The Successful Methodology for ERP Implementation

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    Journal of Modern Accounting and Auditing, ISSN 1548-6583December 2012, Vol. 8, No. 12, 1838-1847

    The Successful Methodology for Enterprise Resource Planning

    (ERP) Implementation∗

     

    Miroslav Lutovac

    Singudunum University, Belgrade, Serbia

    Dragan Manojlov 

    Advanced Information Technology Consulting (AICON), Belgrade, Serbia

    Organizations need to use a proved methodology to reduce implementation risks and enable the enterprise resource

     planning (ERP) solution to be put into operation as quickly as possible. The right implementation methodology will

    also help ensure that the ERP implementation fully addresses an organization’s business goals and objectives.

    Modern ERP implementation methodology encourages and supports a progressive approach to the management for

    users of ERP systems. A company is constantly seeking better methods and models for decision supports in all

    kinds of decisions and developing/copying new products/markets that generate the growth of the company. On the

    other hand, a company creates efficient and effective operations that improve the return on investment, because

    ERP is always considered as an asset. This paper focuses on the interaction of culture in a company, business

    strategy, and organizational skills and balances the relationship among ERP methodology, ERP implementation,

    and the performance of the company. Considering the fact that different ERP systems use different methodologies,

    short descriptions of the most dominant brand name ERP are analyzed (Oracle Financials, PeopleSoft, and systems,

    applications, and products (SAP) implementation methodology). Although all methodologies may look similar, theselection of a proper methodology is the most critical part in ERP investment. The focus of this paper is on the

    accelerated SAP methodology, also named as ASAP methodology, because it is the most used one on the

    worldwide market of ERP systems.

    Keywords: enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, systems, applications, and products (SAP), Oracle

    Financials, accelerated SAP (ASAP) methodology, application implementation methodology (AIM),

    implementation 

    Introduction

    Enterprise resource planning (ERP) system is based on an information technology (IT) infrastructure that

    facilitates the flow of information within an organization. ERP systems integrate all information and processes

    of an organization into a unique system with a unified database that concerns how organizations gather, collect,

    store, access, summarize, interpret, and use business information. An ERP system integrates different

    ∗  Acknowledgement: This paper was partly 

    granted by Ministry of Education, Science, and Technological Development,Republic Serbia, Project TR32023.

    Miroslav Lutovac, professor, Faculty of Business, Singudunum University. Email: [email protected] Manojlov, senior SAP manager, Management and Information Systems, Advanced Information Technology Consulting

    (AICON).

    DAVID PUBLISHING

    D

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    components through the technical integration of software, hardware, and business processes. In a typical

    organization structure, an implementation cost of the ERP system consists of 15% software, 30% hardware, 40%

    systems integration, and 15% personnel (Malhotra & Temponi, 2010).

    Unfortunately, ERP systems are not successfully implemented in many companies. For example, in

    Indonesia, more than 80% of the companies implementing the ERP systems did not succeed in their

    implementations and more than 50% of the companies implementing the ERP systems in the world failed to

    gain the optimal return value. While in China, only 10% of the companies gained success. Some researchers

    show that 50% of the companies implementing the ERP systems failed to gain success (Dantes & Hasibuan,

    2011).

    An ERP solution will provide no return, if users are unable to use it effectively. It is interesting that more

    than 40% of the medium-size companies have two or more ERP software packages, while more than 15%

    companies have three or more ERP packages. Based on the Aberdeen Group survey, 10% of the companies

     plan to replace strategies supported by an appropriate ERP system for the next year, while 15% of the

    companies plan to replace the existing solution in the next two years. Almost 25% of the companies are lookingfor a new ERP solution that will replace the existing one in the next three years. The main reason for the

    replacement of the existing ERP solution, in 50% cases, is a need for more functionality, since 40% are

    unhappy with the clumsy user interface and 35% need a standardized solution with international capabilities.

    There is a long list of companies that have problems in implementing ERP systems, such as the

    well-known and successful Dell computers, Apple computers, or Whirlpool (Shahin, Sadri, & Gazor, 2010). An

    inappropriate application and implementation of the ERP system can harm the performance of an organization.

