A Critical Success Factors Model for Enterprise Resource Planning Implementation

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems are highly integrated enterprise-wide information systems that automate core business processes. The ERP packages of vendors such as SAP, Baan, J.D. Edwards, Peoplesoft and Intentia represent more than a standard business platform, they prescribe information blueprints of how an organisation’s business processes should operate. In this paper the scale and strategic importance of ERP systems are identified and the problem of ERP implementation is defined. A Critical Success Factors (CSFs) framework is proposed to aid managers develop an ERP implementation strategy. The framework is illustrated using two case examples from a research sample of eight companies. The case analysis highlights the critical impact of legacy systems upon the implementation process, the importance of selecting an appropriate ERP strategy and identifies the importance of Business Process Change (BPC) and software configuration in addition to factors already cited in the literature. The implications of the results for managerial practice are described and future research opportunities are outlined.