Implementation of an ERP System at a Service Company

This paper deals with a practical example for the implementation of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system at a service company with intercultural background. The study aims at providing an assessment proposal on the most suitable ERP system for the case study company. The paper starts with a chapter on ERP systems. Firstly, general features, ERP system architecture and its advantages & disadvantages are presented. Case study specific characteristics regarding ERP systems are presented as well. In the next chapter, the concept of Business Process Management (BPM) is introduced. Apart from the nature of business processes, the methodology and execution of BPM with open-source software Process Maker are discussed.. Finally, a case study is presented, in which an ERP system is selected based on the results of foregoing BPM. Findings from filled requests for proposals provide the basis for a value analysis of five different vendors. A sensitivity analysis was conducted as well to see how changes of one variable affect the whole outcome. The study was successful in a way that an assessment proposal was delivered. It will be interesting to see whether the framework developed in this paper is actually valid in a real business context.