Enterprise Resource Planning Implementation Differences Within the Same Methodology - Case Study From West Europe and Turkey

Abstract

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems are vital for competitive edge in today's business world. ERP is an integrated information system that serves all departments within an enterprise. Therefore, business processes should be optimised before ERP implementation in order to catch a perfect implementation. Before year 2000 all the giant firms realised their ERP projects and after that best practises took place. After those trial and error based experiences, ERP vendors need to form an ERP implementation methodology. Big ERP vendors developed implementation methodologies, they were almost the same; starting from project preparation to selection, implementation to maintenance and control. Those project methodologies improved the success rate of ERP implementations. This research is both empirical and qualitative. In fact it consists of two monographic researches. They are both about ERP implementations in the same sector. One of the firms is a national one and other one is a multinational one. Both implementations done by the same consultant team with the same methodology, so the evaluation of the project is more objective than any other questionnaire based ones, which are filled by different implementation teams. The findings of the comparison are surprisingly different from each other within the implementations, although they both used the same methodology. Basic steps of the ERP implementation such as: project preparation, business blueprint, realization, final preparation and go live & support differs from each other both in national and multinational firms. The major difference is seen in the first steps which are project preparation and business blueprint. Multinational firm seems to have more chance than the national one in achieving organisational efficiency through successful ERP implementation. The research outcome is useful for professionals running implementation projects and those making decisions on ERP implementation. The results can also be used by practitioners managing ERP projects in order to avoid from implementation methodology illusion.