Critical success factors for ERP implementations in Belgian SMEs

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine the critical success factors of ERP implementations in Belgian SMEs and to identify those success factors that are specific to a SME environment. Design/methodology/approach - The authors survey the literature to discover and classify critical success factors that are potentially applicable to small and medium-sized enterprises. Through a survey and a multiple case study within four Belgian companies, the authors investigate which of these critical success factors apply to SMEs. Findings - The results show that most of the success factors found in the literature apply to SMEs. Nevertheless, distinct differences were found as well. Some factors, such as a clear scope definition and a standardised infrastructure, are not regarded as critical success factors for SMEs. Moreover, SMEs tend to rely relatively heavily on the input of consultants, who they use as a source of knowledge and experience. Moreover, SMEs need to be able to adjust their businesses quickly to be able to exploit their niche to the fullest extent. Research limitations/implications - The research is limited to Belgian enterprises. Originality/value - For SMEs, it is particularly important to recognise the elements for a successful ERP implementation. This paper examines the critical success factors of ERP implementations in small and medium-sized enterprises, while the existing literature on critical success factors of ERP implementations focuses on large enterprises.