Enterprise system implementation in integrated context

Integration within and between companies is facilitated and supported by means of enterprise systems like Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Product Data Management/Product Lifecycle Management (PDM/PLM) systems. Despite the many successes that have been reported in the literature, in many companies the promise of enterprise systems is often not or only partly achieved. Implementation of such systems appears to be extremely difficult and complex. An enterprise system implementation project is multifaceted and different for each context. Business processes often need to be aligned with the best practices embedded in the enterprise system, while taking into account many other factors. In this paper, a model is offered to support start-up and execution of enterprise system implementation projects. It supports taking into account context-specific factors that make one project different from another. The model is based on results from the IST project BEST (Better Enterprise SysTem implementation). Based on the model a prototype tool has been developed to support improvement of enterprise system implementation projects by identifying weak areas and facilitating learning from previous experience.