The purpose of this assignment is to conduct a feasibility study and report whether it would be wiser to implement ERP systems in SMEs. You need to think about what are the critical success factors, has any one conducted feasibility studies for adoption of ERP systems or any other Information systems, what was noticed in their study, are there any issues/challenges (budgets, infrastructure, skills, etc.) identified during the implementation process. Then, with the help of academic literature you may need to examine what is already known about implementation of ERP systems in order to identify any issues or risks pertinent to the SMEs context.
You are required to use academic literature to support and illustrate your report. It is important that you look at how issues and potential problems inter-relate and explain the linkages in order to present the risks. It is up to you to explain and justify why the risks you identify may be a problem in the new implementation. It is also important to situate them in terms of the literature on causes of Enterprise Systems failure. Use this literature to develop your recommendations for strategies or actions that can avoid or mitigate the risks. Be aware that it may not be possible to avoid or mitigate all risks.
Your audience are non-technical, however you can assume your readers are intelligent people who understand business arguments. Remember that there is no single right answer that will address all risks and recommendations. It is your choice to nominate which of the risks you believe are the most critical and up to you to select the most appropriate mitigation strategies for your recommendations. You will be assessed on your ability to persuade the reader, so it is essential you develop factual and logical arguments in your risk and recommendation justifications.
Report Structure
Your report should follow the following structure:
Executive Summary
This is a concise summary of the purpose of the report. It includes a brief summary of the findings of this report.
Introduction
This section describes the purpose and structure of the report: it sets out how the report is to be presented. You may use the introduction to set the context for the report and briefly discuss any relevant information pertaining to the Adoption of ERP systems by SMEs.
Risks
Each risk must include:
1. A description of the risk.
2. A justification for the inclusion of the risk in this report. This should link historical or contemporary factors with the current organizational context and literature. In other words, the reader must come away from reading this believing the risk you have detailed is worth the inclusion in the report and does pose a real threat to SMEs.
3. The implications or outcomes if the risk was realized (if not already covered).
There should be at least four (4) risks identified but no more than seven (7). Bear in mind that many risks will be inter-related and have common root-causes. Try to look for meta-themes and focus on identifying root-cause risks.