internet. There is none of the so called ‘opening or closing hours’ as this server is contactable all through the day from any part of the globe. This allows customers to check order processing status, update information, check shipment details and in most cases also pay your bills online. (). ERP ensures that all these transactions should link seamlessly into internal processes and make regular updating at the right places.
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Security: ERP encompasses stringent and rigorous features like security technologies for e-business including role-based authorization, cryptography, digital signatures, etc. These certify that the information that is entered is secure and this can be very critical while making online transactions.
A major travel retailer headquartered in the UK offers a range of travel, financial and emergency services that are available to its customers on a 24*7 basis. The company was planning to diversify its operations to the banking segment, and thus complement growth in the commercial foreign exchange business. The need of the hour was a sound CRM solution to help the company retain or expand its customer base. An application that would automate their Sales and Customer Service processes was essential to achieve the same.
WIPRO, the leading IT services provider in India developed a CRM based solution to automate the customer techniques used in acquiring new customers. This system has the capacity to take orders across the globe for agents and consumers directly. Additionally, it addresses multilingual issues and multi-currency issues including Euro conversions. With multiple interfaces to remote / external systems, the system is expected to handle about 40,000 orders daily. Scalability is a key feature of the system that would allow additional features to be added at a later stage, if needed.
This order management system has provided multiple benefits to all major areas of operations, particularly customer service.
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IMPROVING VENDOR SUPPORT WITH ERP
Although the customer is of paramount significance, all the other members of the supply chain are also very significant to a business. Hence it is very critical that these vendors receive attention and are well versed with the ultimate objectives of the business. This eventually helps the business attain its goal of customer satisfaction. ERP helps vendors in optimize their operations as follows:
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Vendor-Managed Inventory: Manufacturers, suppliers and retailers are integrated along the supply network. Vendors and suppliers can perform stocking and replenishment planning tasks for their partners. () This allows vendors to sketch and outline inventory requirement for their clients.
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Transportation: ERP covers facilities for the latest in inventive technologies such as GPS (Global Positioning Systems) using satellite links that help in easy tracking of shipments, etc. This is particularly helpful in this modern day where the world is a global village and where transactions transcend geographical barriers.
CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS (CSF) IN ERP IMPLEMENTATION
An ERP implementation can be called successful once the re-invented processes are religiously followed by the organization. However, a large percentage of these projects fail, the reason being:
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Lack of sustained management commitment and leadership: Any significant change to business processes requires constant supply of resources, money and leadership. Often management fails to provide support relating to any of the three vital elements resulting in making the project success a distant dream.
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Strategic Alignment: There has to be a dedicated link between the vision and the processes followed by a company. Projects not in alignment with the company's strategic direction be it financial performance, customer service, employee value or the vision of the organization cannot achieve long term strategic value for the company. (http://www.prosci.com/factors.htm)
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Change Management: This is one of the most overlooked factors while implementing BPR integrated ERP. The overall success of the project depends on the people who do it and how well they can be motivated to be creative and apply their detailed knowledge to the redesign of business processes (Davenport & Stoddard, 1994). Also most projects do not consider the cultural issues involved in major structural changes, and as a result do not achieve the full potential of their change effort.
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Adequate Project Team Composition: The core composition of the team involved in the ERP project is important for the successful implementation. The team should typically consist of members who know the process well, some IT staff, customers, vendors and consultants. Often the management does not place enough emphasis on appropriate team composition thereby reflecting on the poor implementation of the project (Pastor, 2000).
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Formalised project plan/schedule: The planning stage is the laying foundation for successful ERP implementation. Planning not only involves having a well-defined schedule for all the activities involved in the implementation, but also having a clear understanding of the current problems and expectations from the project. As defining the problem is half the solution, a well thought out and comprehensive plan plays a crucial role in determining the final success of the project.
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Comprehensive business process reengineering: The strategic alignment between the business processes and the ERP model is imperative to the success of the project. This process will allow a complete review of business goals and business processes required in order to derive the hidden value within the organisation.
COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE – A RETURN TO BPR (ERP+BPR=BR)
For the past decade ERP implementations have shown a wide gap between the expected and actual Return On Investment (ROI) for businesses. Although the gains promised by ERP have largely been delivered, but these profits have largely been short term as the costs related were greatly under estimated.
The reality is that an ERP implementation should not be looked as a stand-alone activity. ERP can provide value to a business when its introduction is delivered hand-in-hand with business process re-engineering (BPR). The missing ROI can be seized by focusing on overall business goals and continually redefining the business processes to reflect the constantly changing environment (Scott, n.d.).
A complete review of business goals and business processes is required in order to derive the hidden value within the already implemented ERP solutions.
As Dr. Michael Hammer, the champion of BPR puts it, business process re-engineering is the fundamental rethinking and radical redesign of business processes to achieve dramatic improvements in critical, contemporary measures of performance, such as cost, quality, service & speed. (Hammer and Champy, 2001)
Business re-engineering improves all three areas essential to business effectiveness - Business plans, Business Process & Business Information. The integration of business re-engineering with ERP implementation directly supports strategic business plans, thus provides better control to managers so as to turn today's chaotic environment to their competitive advantage. However, a clear cut company vision is required to achieve the best results. Only those processes that support the company’s vision and relate back to business plans should be considered for re-engineering.
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The UK based selling operation of one of the world's largest motor vehicle producers was experiencing increasing difficulty in meeting targets due to weakness in its sales channels and retailers. The company worked with Red Queen Consultants to restructure its retailing operations processes. This resulted in the establishment of a small number of powerful field sales managers who became responsible for all aspects of the company's product and commercial relationship with its dealers. With the managers having complete control over internal company resources, the focus of the company shifted to supporting these key field personnel instead of constantly requesting information and support from them. This reconstruction resulted in more effective business processes ensuring that critical dealer information went into the hands of relevant managers. (http://www.redqueen.demon.co.uk/client%20examples.html)
CONCLUSION
ERP systems when properly employed, improve companies internal business processes, thereby allowing them to achieve an external source of competitive advantage. These systems provide a secure means of exchanging classified information and allow clients to access valuable and pertinent information. From an operations point of view, it allows businesses to optimize their supply chain, reduce order cycle times, automate processes and impeccably integrate business units across all geographical locations of companies value chain. Companies invest heavily in ERP systems with a view to cut long term costs, improve supplier and customer relations, increase returns and thus establish a superior position in the market.
However this process is not a one time investment. Companies often expect immediate gains not realising that this is an ongoing process requiring dedicated and focussed endeavour by all parties concerned. The onus of a successful implementation lies on the organization rather than the ERP vendors. Vendors play a crucial role in facilitating the project success, but it is the business with a clear understanding of its processes and its vision, that should take final responsibility for carrying out the project’s implementation successfully.
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