Midsize Insider: ERP Software Implemenation is Growing More Difficult

This article discusses a survey conducted by Panorama Consulting about companies with more than an annual revenue of $25 million about its use and experience of its ERP systems over the time period of January 2013 to February 2014  (Drew. 2014).  The article states that the companies’ expectations did not fully exceed their desired benefits, and that the increase in costs and scheduling concerns also contributed to the companies not fully utilizing or experiencing all that the ERPs had to offer (Drew, 2014).

1.  One issue that the article brought up is employee cooperation in utilizing the ERP, and how this can be a challenge for midsize businesses.  Do you think the benefits of using an ERP outweigh the costs and time of training employees to use these systems, particularly in a midsize business?

2.  The article discusses the level of dissatisfaction that companies may have with their ERP system, particularly by going over budget on projects.  What do you think the companies should do to ensure this kind of issue with budgeting does not occur when utilizing the ERP project, or do you think that this is the nature of the software?

3.  The article does state “that this survey was conducted by an ERP consulting company, which stands to benefit if ERP software implementation is considered too difficult for IT to handle,” while acknowledging that ERP implementation can be challenging.  Based on what you read in the chapter and any real life experience, do you believe that ERP systems may be too challenging for a business, or is it a matter of proper training and budgeting?

Link to article:  http://midsizeinsider.com/en-us/article/erp-software-implementation-is-growing-m