    Some researchers report that the success rate of the ERP implementation is very low, and in some countries, the

    failure rate is up to 90%. Therefore, it is very important to find out a framework for the evaluation of ERP as

    managerial and organizational aspects rather than technical aspects (Manojlov & Lutovac, 2012a). Even more,

    aspects, such as managerial and organizational, can decrease the risk of failure in the implementation of the

    system in an organization.

    The ERP implementation methodology involves various processes and procedures, which constitute the

    conditions or means for formulating the actual implementation of ERP projects. The most famous ERP

    methodologies are developed by the biggest worldwide ERP systems, such as systems, applications, and

     products (SAPs), Oracle Financials, and PeopleSoft (Anand, 2007; Baloğlu, 2003; Kurtz, 2005).

    Too many ERP implementation projects are running out of time. In order to minimize the cost and risk,

     proper software manufactories, software resellers, implementation consultants, and system integrators should

     be chosen (Chofreh, Goni, & Jofreh, 2011; Wang, 2011). ERP methodology is essential in each ERP project. If

    a company insists on the deviation of standard ERP methodology, it could have a great impact on the wholeimplementation. In general, the ERP methodology is stipulated in the pre-sales phase of the ERP project. The

     progressive management in the company must push the best solution and choose the right methodology

    considering specifics in the project. The urgent task is to pass the legislation on data protection and all forms of

    misuse of IT during the conversion from legacy systems to a new ERP solution, in order to protect the freedoms,

    civil rights, and personal life (Lutovac & Manojlov, 2012).

    A successful implementation can be accomplished by avoiding software modification, taking integration

    seriously, and testing thoroughly. The standard software built in business processes, as the bases of

    organizational changes, should be used instead of software modifications, according to the company’s existing

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     business models. The chosen software solution should be flexible with open interface based on the modern

    technology. The integration of the existing business intelligence (BI) systems, data warehouse (DW), customer

    relationship management (CRM) systems, human resource management systems (HRMS), financial

    management solutions (FMS), supply chain management (SCM) systems, enterprise performance management

    (EPM) software, and e-commerce solution is especially important for small to medium businesses (SMBs)

    (García, 2011).

    SAP ERP system is an ERP system that covers most of the world markets of information systems. SAP

    has developed an accelerated methodology, known as accelerated SAP (ASAP), and it will be analyzed in

    details in the second part of this paper. There are many positive and negative factors in each ERP

    implementation. The identification of essential factors to a successful implementation on the time is the key to a

    good implementation (Manojlov & Lutovac, 2012b). The best methodology must provide the corresponding

    tools for that.

    Implementation Methodologies SAP, Oracle Financial, and PeopleSoft

    ASAP Implementation Methodology

    Generally, there are two organized ways of implementing SAP: conventional method and organized

    method of implementation. The conventional method is known as “SAP procedure model” methodology and

    has been replaced by ASAP methodology lately (ASAP, 2012). However, an old SAP methodology is also in

    use today primarily because of the flexibility in providing the company with substantial revenues exceeding

    trillion dollars (Doane, 2007; Kale, 2000; Khan, 2002).

    SAP procedure model consists of the following stages:

    (1) Organizational and conceptual design;

    (2) Detailed design and customization of the system;

    (3) Preparation of production;

    (4) Support to production.

    Such a methodology requires a detailed design of the existing system, implemented existing functionality,

    and business processes. Considerable time is required to spend on the As-Is and To-Be analysis1. Decision

    making is very slow and is based on a consensus, which requires time to achieve.

    The negative sides of this approach are as follows:

    (1) Given that this is the analysis of the existing functionality, a SAP implementation using SAP procedure

    model often becomes a mirror of the existing implementation. In other words, it is recommended not to get the

    significant added value of such an ERP system implementation;

    (2) The company implementation is used as the basis of the existing business processes;(3) The company does not use SAP best practice;

    (4) The long implementation period as the phases of the analysis and conceptual design is often prolonged.

    In order to keep costs under control, the ASAP methodology is introduced, which significantly accelerates

    the deployment and ends at the time ordered by the project plan. While the conventional method requires a

    1  As-Is and To-Be Analysis is the term given to producing flowcharts and process maps that depict the current situation and thengo on to develop the future presentation. The As-Is is a detailed presentation of the process as it is performed today. It collectsdata and highlights opportunities for improvements. The To-Be analysis can either be a new process addressing the problems fromthe AS-IS analysis or a completely new process design that takes into account information from the AS-IS analysis.

