The underlying test: human, organisational and technical considerations adjoined with critical success factors when implementing ERP: a cases study of a UK SME

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems are pervasive information systems that have been fundamental in organisations for the past two decades. ERP systems may well count as the most important development in technology in the 1990s’. There are many ERP success stories; equally there are as many failure stories. However, organisations encounter obstacles when implementing ERP systems. This chapter intends to explore some of the problems that occur throughout the implementation of an ERP system. Through the exploration of the literature a framework is constructed considering Human, Organisational and Technical Considerations adjoined with Critical Success Factors when implementing ERP. Drawing on empirical evidences from a UK SME, this study then discusses and analyses each problem identified in the framework and its affect on the implementation of their ERP system. The findings of this paper suggests the fundamental challenge of ERP implementation is not technology but organisational and human problems, which, if not fully understood and addressed, can lead to ERP failure. Finally, this paper considers the critical success factors that resulted in the failure of the ERP at the case company in the chartering phase of the implementation. It is hoped this chapter will assist in understanding that Human, Organisational and Technical Considerations adjoined with Critical Success Factors will encourage practitioners to address these problems and increase their chance of success during ERP implementation.