NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Enterprise resource planning

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems attempt to integrate several data sources and processes of an organization into a unified system. A typical ERP system will use multiple components of computer software and hardware to achieve the integration. A key ingredient of most ERP systems is the use of a unified database to store data for the various system modules. For other uses, see Data (disambiguation). ... Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) is defined as the uses of software and computer systems architectural principles to integrate a set of enterprise computer applications. ... This article is principally about managing and structuring the collections of data held on computers. ...

The two key components of an ERP system are a common database and a modular software design. A common database is the system that allows every department of a company to store and retrieve information in real-time. Using a common database allows information to be more reliable, accessible, and easily shared. Furthermore, a modular software design is a variety of programs that can be added on an individual basis to improve the efficiency of the business. This improves the business by adding functionality, mixing and matching programs from different vendors, and allowing the company to choose which modules to implement. These modular software designs link into the common database, so that all of the information between the departments is accessible in real time.

[edit] Origin of the term

The initials ERP originated as an extension of MRP (material requirements planning then manufacturing resource planning) and CIM (computer-integrated manufacturing) and was introduced by research and analysis firm Gartner. ERP systems now attempt to cover all basic functions of an enterprise, regardless of the organization's business or charter. Non-manufacturing businesses, non-profit organizations and governments now all use ERP systems. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 449 Ã— 599 pixelsFull resolution (934 Ã— 1247 pixel, file size: 240 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Manufacturating Resource Planning or MRP2 Around 1980, over-frequent changes in sales forecasts, entailing continual reajustments in production, as well as the unsuitability of the parameters... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 449 Ã— 599 pixelsFull resolution (934 Ã— 1247 pixel, file size: 240 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Manufacturating Resource Planning or MRP2 Around 1980, over-frequent changes in sales forecasts, entailing continual reajustments in production, as well as the unsuitability of the parameters... Look up acronym, initialism, alphabetism in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The initialism MRP or M.R.P. can stand for many things: Material requirements planning or Material resource planning and Manufacturing resource planning (MRP II) Maximum retail price Manufacturers recommended price Machine-readable passport Magnum rifle powder Lewis Machine & Tool Monolithic Rail Platform Major Research Paper Malware Removal and... Manufacturing Resource Planning (MRP2 or MRPII) - Around 1980, over-frequent changes in sales forecasts, entailing continual reajustments in production, as well as the unsuitability of the parameters fixed by the system, led MRP (Material Requirements Planning) to evolve into a new concept : Manufacturing Resource Planning or MRP2[1] Material Requirements... Manufacturating Resource Planning (or MRP2) - Around 1980, over-frequent changes in sales forecasts, entailing continual reajustments in production, as well as the unsuitability of the parameters fixed buy the system, led MRP (Material Requirement Planning) to evolve into a new concept : Manufacturating Resource Planning (e. ... Gartner, Inc. ...

To be considered an ERP system, a software package must provide the function of at least two systems. For example, a software package that provides both payroll and accounting functions could technically be considered an ERP software package.

However, the term is typically reserved for larger, more broadly based applications. The introduction of an ERP system to replace two or more independent applications eliminates the need for external interfaces previously required between systems, and provides additional benefits ranging from standardization and lower maintenance (one system instead of two or more) to easier and/or greater reporting capabilities (as all data is typically kept in one database).

Examples of modules in an ERP which formerly would have been stand-alone applications include: Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Financials, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Human Resources, Warehouse Management and Decision Support System. Manufacturing (from Latin manu factura, making by hand) is the use of tools and labor to make things for use or sale. ... Supply chain management (SCM) is the process of planning, implementing, and controlling the operations of the supply chain as efficiently as possible. ... Finance studies and addresses the ways in which individuals, businesses and organizations raise, allocate, and use monetary resources over time, taking into account the risks entailed in their projects. ... Customer relationship management (CRM) is a broad term that covers concepts used by companies to manage their relationships with customers, including the capture, storage and analysis of customer, vendor, partner, and internal process information. ... This article is about human resources as it applies to business, labor, and economies. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Decision support systems are a class of computer-based information systems including knowledge based systems that support decision making activities. ...

