IT Internship Workbook
4 ERP systems
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is a term used to describe software
that supports multiple functions across an entire business
organization. ERP developed in the industrial environment where
manufacturers must grapple with critical issues of inventory,
multiple suppliers, economies of procurement, and records-keeping associated
with thousands of
products and customer orders. Computer programs known generically as
"materials resource planning" software "grew up" into complex
suites that now cross organizational boundaries to gain efficiencies
in these processes. ERP concepts have spread to non-manufacturing areas such
as human resources,
financials, customer relationship management (CRM) and other
records-keeping areas. It's likely that as an IT professional you will come in
contact with ERP systems at some point in your career.
The web-based articles listed below provide a good overview to
ERP systems and also point out some of the risks associated with their
implementation. These articles have been selected to provide a
comprehensive look at the ERP phenomenon and a real-life
case study of a major ERP implementation.
Links you need to explore for this chapter: