Enterprise Resource Planning: Existing Systems

Evelyn Jarvis
Southern New Hampshire University
IT-657-Q1674 Enterprise Resource Planning 22TW1
Dr. Benjamin Perez
21st October 2022

Introduction
It is always paramount for an organization to have a robust framework in place to help them deal with any changes (Hansmann & Neumann, 2019). Bearing in mind that the current business environment is being shaped and driven by information technology (IT) organizational changes are inevitable. Therefore, the George Washington School District needs to have a robust framework in place to make the implementation process successful. The current system being used at the district includes 40 school databases, a student information system, a district portal, 40 individual school websites and a voice-over-internet protocol (VoIP).
However, the District needs to integrate all these systems to attain efficiency and better information management. This is because the current business system is proprietary running on an AS/400 mainframe that is vulnerable. It is essential for the District to realize that they have problems that need to be solved.
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP): Existing Systems
Enterprise resource planning (ERP) refers to a type of software that organizations use to manage day-to-day business activities (Bjelland & Haddara, 2018). The purpose of ERP systems is to coordinate functions like accounting, procurement, project management, risk management, and compliance, among many other systems in the organization.
The District uses various systems like the student information system, human resource system, risk management, and research and assessment, integrating all these systems is the answer to the problems they are facing.
Through integration the District will achieve a better and effective ERP system that will help them improve service delivery. Similarly, through integration, the District will obtain a new structure that will facilitate smooth flow of information. Other key benefits of adopting an ERP system in the District include higher levels of productivity, improving business processes and achieving efficiency.
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP): System
The George Washington School District needs to adopt an ERP system that will help them solve their existing and future problems. Bearing in mind that there are over 30 schools in the district it is obvious that the district has the responsibility of handling huge amounts of data.
However, it is important for the District to ensure that they select the best ERP system. Having an ERP system that works for the District is vital because an ERP system is not cheap to buy and maintain. Therefore, to avoid wastage of resources it is critical for the District to conduct a SWOT analysis to identify the Strengths and weaknesses of the existing system they use. Secondly, it is also wise for the District to ensure that the ERP system they want aligns itself with their goals and objectives.
Recommended ERP system
Based on the current situation at the George Washington School District, it is obvious that the District needs an ERP system to help manage the extensive information they have efficiently and integrate the various systems they have.
Therefore, the best ERP system for the District to use is SAP ERP. SAP stands for System Applications and Products in Data Processing. SAP is the market leader in ERP software and helps companies of all sizes (Hansmann & Neumann, 2019). It is also important to understand that SAP ERP incorporates the key business functions of an organization.
Key benefits of SAP ERP
 Avoid duplication and ensures highest levels of transparency
 The ERP system is cost efficient (Schniederjans & Yadav, 2020)
 Highly customizable
 Can be integrated with other value chain participants and systems
 The ERP system offers absolute analysis and forecast (Amini & Sadat, 2013).
 The ERP system has advanced data management capabilities
Based on the above benefits, it is clear that the District is going to solve its data management problem and integrate the various systems they have to start functioning efficiently.
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP): Software Integration
Integration of software and technology is a critical issue when it comes to attaining a robust ERP system. Therefore, the George Washington School District should ensure that the integration process is done well. Similarly, it is critical for the District to ensure that they hire competent and skilled software experts to facilitate the integration process successfully.
Therefore, all the systems will be fully integrated through the central database. The key organizational needs to consider will include: the level of employee training and organizational needs and goals (Yılmaz & Ozcan, 2011). Additionally, it will be wise to hire ERP experts to oversee the implementation process.
The system integration plan for the different system in the District will be as follows:
• Step One: Definition and Approval
This will involve establishing guidelines and requirements for the system integration process, getting approval from the senior management and the system integrator analyzing the proposed information system (Schniederjans & Yadav, 2020).
• Step Two: System setup
This step includes the following activities. The IT Tech orders and receives the hardware and software. Setting up of computers, networks, and the software at different locations (Amini & Sadat, 2013). Next the IT Tech picks a key corporate engineer and a key plant level prototyping technician, for these three individuals will form the implementation team. Lastly the IT Tech trains corporate engineer and prototyping technician for smooth implementation and system setup.
• Step Three: Training and system validation
All District engineers and plant level prototype technicians are trained in the use of the system (Bjelland & Haddara, 2018). This training will be conducted in such a way by the project team, that each user will feel a sense of ownership in the prototyping system.
• Step Four: System Follow-up
This is the last step of the process. Its purpose is to ensure that the system is working as planned after some time of familiarity (Yılmaz & Ozcan, 2011). Additionally, it helps to identify any problems and how they can be eliminated.
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP): Visualization
The image below represents how the Enterprise resource planning process will look like once the District successfully implements it.

