Business benefits and challenges of a multiple ERP landscape

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems are complex software systems which are expensive and risky to implement. Yet many organisations still struggle to produce strong business cases and the post implementation of ERP and the benefits that accrue to organisations is under studied. While ERP systems were designed to replace most business applications with one centralized system, organisations are increasingly implementing multiple ERP systems. In a multiple ERP landscape, there is less clarity on what benefits can accrue to organisations and whether the ERP investment is justified. This paper describes some ERP implementation challenges which an organisation with a multiple ERP landscape experienced and identifies the drivers for a multiple ERP landscape, it then compares published business benefits from organisations who have a traditional single ERP landscape to business benefits identified at the organisation. This single case study was performed at a financial services organisations in South Africa. This interpretive qualitative research followed a predominantly deductive approach. Fewer benefits accrued to the organisation with a multiple ERP landscape when compared to benefits from a traditional single ERP landscape and the differences are described in this paper. The study found that the achievement of strategic, organisational and infrastructural benefits are substantially compromised. The study contributes to post ERP implementation research and ERP benefits research. The findings will assist organisations when considering the business case for different ERP landscapes.