Proposing a New Framework and an Innovative Approach to Teaching Reengineering and ERP Implementation Concepts

Recognizing the need to teach ERP implementation and business process reengineering (BPR) concepts simultaneously, as well as the pedagogical limitations of the case teaching method and simulation tools, the objective of this study is to propose a new framework and an innovative teaching approach to improve the ERP training experience for IS students. The proposed framework, derived from Kettinger et al.'s (1997) BPR framework and the AcceleratedSAP® ERP implementation methodology, was developed to center the organization transformation process on business process redesign and not on the ERP solution. The new framework was then tested with post-graduate students completing their MIS program in partnership with a multinational firm that manufactures residential furniture. Analyzing and reengineering one of our partner's processes and configuring SAP R/3 in our laboratory to support one of the firm's newly reengineered sub-processes demonstrated that the framework offers a very structured, rigorous methodology for teaching BPR and ERP implementation concepts. More generally, the proposed framework and teaching approach helped students to learn "more" by doing and to understand the various skills required when conducting ERP and process improvement projects.