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    number of years, the ASAP implementation methodology can be implemented in a year.

    The ASAP methodology provides a proved, comprehensive, rich, and operationally-feasible method for

    managing an implementation of the project. ASAP covers the implementation, upgrade, strategic studies, and

    more. Some of the key tools that support the methodology include: SAP solution composer; SAP roadmap

    composer; and SAP solution manager. Testing software from SAP during 2011 implementation showed that

    over 30% of the projects were considered to have failed, because they lacked an effective project planning.

    While on the other hand, less than 10% of the projects were rated as failed due to technological reasons.

    The main features of this methodology are:

    (1) Usage of predefined templates (solution map);

    (2) Question and answer (Q&A) database of questionnaires;

    (3) Diagram explorer model of the process;

    (4) The use of auxiliary, prepared draft documents, spreadsheets; and presentation of the implementation;

    (5) Intensive user involvement in the implementation process.

    Roadmap defines the phase of implementation of SAP ERP systems that are supported by acomprehensive plan.

    The speed of implementation is supported by numerous tools, models, examples, and reference facilities

    that provide a complete structural development of all jobs that follow the accession of resources respectively

    (Yilmaz & Ozcan, 2011). Each ASAP process is supported with a comprehensive set of tools. The tools

    contained within the ASAP products provide continuous education and address current issues, problems, and

    requests. Using the ASAP methodology supports tools and features in SAP ERP implementation phase and

    significantly reduces the total cost of the project reaching the indicated deadline. The quality of the work

     performed is at a high level, while the risk of failure is minimized.

    ASAP as a methodology was launched in 1996, in order to accelerate the implementation and meet the

    world market ERP systems in the domain of middle-sized companies with more than 2.5 billion US dollars a

    year. ASAP has brought a change in the domain of SAP ERP systems, focusing on the implementation of the

    methodology rather than on the software. ASAP is a methodology that supports project management, team

    members, business process consultants, external consultants, and technical people.

    What can ASAP do? ASAP is designed to standardize the implementation of SAP. In order to reduce the

    cost of quality (COQ), it is important to standardize all implementation steps (Tsai, Chang, Lin, & Lee, 2012).

    Anyhow, it initiates a straight implementation of SAP ERP systems. The ASAP methodology is characterized

     by the following: 

    (1) Optimizes time, quality, and resources;

    (2) Forces the best business practices;(3) Delivers the process-oriented project folder (ASAP roadmap), which describes the incremental phase;

    (4) Defines the terms and costs of the implementation;

    (5) Provides the processes, tools, training, and services;

    (6) Provides detailed help through the various stages of implementation;

    (7) Provides appropriate tools for the trade-off between implementation costs and time required for

    accomplishing favorite quality;

    (8) Check-list, technical questionnaires, and manuals;

    (9) Supports for a continuous improvement in implementation.

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    How is ASAP implemented? The client who implements the ERP system does not usually have the

    internal expertise necessary for the implementation of complex software. Thus, the client engages in an external

    consulting company to actively lead and participate in the implementation of the ERP project. 

    SAP recommends choosing ASAP-certified partners in the SAP implementation project. The consulting

    company becomes a partner of ASAP, if at least 70% of its staff of consultants have completed the training of

    ASAP and are completely familiar with the ASAP methodology.

    Oracle Implementation Methodology

    Oracle Financials uses Oracle’s application implementation methodology (AIM) as a management model.

    AIM incorporates two phases. Firstly, it is a methodology showing what tasks are required, in what order they

    should be completed, and what resources are required. Secondly, it provides deliverable templates for all tasks

    that require them. Hence, the hybrid of a methodology with a deliverable template tool makes AIM a powerful

     product.

    The biggest disadvantage of the AIM methodology is that it can be very complicated. Complexity means

    that the AIM methodology has plenty of deliverables, which can be more than 225. The large time frame of the

     project phase can be a significant disadvantage of this methodology. AIM is supposed to be used by

    experienced project managers, who pick and choose the tasks they require for each project. Most of the

    consulting companies have fine-tuned and took a tailored approach for the AIM methodology, based on their

    standard implementation practices. However, for new companies that are starting with the implementation and

    the benefits expected in a short time, this may be unacceptable.