[edit] Overview

Some organizations — typically those with sufficient in-house IT skills to integrate multiple software products — choose to implement only portions of an ERP system and develop an external interface to other ERP or stand-alone systems for their other application needs. For example, one may choose to use human resource management system from one vendor, and the financial systems from another, and perform the integration between the systems themselves. Human Resource Management Systems (HRMS, EHRMS), Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS), HR Technology or also called HR modules, shape an intersection in between human resource management (HRM) and information technology. ...

This is very common in the retail sector^{[citation needed]}, where even a mid-sized retailer will have a discrete Point-of-Sale (POS) product and financials application, then a series of specialized applications to handle business requirements such as warehouse management, staff rostering, merchandising and logistics. The BancNet (BN) Point-Of-Sale System is a local PIN-based electronic funds transfer (EFTPOS) payments solution operated by BancNet on behalf of the member banks and China UnionPay (CUP). ...

Ideally, ERP delivers a single database that contains all data for the software modules, which would include:

Enterprise Resource Planning is a term originally derived from manufacturing resource planning (MRP II) that followed material requirements planning (MRP).^[2] MRP evolved into ERP when "routings" became a major part of the software architecture and a company's capacity planning activity also became a part of the standard software activity.^{[citation needed]} ERP systems typically handle the manufacturing, logistics, distribution, inventory, shipping, invoicing, and accounting for a company. Enterprise Resource Planning or ERP software can aid in the control of many business activities, like sales, marketing, delivery, billing, production, inventory management, quality management, and human resource management. Manufacturing (from Latin manu factura, making by hand) is the use of tools and labor to make things for use or sale. ... Supply chain management (SCM) is the process of planning, implementing, and controlling the operations of the supply chain as efficiently as possible. ... Finance studies and addresses the ways in which individuals, businesses and organizations raise, allocate, and use monetary resources over time, taking into account the risks entailed in their projects. ... A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product or service. ... This article is about human resources as it applies to business, labor, and economies. ... Customer relationship management (CRM) is a broad term that covers concepts used by companies to manage their relationships with customers, including the capture, storage and analysis of customer, vendor, partner, and internal process information. ... A data warehouse is the main repository of an organizations historical data, its corporate memory. ... Manufacturing Resource Planning (MRP II) is defined by APICS as a method for the effective planning of all resources of a manufacturing company. ... Manufacturing Resource Planning (MRP2 or MRPII) - Around 1980, over-frequent changes in sales forecasts, entailing continual reajustments in production, as well as the unsuitability of the parameters fixed by the system, led MRP (Material Requirements Planning) to evolve into a new concept : Manufacturing Resource Planning or MRP2[1] Material Requirements... Manufacturing (from Latin manu factura, making by hand) is the use of tools and labor to make things for use or sale. ... Look up Logistics in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Wikibooks [[wikibooks:|]] has more about this subject: Marketing Distribution (or placement) is one of the four aspects of marketing. ... Inventory is a list of goods and materials, or those goods and materials themselves, held available in stock by a business. ... Damaged package The Panama canal. ... An invoice or bill is a commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer, indicating the products, quantities and agreed prices for products or services with which the seller has already provided the buyer. ... It has been suggested that Accounting scholarship be merged into this article or section. ... Software redirects here. ... In economics, a business (also called firm or enterprise) is a legally recognized organizational entity designed to provide goods and/or services to consumers or corporate entities such as governments, charities or other businesses. ... Sales are the activities involved in providing products or services in return for money or other compensation. ... Delivery is the process of transporting goods. ... Quality management is a method for ensuring that all the activities necessary to design, develop and implement a product or service are effective and efficient with respect to the system and its performance. ... Human resource management (HRM) is the strategic and coherent approach to the management of an organizations most valued assets - the people working there who individually and collectively contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the business. ...

ERP systems saw a large boost in sales in the 1990s as companies faced the Y2K problem in their legacy systems. Many companies took this opportunity to replace their legacy information systems with ERP systems. This rapid growth in sales was followed by a slump in 1999, at which time most companies had already implemented their Y2K solution.^[3] This article is about the millennial computer glitch. ... This article is about the millennial computer glitch. ...

