A paradigm for ERP and BPR integration

In order to sustain a competitive edge in this global manufacturing era, enterprises need to adopt appropriate improvement schemes. Two widely-used tools have been Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Business Process Reengineering (BPR). ERP is identified as the most applicable information system for the modern manufacturing industry. In addition, many BPR practitioners have identified the use of information technology (IT) as a critical factor for the success of BPR. Nevertheless, research into IT for BPR and hence ERP is limited. One of the major reasons why the ERP system has not been implemented successfully is the inappropriate use of design and implementation methodology employing the modern BPR concept. Accordingly, in this paper, the authors propose a conceptual model called the Hierarchical Design Pyramid (HDP), to implement ERP under an enterprise re-engineering (BPR) context, using an integrated structured and object-oriented tool to design a novel manufacturing system in a total quality environment. The proposed model aims to provide a basis for manufacturers to implement ERP in a systematic manner.