    AIM defines business needs at the beginning of the project and maintains their visibility throughout the

    implementation. It defines internal, external, and time-sensitive business events and maps each event to the

    responding business and system processes. Using this method, the client gains an accurate understanding of the

     business requirements that need to be focused on during the course of the implementation. But the purpose ofimplementing an ERP is to use standard business models and reduce the large number of procedures, instead of

    using reinvent business models through implementing the existing processes in software.

    The processes in AIM represent a related set of objectives, resource skill requirements, inputs, and

    deliverable outputs. A task can belong to only one process. Project team members are usually assigned to a

     process, according to their specialization and background. A brief description of the AIM processes is given as

    follows:

    (1) The definition of business requirements. It defines the business needs that must be met by the

    implementation project. Business processes should be documented by identifying business events and

    describing the steps that respond to the corresponding events;

    (2) The mapping of business requirements. It compares the business requirements with the standard

    application software functionality and identifies gaps that must be addressed to fully meet business needs. As

    gaps between requirements and functionality emerge, they are resolved by documenting workarounds,

    alternative solutions, and application extensions or by changing the underlying business process. The business

     process should be changed to fulfill requirements for changes in a business, not just to overcome the

    inconsistency of the standardized software;

    (3) Application and technical architecture. During this phase, information system architecture is designed

    in such a way to reflect a business vision. Using the business and information system requirements, this process

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    facilitates the development of a plan for deploying and configuring the hardware required for a successful

    implementation;

    (4) Module design and build. They produce custom software solutions to gaps in functionality identified

    during business requirements mapping. Custom software solutions include program modules that must be

    designed, built, and tested before they are incorporated into the ERP system;

    (5) Data conversion. It defines the tasks and deliverables required to convert the legacy data to the Oracle

    applications tables. The first step of this process explicitly defines the business objects that are required for the

    conversion and the legacy source systems that store these objects. The converted data may be needed for

    system testing, training, and acceptance testing for production;

    (6) Documentation begins with materials created early in the project. Using detailed documents from the

     project, the writing staffs develop user and technical materials that are tailored to the implementation;

    (7) Business system testing focuses on linking test requirements back to business requirements and

    securing project resources needed for testing. It supports utilizing common test information including data

     profiles to promote testing co-ordination and minimize duplication of test preparation and execution effort;(8) Performance testing enables customers to define, build, and execute a performance test. An aim of the

     performance test is to make a decision whether the performance is acceptable for business or not. The tactical

    or strategic changes could be proposed, in order to address the performance quality shortfall. Performance

    testing is closely related to the application and technical architecture. They are interdependent;

    (9) User training. Training prepares both users and administrators to assume the tasks of running the new

    application system. It includes the development of materials and methods as well as administration. Instructors

    and courseware developers orient their materials towards roles and jobs instead of application modules;

    (10) Production migration. Production migration moves the company, system, and people to the new

    enterprise system. Following the production cutover, production migration monitors and refines the production

    system and plans for the future. The production migration process encompasses a transition to production

    readiness, production cutover, and post-production support.

    PeopleSoft Implementation Methodology

    PeopleSoft uses its own methodology consisting of the following phases:

    (1) Project planning: the planning of the engagement to the task level based upon the current information;

    (2) Analysis and design: Gather additional data, in order to prepare preliminary designs to meet the desired

    results;

    (3) Configuration and programming: configuration of the application to process in such a manner to meet

    expectations using best practices;

    (4) Testing: test the functionality of the configured system and the operational readiness;(5) Transition: coordinate and inform all organizations of the solution;

    (6) Post production: make appropriate adjustments and fine-tune the solution.

    PeopleSoft methodology practically fits the AIM methodology, since the Oracle acquisition of PeopleSoft

    was completed in 2005. Until 2005, PeopleSoft was the dominant ERP in South and North America.

    How Does the Methodology Affect the Success of Implementation?

    There are several factors to consider, when selecting the methodology used for the implementation. Some

    of the factors are external to impose some strict procedures and some are internal.

