University ERP Preparation Analysis

Abstract

he Enterprise Resources Planning (ERP) systems are one of the most frequently used systems by business organizations. Recently, the university sectors began using the ERP system in order to increase the quality of their academic and administrative services. However, the implementation of ERP is complicated, risky, and no one factor can guarantee a successful system. Previous studies were primarily concerned with Critical Success Factors (CSFs) in business organizations and organizational success factors. This produced plenty of information about these topics. However, the university environment and structure is different, which encourages us to study its specific technical critical success factors. In this paper, Palestine Polytechnic University (PPU) will be our case study. Our attention is concentrated on technical success factors at PPU. Firstly: the paper focused on the technical problems which current systems in the PPU suffered from, in order to extract the particular CSFs which are needed to implement ERP systems. Secondly: the paper focused on the most technical critical factors that ensure successful implementation of the ERP project. Thirdly: a study of the degree to which PPU’s technical staff uses software engineering practices during the development process has been conducted by focusing on phases activities. Our main aim is to get a pool of parameters related to a successful preparation of universities’ ERP systems.