Aligning an Enterprise System with Enterprise Requirements: An Iterative Process

Aligning an off-the-shelf software package with the business processes of the enterprise implementing it is one of the main problems in the implementation of enterprise systems. The paper proposes an iterative alignment process, which takes a requirement-driven approach. It benefits from reusing business process design without being restricted by predefined solutions and criteria. The process employs an automated matching between a model of the enterprise requirements and a model of the enterprise system capabilities. It identifies possible matches between the two models and evaluates the gaps between them despite differences in their completeness and detail level. Thus it provides the enterprise with a set of feasible combinations of requirements that can be satisfied by the system as a basis for making implementation decisions. The automated matching is applied iteratively, until a satisfactory solution is found. Object Process Methodology (OPM) is applied for modeling both the system and the enterprise requirements, which are inputs for the automated matching. The alignment process has been tested in an experimental study, whose encouraging results demonstrate its ability to provide a satisfactory solution to the alignment problem.