Abstract
M.Comm.
Enterprise resource management (ERM) systems are seen as state-of-the-art functionality in terms of modern information technology, providing promises of integration advantages across the organisation, potential cost savings and process re-engineering. However, in spite of the promised advantages, organisations tend to shy away from ERM system implementations due to the high failure rate of these projects.
The approach taken in this study is that the risk lies in the success of the ERM
implementation, rather than the ERM technology. There are clear advantages to the
successful implementation of an ERM system in any modern organisation facing
global competition, but the risks to obtain a successful implementation are overwhelmingly high. "Critics of ERM implementations should understand that it is not
the application software that earns their censure, but rather the implementation itself
that often do not achieve the aims of the organisation. Although some business
managers with enough understanding of technology are made to head IT projects,
the problem with project management is that it lacks a methodology" (Jeyathevan, 2002: 44).
Given the above, it is clear that there is a crucial need for a model to provide practical
project management guidelines towards the successful implementation of an enterprise resource management project. The identification of this need resulted in the undertaking of this particular study. This study therefore aims to address the need for practical project management guidelines towards the successful implementation of an ERM project in an organisation, including both organisational and human performance challenges.
As a result, the study firstly presents a theoretical framework for project management
of an ERM project implementation and secondly, tests this framework for relevance
and comprehensiveness to ensure usefulness of the framework in practice. This
research does not focus on an implementation methodology for an ERM project,
since these abound in consulting companies and in practice, listing the detailed tasks
to be concluded within each phase of the project. This research rather focuses on a
project management view of the implementation methodology, providing guidelines to
the project manager to ensure a successful ERM implementation.
The purpose of this study is therefore twofold:
Introduce a framework containing project management guidelines towards the
successful implementation of an ERM system in an organisation
Test this framework for relevancy and comprehensiveness to confirm its
usefulness for project managers in the practical project environment.