Interrelation between ERP Modification and Modification Scheduling: Four SME Case Studies in Croatia

ERP customization and implementation requires significant resources and is a timely and complex project. ERP implementation became extremely demanding for SMEs because such projects generally include modifications with all the inherent risks of software development process. In this paper the relations between the impact of the amount of ERP changes and the scheduling of these changes on key project parameters is presented. The study was conducted in four medium-size companies in Croatia, which are similar in organization and operations, and all have successfully completed the implementation of one and the same ESP system. Data for analysis were collected during the project implementations. The results showed the expected large impact of ERP modifications on the project duration. However: it was found that the wise dividing of modifications into two phases and their good planning can significantly affect the duration and cost of the project. (C) 2011 Journal of Mechanical Engineering. All rights reserved.