ERP Implementation the Blindspot in Software Engineering

The primary focus of software engineering (SE) has been on bespoke work, but many organisations now adopt a strategy of using Commercial-off-the-Shelf (COTS) products and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems to meet their requirements. The availability of extensive pre-existing functionality i...

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Main Authors: Hopcroft Maureen, Goodland Michael
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2010-12-01
Series:Journal of Algorithms & Computational Technology
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1260/1748-3018.4.4.481
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author Hopcroft Maureen
Goodland Michael
author_facet Hopcroft Maureen
Goodland Michael
author_sort Hopcroft Maureen
collection DOAJ
description The primary focus of software engineering (SE) has been on bespoke work, but many organisations now adopt a strategy of using Commercial-off-the-Shelf (COTS) products and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems to meet their requirements. The availability of extensive pre-existing functionality in these should reduce risk and improve performance and hence SE has not focused on this area. However, the Standish Group1 estimates only 10% of ERP implementations succeed with full functionality. Modern SE processes are comparable to those adopted by ERP business implementers, but do not overtly address ERP specific issues. Hence, they offer insufficient guidance to organisations and practitioners. The key issue is that, given pre-existing functionality, organisations need to make significant strategic and tactical decisions about whether to change the business to fit the system or whether to change the system to fit the business. This paper examines the current level of software process support for ERPs and the consequent implications for research. It analyses these issues from a theoretical and practical perspective, by relating the experience of ERP implementation to current and emerging SE processes.
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spelling doaj.art-74628b258fb74fe6beffd890e61377af2022-12-21T22:43:50ZengSAGE PublishingJournal of Algorithms & Computational Technology1748-30181748-30262010-12-01410.1260/1748-3018.4.4.481ERP Implementation the Blindspot in Software EngineeringHopcroft MaureenGoodland MichaelThe primary focus of software engineering (SE) has been on bespoke work, but many organisations now adopt a strategy of using Commercial-off-the-Shelf (COTS) products and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems to meet their requirements. The availability of extensive pre-existing functionality in these should reduce risk and improve performance and hence SE has not focused on this area. However, the Standish Group1 estimates only 10% of ERP implementations succeed with full functionality. Modern SE processes are comparable to those adopted by ERP business implementers, but do not overtly address ERP specific issues. Hence, they offer insufficient guidance to organisations and practitioners. The key issue is that, given pre-existing functionality, organisations need to make significant strategic and tactical decisions about whether to change the business to fit the system or whether to change the system to fit the business. This paper examines the current level of software process support for ERPs and the consequent implications for research. It analyses these issues from a theoretical and practical perspective, by relating the experience of ERP implementation to current and emerging SE processes.https://doi.org/10.1260/1748-3018.4.4.481
spellingShingle Hopcroft Maureen
Goodland Michael
ERP Implementation the Blindspot in Software Engineering
Journal of Algorithms & Computational Technology
title ERP Implementation the Blindspot in Software Engineering
title_full ERP Implementation the Blindspot in Software Engineering
title_fullStr ERP Implementation the Blindspot in Software Engineering
title_full_unstemmed ERP Implementation the Blindspot in Software Engineering
title_short ERP Implementation the Blindspot in Software Engineering
title_sort erp implementation the blindspot in software engineering
url https://doi.org/10.1260/1748-3018.4.4.481
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