ERPs are often incorrectly called back office systems indicating that customers and the general public are not directly involved. This is contrasted with front office systems like customer relationship management (CRM) systems that deal directly with the customers, or the eBusiness systems such as eCommerce, eGovernment, eTelecom, and eFinance, or supplier relationship management (SRM) systems. Office types Class A office space Back office Front office Mobile office Paperless office Serviced office Small office/home office Virtual office A back office is a part of most corporations where tasks dedicated to running the company itself take place. ... Customers are waiting in front of a famous fashion shop for its grand opening in Hong Kong. ... Customer relationship management (CRM) is a broad term that covers concepts used by companies to manage their relationships with customers, including the capture, storage and analysis of customer, vendor, partner, and internal process information. ... Supply chain management (SCM) is the process of planning, implementing, and controlling the operations of the supply chain as efficiently as possible. ...

ERPs are cross-functional and enterprise wide. All functional departments that are involved in operations or production are integrated in one system. In addition to manufacturing, warehousing, logistics, and information technology, this would include accounting, human resources, marketing, and strategic management. Accountancy (profession)[1] or accounting (methodology) is the measurement, statement, or provision of assurance about financial information primarily used by managers, investors, tax authorities and other decision makers to make resource allocation decisions within companies, organizations, and public agencies. ... This article is about human resources as it applies to business, labor, and economies. ... Next big thing redirects here. ... Strategic management is the art and science of formulating, implementing and evaluating cross-functional decisions that will enable an organization to achieve its objectives[1]. It is the process of specifying the organizations objectives, developing policies and plans to achieve these objectives, and allocating resources to implement the policies...

ERP II means open ERP architecture of components. The older, monolithic ERP systems became component oriented.^{[citation needed]}

EAS — Enterprise Application Suite is a new name for formerly developed ERP systems which include (almost) all segments of business, using ordinary Internet browsers as thin clients.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Before

Prior to the concept of ERP systems, it was not unusual for each department within an organization to have its own customized computer system. For example, the human resources (HR) department, the payroll department, and the financial department might all have their own computer systems.

Typical difficulties involved integration of data from potentially different computer manufacturers and systems. For example, the HR computer system (often called HRMS or HRIS) would typically manage employee information while the payroll department would typically calculate and store paycheck information for each employee, and the financial department would typically store financial transactions for the organization. Each system would have to integrate using a predefined set of common data which would be transferred between each computer system. Any deviation from the data format or the integration schedule often resulted in problems. Human Resource Management Systems (HRMS), Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS), or also called HR modules, shape an intersection in between human resource management and information technology. ...

[edit] After

ERP software, among other things, combined the data of formerly separate applications. This simplified keeping data in synchronization across the enterprise, it simplified the computer infrastructure within a large organization, and it standardized and reduced the number of software specialties required within larger organizations.

[edit] Best Practices

Best Practices were also a benefit of implementing an ERP system. When implementing an ERP system, organizations essentially had to choose between customizing the software or modifying their business processes to the "Best Practice" function delivered in the vanilla version of the software. Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Best Practice is a management idea which asserts that there is a technique, method, process, activity, incentive or reward that is more effective at delivering a particular outcome than any other technique, method, process, etc. ...

Typically, the delivery of best practice applies more usefully to large organizations and especially where there is a compliance requirement such as IFRS, Sarbanes-Oxley or Basel II, or where the process is a commodity such as electronic funds transfer. This is because the procedure of capturing and reporting legislative or commodity content can be readily codified within the ERP software, and then replicated with confidence across multiple businesses who have the same business requirement. International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), often known by the older name of International Accounting Standards (IAS) are a set of accounting standards. ... Before the signing ceremony of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, President George W. Bush meets with Senator Paul Sarbanes, Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao and other dignitaries in the Blue Room at the White House July 30, 2002. ... -1... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Electronic funds transfer or EFT refers to the computer-based systems used to perform financial transactions electronically. ...

Where such a compliance or commodity requirement does not underpin the business process, it can be argued that determining and applying a Best Practice actually erodes competitive advantage by homogenizing the business as compared to everyone else in the industry sector. Regulatory compliance refers to systems or departments at corporations and public agencies to ensure that personnel are aware of and take steps to comply with relevant laws and regulations. ... The secondary sector of industry is the manufacturing sector of industry. ...

