SAP implementation in medium-sized international enterprise

Za informacijsko podporo celotnemu poslovanju v podjetjih uporabljajo celovite informacijske rešitve (v nadaljevanju ERP rešitve). Njihova značilnost je, da imajo eno podatkovno bazo in so narejene tako, da ne omogočajo podvajanja podatkov. Sestavlja jih več modulov, kot so finance in računovodstvo, proizvodnja, prodaja, nabava, človeški viri. Na trgu se pojavlja veliko ponudnikov ERP rešitev, zato morajo v podjetju, ki se odloča o uvedbi temeljito premisliti katerega ponudnika bodo izbrali. Uvedba ERP rešitve je razdeljena na dva dela. Izbira ponudnika je prvi del, drugi del je uvedba. Podjetja se za ERP rešitve odločajo, ker želijo poenotiti svoje poslovne procese, imeti en informacijski sistem, kjer so združeni vsi podatki, poenostaviti poslovanje in izboljšati podporo kupcem. Projekt uvedbe ERP rešitve je potrebno v podjetju obravnavati na organizacijski in tehnološki ravni. Kritični dejavniki uspešnosti, so dejavniki, ki lahko vplivajo na izid uvedbe. Za podjetja je priporočljivo, da se na začetku projekta pozanimajo o njih, ter o težavah, ki so jih imeli tisti, ki so že uvedli ERP rešitev. Podjetje SAP je s svojo ERP rešitvijo SAP R/3 vodilni ponudnik na svetovnem trgu. Uvajanje SAP poteka po metodologiji pospešenega SAP (v nadaljevanju kratica ASAP). Za pomoč pri uvedbi in sledenju metodologiji ASAP podjetja največkrat najamejo svetovalce, ki jim pomagajo pri projektu. Na voljo pa so jim tudi po koncu projekta. V celotnem projektu je izredno pomembna podpora vodstva podjetja, priprava projektnega načrta in vključitev končnih uporabnikov v projekt. Zavedati pa se je potrebno tudi pomena izobraževanja končnih uporabnikov. Saj če zaposleni niso izobraženi in ne vedo kako se rešitev uporablja je vsaka rešitev, ne glede na to koliko funkcij ima na voljo neuporabna. Uvedba ERP rešitve v mednarodno podjetje predstavlja izziv ne samo za podjetje, ki se za ta projekt odloči, temveč tudi za svetovalce. Težave, ki se pojavljajo pri takih projektih so povezane s kulturo, predvsem gre za jezikovne ovire, z valuto, če gre za države, ki niso v EU in ne uporabljajo evra, z različnimi lokacijami in lokalizacijo rešitve. Za uspešen zaključek mednarodnih projektov je potrebno dobro sodelovanje svetovalcev in zaposlenih, dobro razvita komunikacija in seveda skrbno načrtovan plan projekta. Preden pa se podjetje loti uvedbe ERP rešitve pa je potreben skrben in natančen popis poslovnih procesov. Z njim ugotovijo kaj je potrebno spremeniti, posodobiti in urediti tako, da se bo kar v največji prilagajalo rešitvi, ki jo v podjetju uvajajo. V izbranem primeru so morali narediti vrsto sprememb v poteku poslovnih procesov, izboljšav in prilagoditev. Največ težav so imeli z urejanjem matičnih podatkov, ki je bilo hkrati najbolj obsežno delo.To provide IT support for all business activities, companies use comprehensive IT solutions (hereinafter ERP solutions). It is distinctive of them to have a single database and to be created so that they do not allow for data duplication. They are comprised of several modules, including finance and accounting, manufacturing, sales, purchasing, and human resources. There are many ERP solutions providers on the market, which is why when deciding on the implementation, companies have to carefully consider which provider they will select. The implementation of ERP solutions consists of two partsselecting the provider being the first one and the implementation itself the second one. The project of implementing an ERP solution in a company has to be addressed on the organisational and technological levels. Critical success factors are factors that can affect the outcome of the implementation. It is recommended that at the beginning of the project companies explore them and the troubles experienced by those who have already implemented ERP solutions. The SAP Company’s ERP solution SAP R/3 makes them a leading global provider. The SAP implementation relies on the methodology of the accelerated SAP (hereinafter abbreviated as ASAP). To get assistance with the implementation and monitoring of the ASAP methodology, companies usually hire consultants to help them with the project. The consultants are also available after the project has been carried out. The key aspects of the entire project are the support of the company’s management, the preparation of a project plan and the inclusion of end users in the project. It is also important to note the significance of educating end users. If employees are not trained and lack the knowledge on how to apply a solution, all solutions will be ineffective regardless of how many functions they have. Implementing an ERP solution in an international company is a challenge not only for the company that decides on this project but for the consultants as well. Problems that arise in such projects have to do with culture, especially language barriers, the currency (when countries are not EU member states and do not employ the euro), with different locations and with the localization of the solution. Good cooperation between consultants and employees, well-developed communication and an elaborate project plan are all essential for successfully completing an international project. However, before companies start implementing ERP solutions, they have to make a detailed and precise inventory of business processes. This allows them to determine which things need to be altered, updated and edited, so that they will be maximally adapted to the solution being implemented. Our chosen example required a series of changes in the course of business processes, improvements and adjustments. What proved to be most problematic was editing master data, which also demanded most extensive work