ERP systems introduction time: factors, analysis and application of projects management techniques

Usually the implementation of ERP systems is very complex, and not immediate, in some cases requires three or even four years. In general, the ERP system is divided in modules, and its implementation is made in stages. At each stage, a few modules are implemented. According to several authors the deadlines of modules implementation are critical, and rarely are obeyed, so such delays make the customer insatisfied because they result in additional costs for them. The implementation of ERP are dictaded by several factors, some of them have more influence on its duration. The technique of Design Planning is considered here to determine these factors. Moreover, using Critical Path Methods are identified the bottleneck activities which require more investment in order to reduce the duration of whole project.