Enterprise Systems Research Paper Assignment (Report) (Research Paper Sample)

ENTERPRISE SYSTEMS RESEARCH REPORT
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Table of Contents TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u 1Introduction PAGEREF _Toc390225007 \h 41.1Background PAGEREF _Toc390225008 \h 42Enterprise Architecture and Business Strategy PAGEREF _Toc390225009 \h 52.1Definitions PAGEREF _Toc390225010 \h 52.1.1Enterprise Architecture PAGEREF _Toc390225011 \h 52.1.2Strategic planning PAGEREF _Toc390225012 \h 62.1.3How Enterprise Architecture Helps in the Execution of Business Strategy PAGEREF _Toc390225013 \h 73Evaluation of Supply Chain Planning and Execution Systems Available PAGEREF _Toc390225014 \h 83.1Supply Chain Management: Definition and Benefits PAGEREF _Toc390225015 \h 83.2Supply Chain Planning and Execution Systems PAGEREF _Toc390225016 \h 93.2.1Overview of SAP SCMTM PAGEREF _Toc390225017 \h 93.2.2SCM and ERP Integration PAGEREF _Toc390225018 \h 114Customer Relationship Management and Business Practice PAGEREF _Toc390225019 \h 124.1Definition PAGEREF _Toc390225020 \h 124.2Coordination of CRM with the latest SAP CRM software PAGEREF _Toc390225021 \h 134.3Recommendations for EAF PAGEREF _Toc390225022 \h 155Implementing SAP Business Intelligence (BI) and Analytics Modules PAGEREF _Toc390225023 \h 155.1Definition PAGEREF _Toc390225024 \h 155.2Implementation of BI and Analytics PAGEREF _Toc390225025 \h 155.2.1Risks to successful Integration and other Issues PAGEREF _Toc390225026 \h 155.2.2Benefits PAGEREF _Toc390225027 \h 165.3Recommendations to EAF PAGEREF _Toc390225028 \h 166Issues and Critical Success Factors for the Project Management and Upgrading of the Group's Enterprise Systems PAGEREF _Toc390225029 \h 176.1Decision-making Process PAGEREF _Toc390225030 \h 176.2Project Scope PAGEREF _Toc390225031 \h 176.3Teamwork PAGEREF _Toc390225032 \h 176.4Change Management PAGEREF _Toc390225033 \h 186.5Implementation Team and Executive Team PAGEREF _Toc390225034 \h 18References PAGEREF _Toc390225035 \h 19Appendix: Online Task PAGEREF _Toc390225036 \h 21
Introduction
As Nakakawa et al. (2011) put it, in today's business environment, the only constant is dynamics, with adaptiveness being the natural variable. What this implies is that for a firm to survive and be able to attain a sustainable competitive advantage, there is need to address the continuously evolving changes and challenges in its business environment. One proven traditional approaches that the organization may follow is strategic management (that is formulating, implementing and evaluating various strategies ). For any organization, the processes and capabilities that are provided by supply chain management (SCM) are critical in its strategic management practices. This is because, such processes and capabilities determine how efficient the organization is at production as well as reaching and being appealing to its market. High level of efficiency implies reduction in the costs incurred and this enhances the performance of the organization. In the modern day organization, information technologies play a critical role in ensuring an efficient SCM system. As times change, the enterprise systems that the organization will implement also keep evolving. In the following discussion, the processes and capabilities of supply chain management will be looked into. The discussion will focus on Enterprise architecture, supply chain planning and execution systems, customer relationship management, Business intelligence and success factors for project management.
Background
In order to link theory with practice, this report will be based on a hypothetical company, EAF (Euro Automotive Fabrication) group which is a large manufacturing firm with distribution and manufacturing operations in several EU member states. The management of EAF group, has realized the need to do an upgrade to its business process and information systems. The organization is currently in the process of expanding its operations into new member states, implying that its already complicated supply chain will experience further increase in complexity. Streamlining of the organization's business processes is required in order to ensure better management of information in all the company's activities. The group's current Enterprise Planning System (ERP) is outdated and there is need for the organization to do an upgrade for it to enhance its competitiveness. The upgrade required incorporates development of B2B and B2C facilities that will enhance the ties between EAF and its suppliers and customers. The new systems will also enable the organization to maximize the benefits realized from internet trading.
