Adopting SAP at Siemens Power Corporation

This case describes how Siemens Power Corporation, a Richland, Washington (USA), based manufacturer of nuclear fuel assemblies, came to adopt and implement SAP's R/3 application suite, the world's leading enterprise resource planning (ERP) package. The case introduces the reader to the type of decision-making related to an ERP adoption and implementation and provides some interesting examples of factors which may influence actual decisions and outcomes. Among other things the case touches on the following issues: the relationship between restructuring (reengineering) and software adoption and implementation, the choice of package software, pros and cons of alternative implementation approaches (“big bang” vs. “phased”), the selection of hardware, and the value of consultants. Copyright: Sabine Gabriele Hirt and E. Burton Swanson