Maximizing Return on Investment Using ERP Applications

EMPOWERING THE FUTURE BY OPTIMIZING THE PAST

All of the discussion in this chapter has focused on changing the collective mind-set of business organizations as they consider the roles that IT and IT strategy play in producing tangible and positive business benefits. There is an old adage that states, “If you can’t imagine it, you can’t achieve it.” This is very true of the potential benefits to be derived from integrated ERP applications. Leaders of business organizations must be able to imagine IT producing positive business benefits continuously over the years. The amount of business returns will, of course, vary from business to business, based on size, on complexity, on the quality of the initial ERP implementation (defined by business process designs), and, always, on the contextual understanding of the relationships among business applications, business processes, and business results. Although this book is focused on using the existing capabilities of these systems and recovering the benefits that have been left on the table, either due to failure to resolve cross-functional design issues or due to functionality not yet implemented, there is another attractive benefit from engaging in this work.

A key to success will depend on how the program governance function discussed in Chapters 10 and 11 is implemented and executed; however, some discussion of governance is warranted here, because the way IT strategy is perceived and defined will either enable or hinder the ability ...