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ddkity84 · Wysłany: Pon 10:00, 21 Mar 2011 Temat postu: What Is ERP

By : John Welsh
Submitted 2011-03-02 02:19:33 Modern business management has seen many challenges arise for communication among the various departments of an organisation. To deal with these challenges, the field of Enterprise Resource Planning or ERP has emerged. Prior to computers (and even after the first computers arrived on the scene), businesses had different systems for every department: Accounting departments had their software, while Human Resources had a different system.
Then there was the Customer Service department, and they had yet another system. ERP is, quite simply,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], an efficiency tool; a way to help the myriad departments of an organisation to communicate and work together more effectively through technology, even if those departments are not housed under the same roof. What ERP systems do is streamline multiple business processes by using a computer system that has a common database and the capability to separate off different computer modules for each department. While the modules have different functions,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], they look and operate the same way so that all sectors of the business have access to each other.
Converting to an ERP system brings departments together and reduces the need for multiple entries of the same information in different divisions. For example: A customer calls company ABC to order a product. Once the order is placed and entered into the ERP system, multiple departments are aware of it simultaneously: Customer service,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], accounting, manufacturing, etcâ€¦ This saves both the customer's wait time, and the company's response time.
Another advantage of ERP systems is that some have the capability to incorporate outside vendors as well as inside departments. This makes for quick responses in the supply chain, and increased responsiveness to customers.
ERP challenges
While the benefits to an ERP system are numerous, there are also some challenges. First, an ERP system requires that the company has the technological infrastructure to run it. Having a strong internal technology department that can assist in the system's requirements and implementation is a must. The technology department will also need to be prepared to handle any problems that arise after the system is in place, including any necessary system maintenance to ensure that the system doesn't fail.
Because of the technology needed to bring all of the modules together in an ERP system, it can be costly to implement. Part of the cost is hardware, and part is ongoing training needs. The ERP system will only be helpful when employees know how to utilize its components to their full potential. Employees who are not adequately trained will not use the system effectively, and many will become frustrated with the changes. Additionally, training costs will be high in organizations that experience high turnover.
An ERP system's sole purpose is to bring all departments of an organization together with a common computer system. This can be complicated when those departments do not share common tasks, and thus, the system itself can be complicated and difficult to learn. Because an ERP system can be an effective efficiency tool in a large business, it is a good idea to research a variety of systems and evaluate what will provide the most benefits for the lowest cost.