Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP): A Postimplementation Cross-Case Analysis

Abstract

In today’s intensely competitive marketplace, companies can benefit strategically and tactically from enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, if implemented correctly. However, with failure rates estimated to be as high as 50% of all ERP implementations, companies can be negatively impacted by a poorly performing ERP system. The research on ERP has focused on events leading to the selection, evaluation, and implementation of the ERP system. The intent of this research is to identify new or lightly researched theories regarding the difficulties of ERP implementations that can help practitioners successfully manage ERP implementations by performing a post-ERP implementation examination of eight corporations. We examine operations management (OM) literature rather than information systems (IS) literature in order to provide IS readers with an alternative yet valuable analysis. Further, we purposely avoid well-established findings by performing a large literature review. This article is based on a qualitative research design using case-study methodology. The propositions derived from the case studies form solid insight into the considerations that may influence the success of an ERP system.