[edit] Implementation

Because of their wide scope of application within a business, ERP software systems are typically complex and usually impose significant changes on staff work practices.^{[citation needed]} Implementing ERP software is typically not an "in-house" skill, so even smaller projects are more cost effective if specialist ERP implementation consultants are employed.^{[citation needed]} The length of time to implement an ERP system depends on the size of the business, the scope of the change and willingness of the customer to take ownership for the project.^{[citation needed]} A small project (e.g., a company of less than 100 staff) may be planned and delivered within 3-9 months; however, a large, multi-site or multi-country implementation may take years.^{[citation needed]} For other uses, see System (disambiguation). ...

To implement ERP systems, companies often seek the help of an ERP vendor or of third-party consulting companies. These firms typically provide three areas of professional services: consulting, customization and support. Management consulting is the process of helping companies to improve or transform themselves. ...

Data migration is one of the most important activities in determining the success of an ERP implementation. Since many decisions must be made before migration, a significant amount of planning must occur. Unfortunately, data migration is the last activity before the production phase of an ERP implementation, and therefore receives minimal attention due to time constraints. The following are steps of a data migration strategy that can help with the success of an ERP implementation: ^[4]

[edit] Process preparation

ERP vendors have designed their systems around standard business processes, based upon best business practices. Different vendor(s) have different types of processes but they are all of a standard, modular nature. Firms that want to implement ERP systems are consequently forced to adapt their organizations to standardized processes as opposed to adapting the ERP package to the existing processes.^[5] Neglecting to map current business processes prior to starting ERP implementation is a main reason for failure of ERP projects.^[6] It is therefore crucial that organizations perform a thorough business process analysis before selecting an ERP vendor and setting off on the implementation track. This analysis should map out all present operational processes, enabling selection of an ERP vendor whose standard modules are most closely aligned with the established organization. Redesign can then be implemented to achieve further process congruence. Research indicates that the risk of business process mismatch is decreased by:

A disadvantage usually attributed to ERP is that business process redesign to fit the standardized ERP modules can lead to a loss of competitive advantage. While documented cases exist where this has indeed materialized, other cases show that following thorough process preparation ERP systems can actually increase sustainable competitive advantage.^[9]^[10]

[edit] Configuration

Configuring an ERP system is largely a matter of balancing the way you want the system to work with the way the system lets you work. Begin by deciding which modules to install, then adjust the system using configuration tables to achieve the best possible fit in working with your company’s processes.

Modules - Most systems are modular simply for the flexibility of implementing some functions but not others. Some common modules, such as finance and accounting are adopted by nearly all companies implementing enterprise systems; others however such as human resource management are not needed by some companies and therefore not adopted. A service company for example will not likely need a module for manufacturing. Other times companies will not adopt a module because they already have their own proprietary system they believe to be superior. Generally speaking the greater number of modules selected, the greater the integration benefits, but also the increase in costs, risks and changes involved.

Configuration Tables – A configuration table enables a company to tailor a particular aspect of the system to the way it chooses to do business. For example, an organization can select the type of inventory accounting – FIFO or LIFO – it will employ or whether it wants to recognize revenue by geographical unit, product line, or distribution channel. This article is about FIFOs in computing and electronic design. ... In a stack, the topmost item, which is added last, is taken out first. ...

So what happens when the options the system allows just aren’t good enough? At this point a company has two choices, both of which are not ideal. It can re-write some of the enterprise system’s code, or it can continue to use an existing system and build interfaces between it and the new enterprise system. Both options will add time and cost to the implementation process. Additionally they can dilute the system’s integration benefits. The more customized the system becomes the less possible seamless communication becomes between suppliers and customers.

[edit] Consulting Services

Many organizations did not have sufficient internal skills to implement an ERP project. This resulted in many organizations offering consulting services for ERP implementation. Typically, a consulting team was responsible for the entire ERP implementation including planning, training, testing, implementation, and delivery of any customized modules. Examples of customization includes additional product training; creation of process triggers and workflow; specialist advice to improve how the ERP is used in the business; system optimization; and assistance writing reports, complex data extracts or implementing Business Intelligence.

For most mid-sized companies, the cost of the implementation will range from around the list price of the ERP user licenses to up to twice this amount (depending on the level of customization required). Large companies, and especially those with multiple sites or countries, will often spend considerably more on the implementation than the cost of the user licenses -- three to five times more is not uncommon for a multi-site implementation.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Customization Services

Customization Services involves any modifications or extensions that change how the out-of-the-box ERP system works.