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    External factors may include the following:

    (1) Invitation to tender a public sector procurement information system. As part of the tender, there is a

    functional specification of the future information system. Functional specification defines a list of all

    functionalities needed to implement the ERP system in the future. During an initial preparation of functional

    specifications, the potential consulting firm does not know the functionalities (basic and advanced) that are

     built into the logic of a particular ERP system. Functional specification, in most cases, is an analysis of the

    existing processes and does not take into consideration specifics of an ERP system. Therefore, there is a large

    discrepancy, if strictly adheres to the functional specification that represents a major obstacle to a successful

    implementation during the implementation. In this case, the recommendation is to use the SAP procedure

    model implementation as the only solution for the successful implementation of the company;

    (2) Legislative requirements. Each brand name ERP system (SAP or Oracle Financials) has embedded the

    localization part. Localization is the set of processes/reports, which the state has prescribed. If it is not

    financially approved due to the same reasons (a few of clients, the industry line, etc.), the central management

    of an ERP system does not decide to make the localization set for a given business process/report that is

    required of a state of the company. In this case, the consulting company can do extensive editing code

    (programming) and therefore, the deviation from the ASAP methodology offers the best solutions and shortens

    the implementation time;

    (3) The turbulent market environment. Continuous changes in business processes caused by market factors

    consequently impose a change on the information system. Taking the company X for example, the sale of

     product A, which generated 65% of income, stopped, but there was a niche market to sell the product B, which

    was obtained by reprocessing the product A. In this specific case, it was necessary to implement new business

     processes for the transfer of goods under an operating system and a new business process in the production

    module. However, changes imposed by the market are often unpredictable. If companies want to be competitive,

    it is imperative that they must follow and incorporate business processes in the information system.Internal factors may include the following:

    (1) Companies’ regressive policies defined by the non-active and sluggish top management of the

    company. If top management does not want changes in business processes due to various factors (Profit is still

    a big risk, if something changes; there is no interest to participate), the risk of failure of implementation is very

    high;

    (2) The project team has no motivation to participate in the project. Often, employees in a company are

    unhappy with the current working conditions and have no motivation to spend even more time by participating

    in the implementation of ERP solutions. In this case, a consulting company recommends two solutions:

    (a) The company should hire new graduates, who are exempt from the burden of outdated business

     processes and are ready to prove the new environment;(b) The management of a company should create the rewarding model that motivates employees to

     participate in the ERP project.

    Some of the mentioned factors, as turbulent market conditions, are unavoidable, and the client and

    consulting company have no effect on them. Practically, the recommendation is that the company and the

    management in the company in particular must pay attention to the braking factors and eliminate them or at

    least minimize them. That would lead to a successful implementation of an ERP system. Anyhow, the

     progressive management of the company has to bring a huge influence on implementation, in order to

    maximize the implementation and consequently improve business processes.

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    The ASAP methodology also has implementation costs. There are no two identical SAP implementations,

     because there are many variables included, such as company size, number of divisions, project scope, approach,

    company culture, etc.. Therefore, it is very difficult to measure implementation costs. However, Aberdeen

    Group made a case study in 2010 based on their SAP implementation using the ASAP methodology. This study

    determined that implementation costs at these sites could be broken down as follows:

    (1) Consulting fees: 36%;

    (2) In-house labor: 21%;

    (3) License costs: 20%;

    (4) Training fees: 6%;

    (5) Hardware costs: 17%.

    The main difference is that consulting fees decreased the overall cost of the project compared with the

    congenial methodology, while a consulting company spends about 50% project money. Now, ASAP is

    established as a standard SAP methodology. A very large pool of experts comprising more than 140,000

    consultants worldwide have been trained in this methodology (ASAP, 2012).

    Conventional VS. Progressive Implementation Methodology of SAP ERP Solutions

    Like all the other methodologies, there are reasons for the pros and cons of using a certain methodology.

    Table 1 compares the characteristics of ASAP and SAP procedure model’s implementation methodology.