Figure 1 : ERP architecture (Hansmann & Neumann, 2019).
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP): Assessment of Proposed Integration
It is also important to assess the proposed integration at the District when the implementation process is over. The assessment shall be done considering the following critical issues.
 Performance of the new system
If the proposed integration delivers the best results then the District can go ahead and use the new system as planned.
 Business goals and objectives
Secondly, the proposed integration should make it possible for the District to achieve its set objectives smoothly and if this is not happening then changes have to be initiated as soon as possible.
 Ease of use and efficiency of the new system
Is the proposed integration making it possible for the District to attain efficiency? Similarly is the new system easy to use according to feedback obtained from the users?
 Cost of the proposed integration
Is the proposed integration affordable? The senior management should also ensure that the implementation process is done within the stipulated budget to avoid any spillovers and financial challenges.
Implementation: Timeline and Steps
The ERP implementation process includes installing software, transferring all the data, both financial and transactional data, mapping all processes and training users to actually use the software (Hansmann & Neumann, 2019). This process will determine whether the proposed ERP implementation is a success or a failure.
The following are the steps to be followed for the ERP implementation and the timeline to be followed.
Step Timeline
1.Putting together an ERP project team 1 week
2.Develop an ERP implementation change management plan 4 days
3. Forecast ERP implementation costs and draft a budget 1 week
4.Start and continue migrating ERP data 3 weeks
5.Train the ERP user base 1 week
6.Plan and initiate ERP go-live activities 1 week
7. Evaluate the ERP implementation process 1 week

Implementation: Tools
It is paramount for the George Washington School District to understand that there are various tools needed to make the ERP system function effectively and efficiently. Some of the leading ERP tools include;
 Database management tool
 Workflow management tool
 Permission-based control
 Communication tool
 Analytical tool
 Reporting tool
Additionally, it is important to have a robust criterion in place that can be used to evaluate these tools (Amini & Sadat, 2013). The District can use the following key performance indicators (KPI’s) to evaluate the selected ERP implementation tools.
 Ease of data management
 Cyber security
 Employee satisfaction
 Productivity
 IT spending
 Customer experience
Implementation: Business Processes
It is important for George Washington School District to understand that implementing ERP systems has advantages and disadvantages. Assessing the pros and cons of implementing the ERP system will help in understanding the value or benefits associated with ERP systems and its downsides too. Some of the key reasons why the District should adopt an ERP system include the following.
 Makes Inter-Departmental collaboration possible (Yılmaz & Ozcan, 2011)
ï‚ž Better accuracy and availability of information
ï‚ž Easier access to management systems (Bjelland & Haddara, 2018).
ï‚ž Enhanced reports
ï‚ž Attaining reliable data security (Amini & Sadat, 2013).
ï‚ž Better information management practices
Conclusion
In a nutshell, the following can be said. The ERP system will help the George Washington School District to achieve better information management and efficiency too. This will make information sharing possible and eliminate any discrepancies too. The implementation process should be done by competent and skilled ERP experts. It is also important to ensure that the implementation process is in line with the District’s current needs and goals.

References
Amini, M., & Sadat, N. (2013). Critical Success Factors for ERP Implementation. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2256382
Bjelland, E., & Haddara, M. (2018). Evolution of ERP Systems in the Cloud: A Study on System Updates. Systems, 6(2), 22. https://doi.org/10.3390/systems6020022
Hansmann, H. and Neumann, S. (2019) “Process-oriented implementation of ERP systems,” Process Management, pp. 283–321. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-15190-3_10.
Schniederjans, D. and Yadav, S. (2020) “Successful ERP implementation: An integrative model,” Business Process Management Journal, 19(2), pp. 364–398. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1108/14637151311308358.
Yılmaz, Y., & Ozcan, G. (2011). Implementing ERP systems with accelerated ERP more efficient and quickly – a best practice. Journal of Systems Integration, 2, 28-37. https://doi.org/10.20470/jsi.v2i3.97