Customizing an ERP package can be very expensive and complicated. Some ERP packages are not designed to support customization, so most businesses implement the best practices embedded in the acquired ERP system. Some ERP packages have very generic features, such that customization occurs in most implementations. It is also often possible to extend the standard ERP package by purchasing third party software to provide additional functionality. The term best practice generally refers to the best possible way of doing something; it is used in the fields of business management, software engineering, and medicine. ... In the video game industry, a third-party developer is a developer that is not directly tied to the primary product the consumer is using. ...

Customization work is usually undertaken as bespoke software development on a time and materials basis.

Customization can be further classified into: Core system customization or custom extensions in custom libraries

Core system customization is where customers change the software vendors’ proprietary code. This means that the software will no longer be supported by the vendor for the particular function that was customized as the code would be modified to the customers need. The customers IT department will then normally support the code in-house or subcontract a consulting organization to do so.

Custom extensions are where a customer build bolt on custom applications that run parallel to the standard system i.e. custom extended applications. Modules that are extended but core code not changed remain supported but the extensions will have to be supported by the customers IT department or subcontracted consulting organization

[edit] Maintenance and Support Services

Maintenance and Support Services involves monitoring and managing an Operational ERP system. This function is often provided in-house using members of the IT department, but may also be provided by specialist external consulting and services companies.

[edit] Advantages

In the absence of an ERP system, a large manufacturer may find itself with many software applications that do not talk to each other and do not effectively interface. Tasks that need to interface with one another may involve:

Change how a product is made, in the engineering details, and that is how it will now be made. Effective dates can be used to control when the switch over will occur from an old version to the next one, both the date that some ingredients go into effect, and date that some are discontinued. Part of the change can include labeling to identify version numbers. Engineering is the discipline and profession of applying scientific knowledge and utilizing natural laws and physical resources in order to design and implement materials, structures, machines, devices, systems, and processes that realize a desired objective and meet specified criteria. ... An invoice or bill is a commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer, indicating the products, quantities and agreed prices for products or services with which the seller has already provided the buyer. ... A bill of material is a list of parts that go to make up an item. ... A Purchase Order (abbreviated PO) is a commercial document issued by a buyer to a seller, indicating the type, quantities and agreed prices for products or services that the seller will provide to the buyer. ... Inventory is a list of goods and materials, or those goods and materials themselves, held available in stock by a business. ... In economics, business, and accounting, a cost is the value of inputs that have been used up to produce something, and hence are not available for use anymore. ... It has been suggested that Accounting scholarship be merged into this article or section. ... For the tax agency in Ireland of the same name, see Revenue Commissioners. ... In economics, business, and accounting, a cost is the value of inputs that have been used up to produce something, and hence are not available for use anymore. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Engineering is the discipline and profession of applying scientific knowledge and utilizing natural laws and physical resources in order to design and implement materials, structures, machines, devices, systems, and processes that realize a desired objective and meet specified criteria. ...

Some security features are included within an ERP system to protect against both outsider crime, such as industrial espionage, and insider crime, such as embezzlement. A data tampering scenario might involve a disgruntled employee intentionally modifying prices to below the breakeven point in order to attempt to take down the company, or other sabotage. ERP systems typically provide functionality for implementing internal controls to prevent actions of this kind. ERP vendors are also moving toward better integration with other kinds of information security tools.^[11] For other uses, see Security (disambiguation). ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Competitive Intelligence. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...

[edit] Disadvantages

Problems with ERP systems are mainly due to inadequate investment in ongoing training for involved personnel, including those implementing and testing changes, as well as a lack of corporate policy protecting the integrity of the data in the ERP systems and how it is used.

A workflow is a reliably repeatable pattern of activity enabled by a systematic organization of resources, defined roles and mass, energy and information flows, into a work process that can be documented and learned. ...

