The importance of knowledge management for ERP systems

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software provides a coherent integrated electronic business management environment, frequently controlling all logistics and billing for an enterprise. Many companies are now reliant upon these systems for their daily operations; maintaining and adapting them in parallel with their business as it evolves, adding new suppliers and customers. The process of managing the development of the ERP software requires detailed knowledge of systems. ERP systems often become unique to an enterprise and may have tens to millions of pounds being invested in their development. The value of knowledge management (KM) specifically for the management and operation of ERP systems is becoming evident. Managing ERP systems knowledge has been identified as a critical success factor if a firm, its suppliers and logistics providers are to retain control of their business and not be controlled by their systems. Case studies of KM practice for three global organisations from within the UK Aerospace and Defence industry have been undertaken. This study identifies leading practices, with references to the literature, for effective KM of ERP systems.

[1]  Carla O'Dell,et al.  If Only We Knew What We Know , 1998 .

[2]  P. Quintas,et al.  Knowledge management: A strategic agenda , 1997 .

[3]  Rob J. Kusters,et al.  Defect detection oriented lifecycle modeling in complex product development , 2004, Inf. Softw. Technol..

[4]  R. Dorf,et al.  The Balanced Scorecard: Translating Strategy Into Action , 1997, Proceedings of the IEEE.

[5]  Gerald W. Both,et al.  Object-oriented analysis and design with applications , 1994 .

[6]  D. Turbide,et al.  WHAT IS ERP , 1999 .

[7]  野中 郁次郎,et al.  The Knowledge-Creating Company: How , 1995 .

[8]  Angappa Gunasekaran,et al.  Developing an e-logistics system: a case study , 2007 .

[9]  T. Davenport.  Putting the enterprise into the enterprise system. , 1998, Harvard business review.

[10]  Morten T. Hansen,et al.  What's your strategy for managing knowledge? , 1999, Harvard business review.

[11]  She-I Chang,et al.  ERP life cycle implementation, management and support: implications for practice and research , 2004, 37th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, 2004. Proceedings of the.

[12]  Darshana Sedera,et al.  Knowledge Management for ERP success , 2003, PACIS.

[13]  John Wilson,et al.  The "soft" dimension of organizational knowledge transfer , 2005, J. Knowl. Manag..

[14]  Fiona Fui-Hoon Nah,et al.  Critical factors for successful implementation of enterprise systems , 2001, Bus. Process. Manag. J..

[15]  H L Michael,et al.  MANAGEMENT OF RESEARCH. INTRODUCTION , 1973 .

[16]  Rodrigo Baroni de Carvalho,et al.  Using information technology to support knowledge conversion processes , 2001, Inf. Res..

[17]  M. Lynne Markus,et al.  Learning from adopters' experiences with ERP: problems encountered and success achieved , 2000, J. Inf. Technol..

[18]  I. Nonaka,et al.  SECI, Ba and Leadership: a Unified Model of Dynamic Knowledge Creation , 2000 .

[19]  S. Wheelwright,et al.  Restoring Our Competitive Edge: Competing Through Manufacturing , 1984 .

[20]  H. Tsoukas,et al.  What is Organizational Knowledge , 2001 .

[21]  Roger S. Pressman,et al.  Software Engineering: A Practitioner's Approach , 1982 .

[22]  Chin-Tsang Ho,et al.  Knowledge management enablers: a case study , 2006, Ind. Manag. Data Syst..

[23]  Paul Iske,et al.  Connected brains: Question and answer systems for knowledge sharing: concepts, implementation and return on investment , 2005, J. Knowl. Manag..

[24]  Harvey Maylor,et al.  Researching Business and Management , 2005 .

[25]  Guy G. Gable,et al.  An ERP maintenance model , 2003, 36th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, 2003. Proceedings of the.

[26]  A. Bryman.  Social Research Methods , 2001 .

[27]  M. Polanyi.  Personal Knowledge: Towards a post-critical philosophy , 1959 .

[28]  Thomas H. Davenport,et al.  Book review:Working knowledge: How organizations manage what they know. Thomas H. Davenport and Laurence Prusak. Harvard Business School Press, 1998. $29.95US. ISBN 0‐87584‐655‐6 , 1998 .

[29]  W. Bean.  Personal Knowledge: Towards a Post-Critical Philosophy , 1961 .

[30]  I. Nonaka.  A Dynamic Theory of Organizational Knowledge Creation , 1994 .

[31]  Roy Lubit.  The keys to sustainable competitive advantage: Tacit knowledge and knowledge management: , 2001 .

[32]  Jinyoul Lee,et al.  An ERP implementation case study from a knowledge transfer perspective , 2000, J. Inf. Technol..

[33]  Jeanne W. Ross,et al.  The ERP Revolution: Surviving vs. Thriving , 2000, Inf. Syst. Frontiers.

[34]  M. Markus,et al.  The Enterprise System Experience— From Adoption to Success , 2000 .

[35]  Alan Blair.  Social Research , 1935, Nature.

[36]  Pernille Kræmmergaard,et al.  A Research Framework for Studying the Implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systems , 2000 .

[37]  Aurora Vizcaíno,et al.  Identifying knowledge management needs in software maintenance groups: a qualitative approach , 2004, Proceedings of the Fifth Mexican International Conference in Computer Science, 2004. ENC 2004..