SEVALERPS a New EX-ANTE Multi-Criteria Method for ERP Selection

Selecting the right ERP system is one of the most risky, tedious and complex decision making activity for any organization. This paper develops a new multi-criteria method for ERP systems evaluation and selection, which addresses some of the most important shortcomings relating to the methods found in the literature. The proposed method serves mainly twofold objectives; firstly it introduces a new systematic evaluation process that considers ERP tailoring and mismatch handling as the corner stone of the evaluation activity. Secondly, it presents a semi-structured evaluation model that helps the selection team to voice out its preferences. The evaluation model relies on many mathematical techniques to handle the various aspects of the evaluation: 0-1 linear programming systems to define the anticipated functional coverage of ERP candidates, MACBETH cardinal scales to represent, in an interactive way, the selection team’s preferences, and the Choquet integral to address interdependencies among evaluation criteria.