[edit] References

^ Waldner, Jean-Baptiste (1992). CIM: Principles of Computer Integrated Manufacturing. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons Ltd, p47. ISBN 047193450X.
^ Anderegg, Travis, MRP/MRPII/ERP/ERM - Confusting Terms and Definitions for a Murkey Alphabet Soup, <http://www.wlug.org.nz/EnterpriseSpeak>. Retrieved on 25 October 2007
^ Monk, Ellen & Wagner, Bret (2006), Concepts in Enterprise Resource Planning (Second ed.), Boston: Thomson Course Technology, ISBN 0-619-21663-8
^ Ramaswamy V K (2007-09-27). Data Migration Strategy in ERP. Retrieved on 2008-04-08.
^ Turban et al. (2008). Information Technology for Management, Transforming Organizations in the Digital Economy. Massachusetts: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., pp. 300-343. ISBN-13 978-0-471-78712-9
^ Brown, C., and I. Vessey, "Managing the Next Wave of Enterprise Systems: Leveraging Lessons from ERP," MIS Quarterly Executive, 2(1), 2003.
^ King. W., "Ensuring ERP implementation success," Information Systems Management, Summer 2005.
^ Yusuf, Y., A. Gunasekaran, and M. Abthorpe, "Enterprise Information Systems Project Implementation: A Case Study of ERP in Rolls-Royce," International Journal of Production Economics, 87(3), February 2004.
^ Turban et al. (2008). Information Technology for Management, Transforming Organizations in the Digital Economy. Massachusetts: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., p. 320. ISBN-13 978-0-471-78712-9
^ Dehning,B. and T.Stratopoulos, 'Determinants of a Sustainable Competitive Advantage Due to an IT-enabled Strategy,' Journal of Strategic Information Systems, Vol. 12, 2003
^ Walsh, Katherine (January 2008). The ERP Security Challenge. CSOonline. CXO Media Inc. Retrieved on 2008-01-17.

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[edit] Further reading

A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ... A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ... A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ...

[edit] See also

Business process management (BPM) is a method of efficiently aligning an organization with the wants and needs of clients. ... A list of Enterprise resource planning (ERP) vendors. ... (sorted alphabetically) Adempiere Compiere ERP5 GNU Enterprise JFire Kuali Foundation LedgerSMB OFBiz OpenBlueLab Openbravo Opentaps Postbooks Tiny ERP SQL-Ledger Stoq WebERP 1C:Enterprise from 1C Company 24SevenOffice Start, Premium, Professional and Custom from 24SevenOffice abas ERP from ABAS Software Accpac from The Sage Group Agresso Business World from Unit... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Advanced Planning & Scheduling (APS) refers to a manufacturing management process by which raw materials and production capacity are optimally allocated to meet demand. ... APICS The Association for Operations Management, is a not-for-profit international education organization, offering certification programs, training tools and networking opportunities to increase workplace performance. ... E-procurement (Electronic Procurement) is the business-to-business purchase and sale of supplies and services through the Internet as well as other information and networking systems, such as electronic data interchange (EDI) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). ... ERP modeling, abbreviated ERP, is the process of reverse engineering an Enterprise Resource Planning software package in order to align it to an organizational structure. ... Information technology management (or IT management) is a combination of two branches of study, information technology and management. ... Management Information Systems (MIS), sometimes referred to as Information Management and Systems, is the discipline covering the application of people, technologies, and procedures â€” collectively called information systems â€” to solving business problems. ... Supply chain management (SCM) is the process of planning, implementing, and controlling the operations of the supply chain as efficiently as possible. ... Manufacturing Resource Planning (MRP2 or MRPII) - Around 1980, over-frequent changes in sales forecasts, entailing continual reajustments in production, as well as the unsuitability of the parameters fixed by the system, led MRP (Material Requirements Planning) to evolve into a new concept : Manufacturing Resource Planning or MRP2[1] Material Requirements... Software as a service (SaaS) is a model of software delivery where the software company provides maintenance, daily technical operation, and support for the software provided to their client. ... Data migration is the transferring of data between storage types, formats, or computer systems. ... A bill of materials (BOM) is the term used to describe the parts list of components needed to complete a saleable end-item. ... Modular Bill of Material (BOM) is a critical element in defining the product structure of an end-item. ... A configurable Bill of Material (CBOM) is used by industries that have multiple options and highly configurable products (Telecom Systems, Data-center Hardware (SANS, Servers, etc. ... Service Management is integrated into Supply Chain Management as the joint between the actual sales and the customer. ... or WMS is an ERP (Enterprise resource planning) which is managed solely via the internet, A WMS gives organizations or businesses the ability to centralize a company at multiple locations. ...

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