Value Realization in ERP Projects

In modern society, organizations are fighting each other through various means and tools in an ever-changing market at an increasing pace. One such tool is the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System which aims to collect the necessary applications an organization need into one system. Although the ERP solution has become more mature over the years, researchers suggest that value gained from them have become progressively difficult to iso-late, difficult to measure and challenging to realize. It was therefore in the interest of the authors to investigate the domain of value realization in ERP projects. To complete such a study we selected an inductive approach, focusing on acquiring and us-ing qualitative data and through the practice of behavioral science and design science con-tribute to existing theories. By studying existing theories and models in topics such as change management, enterprise resource planning & critical success factors and benefit management, we supported our primary data gathering and finally our the creation of our artifact. The result from this study points to a number of important components that are needed to realize value in an ERP project. These identified components include a clear structure in the project, commitment from the clients, and communication to name a few. There were also challenges with realizing value, some of them dealing with change man-agement and the difficulty in finding appropriate measures. Even client commitment proved to be a challenge for realizing value