Abstract
Disruptive business models, such as software as a service and open source software, have made Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) packages and related software more accessible for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). However, the consulting required to configure an ERP to meet the specific needs of an organization remains a major financial burden for SMEs. One configuration task which is common to many ERPs is category configuration. With the help of automated category configuration support, managers of small businesses can perform category configuration on their own and reduce part of the consulting cost. This chapter presents the design of generic automation approaches for ERP category configuration, their implementation and their application to the open source ERP package ERP5. The approaches are based on similarity of example data, automatic vocabulary consolidation through Wikipedia redirects and (meta-) templates. The empirical evaluation through a laboratory experiment with one hundred test persons and a survey supports the validity, effectiveness and utility of the designed artefact.
Reference40 articles.
1. Lessons from enterprise resource planning implementations in Ireland – towards smaller and shorter ERP projects
2. Obtaining Value from the Customization of Packaged Business Software
3. Soft design science methodology.;R.Baskerville;Proceedings of the 4th international conference on design science research in information systems and technology,2009
4. Tailoring ERP systems: a spectrum of choices and their implications
5. Bucher, D., & Meissner, J. (2010). Automatic Parameter Configuration for Inventory Management in SAP ERP/APO (Working Paper). The Department of Management Science.