Analyzing the Adoption of Enterprise Resource Planning Systems in Indian Organizations: A Process Framework

The results show that the ERP implementation process is composed of successive phases, in each of which a specific number of modules of the software are implemented.

Abstract

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems are designed to integrate various functions and processes. Although many studies have been conducted and reported on ERP implementation cases in the developed countries, there is very little literature on the experiences of companies in Asia and other parts of the developing world. These organizations confront issues which are significantly different from those faced by companies in the developed world, because of differences in the sophistication of IT use, and cultural and social contexts. This paper is based on an empirical study of ERP implementation exercises in Indian organizations. The results show that the ERP implementation process is composed of successive phases, in each of which a specific number of modules of the software are implemented. Each phase has distinct stages, which address specific activities within the phase and describe different aspects of the implementation process. Specific characteristics of each stage and their implications for managers have been discussed. Differences of the model with existing models have also been identified, and opportunities for generalizing it to other similar societies have been analyzed. © 2003 Taylor & Francis.