Enterprise Resource Planning Implementation in Organization - Assignment Example

INTRODUCTION This survey is designed to research and analyze the critical success factors in ERP upgrades. It is envisioned that the findings shall assist in the improvement of the company’s performance due to proper ERP implementation and reducing the negative impacts of the implementation. You are one of the people selected to participate in this study. Your responses will be treated with confidentiality during and after the study. NB. Please you are going to give your opinions based on a five –point scale as shown below. Strongly agree 5 Agree 4 Uncertain 3 Disagree 2 Strongly disagree 1 1. Please type your response/choice number (i.e. 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5) in the blank text box provided. You may make a comment on your choice in the space below each item. 2. You are kindly requested that once you have received the questionnaire, fill it in and return it as soon as possible. 3. From the next page, you will find statements and a set of numbers with a title above each. 4. All questions should only have one answer Example: on a scale of 1-5, where 1 means strongly disagree and 5 means strongly agree, to what extent do you agree that ERP implementation in United Arab Emirates companies has enhanced performance? Typing 4 as shown alongside suggests agreement that ERP implementation has enhanced organizational performance. A possible comment in support of the choice may be as shown: 1. To what extent to you believe that the company’s management positively influenced ERP implementation 2. How would you rate the ERP implementation strategies as being the most appropriate? 3. All the concerned stakeholders were engaged in the ERP implementation 4. All the stakeholders concerns, opinions and suggestions were appropriately considered during the ERP implementation 5. There were better alternative ERP that DUBAL could have implemented instead of implementing SAP ERP 6. The users concerns and fears were appropriately addressed during the ERP implementation 7. The ERP implemented at DUBAL was rather hurried, and implemented in squeezed timeframe 8. The ERP training of personnel to effectively use the ERP was adequate 9. The project managers have stuck to the ERP implementation timeline, and the system implementation is within time schedule 10. The system is upgradable in future to suit changing company demands 11. The company should extend the ERP system to include production and engineering sections in the company, i.e. twine the production systems with the ERP. 12. The ERP implementation team considered suggestions and perceptions from different quarters. 13. The ERP vendor where responsive and supportive to DUBAL during ERP implementation 14. The ERP vendors have offered strong support and after sales follow up to the company after implementing ERP 15. The ERP implementation was within the defined constrains 16. DUBAL has adequate infrastructure to support optimal ERP utilization 17. There are well trained and experienced personnel at DUBAL to ensure that the system is always in use 18. The company took adequate steps to mitigate against risks associated with project failure and system failure 19. The ERP implementation has substantially impacted on the user’s way of doing work 20. All the critical success factors were addressed before and after the ERP implementation 21. The senior management was involved in the entire implementation of the ERP from the beginning to the end 22. All users were satisfied with the ERP implementation 23. ERP implementation at DUBAL was exceptional in that there were no post implementation flaws 24. Did the ERP implementation at DUBAL follow the requisite conventional project implementation phases? 25. The project satisfied all the envisioned objectives of the company From questions 26 – 30 tick the most suitable answer/answers; each question can have more than one answer. 26. What influenced DUBAL in the choice of its ERP vendor Vendors Reputation Product price ERP features and functionality suit the company’s requirements Advice from other organizations There was no other probable alternative Previous experience with the vendor Other 27. Which type of consultancy was provided to the company during the ERP implementation? None Project planning support System selection support System design support Project management support Technical implementation support Business process redesign support Training support Other 28 What are some of the critical failure factors that could have impacted in the system implementation? Dirty data Troubled User adoption Not well defined Project objectives High turnover rate of project team members Too tight project schedule Unrealistic project expectations Poor knowledge transfer 29. What factors led DUBAL to implement an ERP system Efficiency Replace legacy systems Provide better management tools Increase customer satisfaction Reduce computing costs Other 30. Which operations of the company have had to be redesigned as part of the ERP implementation? Financials Human Resource Operations Manufacturing Management Task Two The Dubai Aluminium Company Limited (DUBAL) is an Aluminiun focused company in the United Arab Emirates; which deals with several other products. The company has achieved paramount growth since its inception, which has complicated the management operations of the company. The company implemented SAP ERP in nine months which went through several stages. Project assessment stage was combined with initiation stage as the initial stages. Planning phase was the second stage, design phase was combination of several steps, which are further categorized as Preliminary design and Final design was the third stage. The Project Execution phase was the fourth stage which was followed by the Project closing stage. Essentially, the project has not formally closed but is being continually reviewed in the post implementation stage. Task 3 Survey analysis Analysis of the results from the Surveymonkey suggests that most of the respondents (66.7 %) strongly agreed that the company’s management positively influenced ERP implementation. The average rating was 4.00 indicating agreement. In addition, most respondents were uncertain on whether the strategies implemented by DUBAL were the most appropriate. The respondents were in agreement that all the concerned stakeholders were engaged in the ERP implementation, this contrast with the fact that most respondents disagreed that users concerns and fears were appropriately addressed during ERP implementation. The respondents were also uncertain if there were better alternative ERP instead of SAP ERP, but strongly agreed that the ERP implementation at DUBAL was hurried. There were diverse responses on whether the DUBAL personnel were trained adequately to use the ERP. On average, the users were uncertain if the system is upgradable in future to suit changing company demands, while 100 % of the respondents strongly agreed that the company should extend the ERP system to include production and engineering sections in the company. Furthermore 100% of the respondents agreed that the ERP vendor were supportive to DUBAL during ERP implementation. The rating average however suggested that the respondents were uncertain on whether the ERP vendors have offered strong support and after sales follow up after implementing the system. All respondents agreed that DUBAL has adequate infrastructure to support optimal ERP utilization, while all the respondents (100 %) were uncertain if there were well trained and experienced personnel at the company to ensure that the system is always in use. The respondents (66.7 %) disagreed that the company took adequate steps to mitigate against risks associated with project and system failure, while 100 % of the respondents strongly agreed that the ERP implementation has impacted on the users way of work. The respondents also agreed (100 %) that all the critical success factors were addressed before and after the ERP implementation. Most respondents were in agreement that the senior management was involved in the entire ERP implementation process, while 66.7% strongly agreed that all users were satisfied with the ERP implementation. Whereas 33.3 % of the respondents disagreed that there were no post implementation flaws, 66.7 % agreed that there were no post implementation flaws. All the respondents were of the opinion that ERP implementation at DUBAL did not follow the requisite conventional project implementation phases, while 66.7 % agreed that the project satisfied all the objectives of the company. Vendor’s reputation and ERP features and functionality suiting the company’s requirements are the main factors (66.7 %) influencing the choice of the ERP vendor. Efficiency and the need to replace legacy systems mainly led to the company to implement and ERP system, in addition financials and human resource are the main company operations that have had to be redesigned as part of ERP implementation. This can be graphically represented below Task four Conclusion Several resources were used in the project. This includes software such as survey monkey, in addition, the author has learned several things on how to successfully implement an ERP such as engaging all the users. Furthermore it recommended that the company should engage all the users in the entire system implementation and as well offer training to all the potential users. The success factors include engaging all users, proper planning and setting achievable objectives. The critical failure factors include Dirty data, Troubled User adoption and not well defined Project objectives. Read More