¶ … ERP related job? Analysis of responses received for

How does your level of job difficulty compare after ERP to before ERP?

Analysis of responses received for

How many hours of training did you receive on ERP?

Analysis of responses received for

Which of the following processes does your job include?

Analysis of responses received

How valuable was your ERP training?

Analysis of responses received

Were you performing your current job prior to ERP?

Analysis of responses received for

How long were you in this job role prior to implementation of ERP?

Analysis of responses received for

Did the responsibilities of your job increase or decrease after ERP?

Analysis of responses received for

Question 9. Has ERP helped or hurt your ability to perform your job?

Analysis of responses received for

Question 10. How does the number of steps required to perform your job compare after ERP to before ERP?

Analysis of responses received to question 10

4.13 Question 11. How does the amount of information required for you to perform your job compare after ERP to before ERP? 11

4.13.1 Analysis of responses received for question 11

4.14 Question 12. How has the number of customer orders that you are able to process on a daily basis changed post ERP and compared to pre-ERP? 11

4.14.1 Analysis of responses received for question 12

4.15 Question 13. How has the number of customer orders received on a daily basis changed post ERP? 12

4.15.1 Analysis of responses received for question 13

4.16 Question 14. Are there post ERP tools required to perform your job that you do not have access to? 14

4.16.1 Analysis of responses received for question 14

4.17 Question 15. Are external customers more or less satisfied with the ability of your company to deliver products since implementation of ERP? 14

4.17.1 Analysis of responses received for question 15

4.18 Question 16. Are you rewarded in this job commensurate with others performing a like function? 15

4.18.1 Analysis of responses received for question 16

4.19 Question 17. Have you applied for another job in the last 2 years? 16

4.19.1 Analysis of responses to question 17 16

4.20 Unexpected results of the research 16

4.21 Observation of Customer Order Processing 17

4.22 Trustworthiness and reliability of the data 18

4.23 Summary 19

CHAPTER 5 -Summary, Conclusion, and Recommendations 22

5.1 Introduction 22

5.2 Overview 22

5.3 Challenges Regarding Implementation of ERP System 22

5.4 Significance of Social Change 24

5.5 Conclusions 25

5.6 Research Implications 26

5.7 Reflection on the researcher's experience 26

5.8 Recommendations for action 27

5.9 Recommendations for future research or study 27

5.10 Closing Statement 28

5.11 Summary 28

References 30

APPENDIX A: 34

APPENDIX B. 36

CHAPTER 4-Results

4.1 Introduction

In this chapter the results of the research and the impact that implementation of an ERP system had on the employees and business processes at Sahnisons Manufacturing Company are presented. The study was performed to obtain answers to the following four research questions

1. Why was the organization prompted to integrate the ERP and the SCM systems?

2. How were the integration project managed and what resources were required to manage it?

3. What challenges and obstacles were faced by the organization and how were they solved?

4. What changes were required to the existing processes due to integration?

4.2 The Findings of the Research

An analysis of the responses to each of the survey questions is presented here.

4.3 Question 1. What is your current ERP related job?

The data received with regards to this question are found in table 2 below

Table 1-ERP Job Categories

Job Categories

Qty

Customer Service Representative

14

Inventory Schedule Controller

3

Implementation Team Member

4

Manager

4

4.3.1 Analysis of responses received for question 1

No analysis of data was required for responses to this question. The question was used to determine the number of research participants in each of the job categories in the Sahnisons Manufacturing Company

4.4 Question 2. How does your level of job difficulty compare after ERP to before ERP?

The data received with regards to this question are found in table 2 below

Table 2-Level of job difficulty before and after ERP implementation

Job Categories

About the Same

More Difficult

CSR

0

14 out of 14

ISC

0

3 out of 3

ITM

0

4 out of 4

Mgr

3 out of 14

1 out of 4

Figure 1-Level of job difficulty before and after ERP implementation

4.4.1 Analysis of responses received for question 2.

A review of the responses indicates that the majority of the Customer Service Representatives (CSRs), Inventory Schedule Controllers (ISCs), and Implementation Team Members (ITMs) perceive that their jobs have become more difficult. In contrast, management personnel feel that the levels of difficulty in their jobs are about the same as it was prior to ERP.

