اجرای موفقیت آمیز پروژه ERP : شواهدی از دو مورد

This research examines what factors facilitate or inhibit the success of ERP projects and what actions can be taken to bring troubled ERP projects under control. It uses a case study methodology grounded in business process change theory to compare a successful ERP implementation with an unsuccessful one. Data was collected by conducting interviews at various levels of the subject organizations and by examining their archived records when available. The study proposes that a cautious, evolutionary, bureaucratic implementation process backed with careful change management, network relationships, and cultural readiness can lead to a successful ERP project implementation as opposed to a revolutionary project scope mandated autocratically by top management without organizational readiness and proper change management. Some actions are also recommended that can help bring troubled ERP projects under control.

It is well known by now that improper implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software projects can cause considerable problems for companies [1]. For instance, Hershey Foods Corporation in 1999 reported a 19% drop in 3rd-quarter profits and a 29% increase in inventories over the previous year due to order-processing problems caused by its faulty $112 million ERP implementation [2]. The city of Oakland too reported problems of missing or erroneous paychecks generated for city employees by its $21 million ERP project [3]. Miller Industries reported a $3.5 million operating loss in the 4th-quarter of 1999 due to the costs and inefficiencies of its ERP system, while WW Grainger Inc. reported a $11 million reduction in operating earnings from its improper ERP implementation [4]. These numbers are startling but what is more a cause of concern is that these reported instances involve the software of all primary ERP vendors. Thus fault cannot be attributed to only one vendor. On the other hand, McKesson HBOC has reported a successful implementation of its $50 million ERP back-office system that now processes sales orders totaling 1.5 million line items and $100 million of business each day [5], whereas CaseBook Water & Power Technologies, a $30 million manufacturer of water purification systems has seen improvements in materials management, project management, and employee productivity due to its ERP system [6]. Given the large financial commitment that an ERP project requires and the potential benefits it can offer if successfully implemented, it is important to understand what is needed to ensure a successful ERP implementation. Thus, two research questions are central to this paper: (1) What factors facilitate or inhibit the success of ERP projects, and (2) what actions can be taken to bring troubled ERP projects under control? This paper attempts to answer these questions by examining the ERP implementation experiences of two companies – one unsuccessful and the other successful. It draws on business process change (BPC) theory [7] as well as escalation theory [8] to identify what could have been done to turn around the first project, and to explain the success of the second project.

This research attempted to answer two ques- tions: (1) What factors facilitate or inhibit the success of ERP projects? and (2) what actions can be taken to bring troubled ERP projects under control? Through a case study comparison of a successful ERP implementation with an unsuccess- ful implementation, it was determined that a cautious, evolutionary, bureaucratic implementa- tion process backed with careful change manage- ment, network relationships, and cultural readiness can lead to successful ERP implementa- tions. On the other hand, a revolutionary project scope that is mandated autocratically by top management without organizational readiness and proper change management is likely to lead to a troubled ERP implementation. Some actions are recommended to bring troubled ERP projects under control. Primary among these are redefining or subdividing the project, improving project management through the use of formal tools and techniques, and using a team-based approach to solving specific problems.