ERP implementation through critical success factors' management

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify practical activities that are essential for managing enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation projects and that answer to the expectations of the widely recognized critical success factors (CSFs). Design/methodology/approach – This work is based on an extensive literature review on CSF, which has been followed by a Delphi survey with a panel of ERP experts. For each CSF, it obtained a range, validated by experts, of practical actions to perform, supported by the resolution of the problems usually encountered in these areas. Findings – The work carried out has a practical scope: the principles of the proposed method directly affect all actors in ERP projects and gives them practical results that they can apply immediately. When applied in the framework of the methodology the paper suggests, these actions will result in better oversight over the requirements of each area of expertise. In this way, overall grasp of the project is facilitated, reducing the inherent uncertainties. Research limitations/implications – Findings may be limited by the small number of respondents, but each one had participated in several implementations. Moreover, no industry sector was specifically targeted; thus, the results apply a priori to most implementations. Originality/value – This research helps to draw the academic and professional domains together by proposing, for the first time, a way for theoretical findings to be translated into practical actions. These results will allow all actors in an ERP implementation to understand the project imperatives faster and more accurately.