When people can't do their jobs in the familiar way and haven't yet mastered the new way, the panic, and the business goes into spasms (Koch, 1999)

How many hours of training did you receive on ERP?
The data received with regards to this question are found in table 3 below

Table 3-Hours of Training received

Job Categories

1-4 hrs

5-8 hrs

9-16 hrs

40+ hrs

CSR

0

0

3 out of 14

11 out of 14

ISC

0

0

0

3 out of 3

ITM

0

0

1 out of 4

3 out of 4

Mgr

0

0

1 out of 4

3 out of 4

4.5.1 Analysis of responses received for question 3

As noted by Sumner, 1999; Welti; 1999; Soh, 2000 and Kelly, 1999, proper training is one of the main critical success factors. An analysis of the information received from the above question indicates that the majority of all personnel performing job roles as CSR, ISC, ITM, and Mgr received at least forty hours of training on ERP. This training varied slightly depending on the job role that the employee was to perform.

4.6 Question 4. Which of the following processes does your job include?

The data received with regards to this question are found in table 4 below

Table 4-Processes performed by each ERP job category

Job Categories

Customer Order Processing

Parts Forecasting Parts

Shipping

All of these areas

CSR

14 out of 14

0

0

0

ISC

0

3 out of 3

0

0

ITM

2 out of 4

2 out of 4

0

0

Mgr

1 out of 4

0

1 out of 4

2 out of 4

4.6.1 Analysis of responses received for question 4

Analyzing the survey responses reveals that each of the job roles included in the research impacts a different part of the overall process of customer order receipt and processing. All job roles, with the exception of management personnel, fulfill a specific part of the overall process to ensure that customer orders are received and processed into the ERP system. Part number schedules must then be accurately forecast to fulfill these orders, for products to be shipped in a timely manner to fill customer requirements.

A customer order, for example, can flow through the system efficiently, rather than journey in paper form, being keyed and rekeyed into different systems along the way. Each time an order is entered into a different system or travels via interdepartmental mail, the possibility of introducing errors or loss increases. Slater (1998) states that it should be easy for anyone to see that a single, enterprise-wide computer system should be cheaper and easier to maintain than a hodgepodge of antiquated Cobol applications from a dozen different vendors. Michel (1997) also described that the use of ERP is critical in improving customer satisfaction.

4.7 Question 5. How valuable was your ERP training?

The data received with regards to this question are found in table 5 below

Table 5-Value of training received.

Job Categories

Not Valuable

Slightly Valuable

Valuable

Very Valuable

CSR

0

0

12 out of 14

2 out of 14

ISC

0

0

2 out of 3

1 out of 3

ITM

0

0

2 out of 4

2 out of 4

Mgr

0

0

4 out of 4

0

Figure 2-Value of training received

4.7.1 Analysis of responses received for question 5

A training plan approach should be developed early in the project and continue well after the implementation phase (Esteves and Pastor, 20004). A review of the answers received for this question reveals that each of the employees in the Sahnisons Manufacturing Company perceive that ERP training was valuable, or very valuable to them in order to perform their respective jobs.

It is evident from previous research that ERP training is usually very expensive because workers almost invariably have to learn a new set of processes, not just a new software interface (Slater, 1998). When people cannot do their jobs in the familiar way, and have not mastered the new way, they often panic, and the business goes into spasms. Wheatley (2000) argues that when ERP implementations go wrong, usually the culprit is discovered as being a lack of prior training. He explains that this is not the technical training of the core team of people who are installing the software, but the education of the broad user community of managers and employees who are supposed to actually run the business with the new system.

4.8 Question 6. Were you performing your current job prior to ERP?

The data received with regards to this question are found in table 6 below

Table 6-Employees performing same job prior to ERP implementation

Job Categories

Yes

No

CSR

14 out of 14

ISC

3 out of 3

ITM

4 out of 4

Mgr

4 out of 4

4.8.1 Analysis of responses received for question 6

All participants in this study were performing their jobs prior to implementation of ERP. This criterion ensured the researcher that all participants would have knowledge of the system and processes both prior to ERP implementation and also afterwards.

Note: There was one new CSR that was ineligible to participate in this research, which reduced the total number of participants in this category to 14.

4.9 Question 7. How long were you in this job role prior to implementation of ERP?

The data received with regards…