Enterprise Architecture and Business Strategy
Definitions
Enterprise Architecture
The gaining of prominence of IT in the running of businesses has led to the development of many architectural domains and corresponding architecture domains aimed at addressing each of the domains. Since its formal establishment in 1987, enterprise architecture has been the subject of a numerous definitions and refinements. One of the definitions perceive enterprise architecture as being a normative means for directing enterprise transformations (Nakakawa et al., 2011). The normative means implied in the definition are usually represented in the form of requirements, principles and models of different views; with their role being acting as normative instruments for achieving intended transformation of the organization. Common definitions in practice include those by The Open Group's Architecture Framework (TOGAF), the MIT Sloan Centre for Information System Research (CISR) and the United States General Accounting Office (GAO). All the definitions by these organizations incorporate three common themes. First, the role of enterprise architecture should be the optimization and alignment of IT resource of an organization with its business objectives and goals. Second, by its nature, enterprise architecture is manifested as a set of models which are inter-related. Third, the set of models are characterized by the use of a prescriptive model such as one of CISR's four operating models or Zachman's original work (Erol et al., 2009). From various definitions, one clear aspect is that enterprise architecture if well implemented is key in enhancing an organization's performance.
Strategic planning
For an organization, strategic planning may be viewed as the process through which the mission and long-range objectives of the firm are defined, implemented and evaluated (David, 2011). Within the context of strategic enterprise planning, envisioning a novel and evolving enterprise is itself a highly demanding task that requires insightful and dedicated executive leadership. During strategic planning, one asks themselves several questions. Such questions include: how do suppliers and customers perceive our enterprise? How does the enterprise achieve its corporate objectives?, How do various stakeholders of the enterprise view it?, How can we enable and support the enterprise? and so on (David, 2011). One of the ways of finding an answer to the planning questions is the legacy approach where one cobbles together in an ‘ad hoc' manner the activities of various functional departments and organizations, sometimes referring to the result as a cross-functional process. For example, when researching a complaint by the customer, one experiences a scenario where departments blame each other so that eventually, the solution offered is a treatment of the symptom rather than the cause. To ensure such a situation does not occur, there is need to develop a clear understanding, control and purpose of the cross-function process and ensure that an honest analysis of the process is carried out. This calls for the building of an integrated enterprise architecture.
How Enterprise Architecture Helps in the Execution of Business Strategy
In the past, there was a tendency for firms to consider IT as a cost centre that makes no contribution to the organization's bottom line and that which plays no role in helping the company gain a competitive advantage. As per this stance, the best that IT could do to the organization is contribute to the reduction in costs. However, the last decade has seen a change in attitudes towards IT. Organizations' executives are realizing that IT may indeed result in an increase in revenue. Lohe and Legner (2014) report that in the decade between 1992 to 2002, the percentage of IT investments resulting in the growth of revenue within corporations grow by 50% to an estimated 80%. These figures show that IT is now more than an overhead for the organization, it is an asset which may be monitored, controlled and managed like any other (Medini & Bourey, 2012). Through enterprise architecture, the organization is able to treat all its IT assets as a portfolio as opposed to treating them as individual items.
Creation and implementation of Enterprise Architecture allows the organization to improve its operations, as well as the alignment of various technologies to the organization's business needs. This stance may be demonstrated through considering three scenarios. The first is focus on value gained to the organization and the customer. Through business architecture, the organization is able to perform an analysis of its key value chains. An organization's value chain may be defined as the services and functions that result in the most economic value for the firm and provide the company's customers with the necessary products, services and information to maintain loyalty (Van Hillegersberg et al., 2001). Value chains are critical in the performance of the organization as they form the foundation of the firm's ability to compete and hence grow in market conditions that are dynamic in nature. This implies that a clear understanding of the va...