Showing posts with label ERP. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ERP. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 28, 2018

Introduction to ERP

ERP is the acronym of 'Enterprise Resource Planning'.
'Enterprise' is the first word in ERP. That means it will consider the enterprise overall interest first. It gives an integrated approach to resource planning all over the enterprise.
That is building a single software program that serves the needs of people in finance as well as it does the people in human resources and in the warehouse. Each of those departments typically had its own computer system, each optimized for the particular ways that the department does its work. But ERP combines them all together into a single, integrated software program that runs off a single database so that the various departments can more easily share information and communicate with each other.
ERP automates tasks that performs business, thereby reducing delay, manpower & hence cost of the business.
ERP can

  • Automate Purchase Order generation process by considering stock, order position & consumption pattern
  • help sales team in giving real time position on stock, pending orders & production plan.
  • help customers in getting status of their orders
  • help warehouse personnel in providing exact stock & it's location
  • help production persons in planning production orders, tracking them & plan materials for the same.
  • help finance in updating ledgers, tracking any entry
  • Materials manager in reducing stock, minimize stock outs & control on thefts etc.
  • Top management in getting real time picture of their business, tracing any problem up to transaction level on their own.

As all the personnel in the organization are looking at the same data real time, the communication among various departments is better.
That, at least, is the dream of ERP. The reality is much harsher.

Why do ERP implementations Fail?

Why Do ERP implementations fail?
Many of the ERP implementations fail & management not able to understand the reasons. The same ERPs give very high ROI in one company, but it may fail to reproduce the results in another in the same industry. What can be the reason?

A study was conducted in India on failure of ERP implementations. The three main reasons spotted in the study are
• Client unable to perceive potentials of an ERP package: The clients perceive ERP as just another software development tool. They try to change ERP as per their current practice, instead of a readymade management tool with best practices incorporated.
• Perceiving ERP as cost & not as 'Investment'. As ERP is regarded as cost, the clients try to minimize the implementation cost by choosing Implementation partner having lowest quotation. There are many small players in India, employing fresh consultants. A team with almost all fresh consultants can not deliver expected results.
• Clients fail to perceive ERP as on-going activity. The clients (specially in India) is growing very fast every year, but implemented ERP system is the same, giving mismatch between the added needs and capability of implemented system. The client should modify the system continuously as per the changing needs of the business