    Table 1 

    Characteristics of ASAP and Conventional Methodology

    Characteristic  ASAP  Conventional method

    Time  Fast  Slow

    Reengineering of the business

     processes 

    Time-consuming due to new processes

     

    Very fast, because existing processes are

    implementedApproach Fast, without a deeper analysis Based on a detailed analysis and consensus

    Implementation Focused and narrow Comprehensive

    Upgrade Less testing is required, since minimalcode changes are implemented

    More testing is required due to the extensivecode modifications

    Cost Minimal Very expensive

    Advanced business application programming (ABAP) development

    Minimal Extensive, due to excessive custom requirements 

     Number of consultants Relatively few are required Large teams of experts

    Employee turnover Low, due to less knowledge during theimplementation

    High, as extensive knowledge gained can beleveraged for a better job

    Knowledge transfer for employees Low, since a project is rushed and aconsultant allocates insufficient time

    High, since features are configured graduallywith the employee participation

    The progressive company management always prefers to accept new business processes based on the SAP

     best practice. In this manner, they can avoid fierce arguments for the ERP implementation and consequently

    vastly reduce the blueprint phase of businesses. When best practices are adopted, configuration is also reduced,

    since the best practice processes are already configured. Table 2 displays the standard cost, SAP procedure

    model, and accelerated costs.

    AIM Oracle Financials and PeopleSoft’s methodologies are considered as conventional methodologies due

    to their standardization and long existence.

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    Table 2 

    Cost Comparison of ASAP and Conventional Methodology

    Phase Standard cost  Accelerated cost  Saving

    Project preparation $50,000 $100,000 -$50,000 

    Blueprinting $125,000 $50,000 $75,000 

    Realization $175,000 $80,000 $95,000 

    Final preparation $125,000 $125,000 $0 

    Go-live $25,000 $25,000 $0 

    Total $500,000 $380,000 $120,000 

    Audit of ASAP Methodology

    There are two ways of control for a right implementation of the ASAP methodology. The first one is

    during the implementation and the second one is postponed and performed one or two years from the moment

    of go-live of the SAP implementation. The first way of control is considered as quality assurance (QA) control,

    and it happens when the top management of a company realizes the importance of adding QA to the project, in

    order to control critical points of the ASAP implementation. QA is responsible for the control of consultants’

    work and the proposition and implementation of new/better solutions for specific issues. Normally, QA is a

    third party person/company on the project and does not have any connection with a consulting or client

    company.

    The second way of control is the audit of the SAP methodology. Generally, the audit of the ASAP

    methodology is done after one or two years from the moment of go-live of the SAP implementation. In most of

    the cases, the audit of the ASAP methodology is part of the audit of the SAP implementation.

    Anyhow, there are several points accounting for the failure of the ASAP methodology:

    (1) Initial project planning in the preparation phase of a project. Participants on the projects heavily rely on

    initial project planning, in order to plan and utilize their time. On the other hand, initial project planning is not

    exact, due to the fact that there may be unexpected factors on the continuation of the project;

    (2) Organizational change management and the definition of the business organization structures in the

     business blue print (BBP) phase. New information systems always bring new structure and new ways of

    thinking, which could be a breaking factor for the vanilla implementation of the ASAP methodology;

    (3) The role of the project management in the realization phase. The purpose of the project management in

    the realization phase is to establish a cycle of project management activities to ensure that the implementation

    of the project is on schedule;

    (4) Cutover activities in the final preparation phase. Cutover activities are activities needed for a migration

    from an old system to a new system. The matching between the two systems (also called as interfaces) isalways critical, because there is no identical system all over the world.

    Conclusions

    In order to gain the optimal return value and success, companies should carefully select the methodology,

    on which the ERP system is based, because an inappropriate application and implementation of the ERP can

    harm the performance of an organization. The fast implementation and short return on investment in the ERP

    can be beneficial, if external consultant companies and companies’ project managers stick to plans and budgets,

    do the right things, and avoid traps. Instead of maintaining the previous business processes, it is more

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     preferable to use the standardized software with built-in business processes as the bases for organizational

    changes and the reduction of number of different business procedures. New business processes are needed, in

    order to respond to market environment and continuous challenges from competitors, and that should not be

    constrained by the ERP system. A chosen solution should be flexible with open architecture and a simple user

    interface. The ERP solutions of the new era will be simplified, in order to be more accessible and easier to use,

     probably based on the cloud computing and agile methodology. Security of personal date should be one of the

    first priorities in upgrading and integrating IT systems, and the data about customers and internal procedures

    cannot be lost.

    The top management of the company must participate as a control factor in each phase of an

    implementation and provide appropriate conditions for the ERP implementation. Balanced interactions between

    a consulting company and the top management of a company lead to the optimizing of the ERP

    implementation.

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