This book explains an investigation into the ongoing
benefits management of enterprise resource planning
(ERP) applications. A conceptual model that details
the key factors relevant to ongoing management and
evaluation is identified and used to position the study.

One of the key findings of the study is that the
decisions that are made early in an application s
lifecycle may well impact the resultant business
benefits for the life of the
application. These decisions are often made by
organisational stakeholders who have insufficient
knowledge of the application and who are
inadequately supported by consultants concerning
macro business matters. The antecedents of poor
decisions are very difficult, in terms of time,
complexity and cost, to recover from and they can
ultimately result in ERP abandonment. The major
recommendation is that an organisation takes
managerial ownership of the application as early as
possible. A framework that specifies the factors
that an organisation needs to understand to properly
manage an operational ERP application are explained
and the management processes defined.

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