Barriers to ERP system use : Overcoming a troublesome post-implementation phase

Abstract: As a way to broaden its offering Saab Support and Services started to implement a new ERP system in 2009. The main reasons were to be able to handle larger integrated solutions from its customers and achieve synergies between its many programmes; these benefits have only partially been achieved. ERP systems are a subject that has generated a lot of literature which describes how an implementation should be done and what benefits can be had, such as lowered costs, higher auto-mation and better communication. This thesis has attempted to answer what barriers have been present at Saab in the post-implementation phase and what can be done in order to move past these and achieve unrealised benefits. Since there are gaps in the literature regarding the post im-plementation phase an exploratory approach was used in this study with a case being studied at the Support and Services division at Saab. A literature study was performed in parallel with the collec-tion of empirical data in order to let the collected data steer the direction of the research.The three barriers to beneficial use that were identified were lack of vision for continuous improve-ments, lack of formal processes and lack of ease of use. Lack of vision for continuous improvement is a barrier since without it improvement measures will not be aligned and issues will persist. By com-municating common goals and using benchmarks to follow up on those goals improvement can be made and employees can see the importance of the system. The second barrier is lack of formal pro-cesses which has caused bad transparency, creating issues with invoices and resulting in limited knowledge sharing between programmes. By standardising routines they are easier to benchmark it also becomes clearer what issues exist and how they relate to each other. With formalised processes it is easier to assign roles and it becomes easier to understand why data is entered since it is more apparent how it used later on in the process. The last identified barrier is the lack of ease of use of the ERP system. Since the software is difficult to use, training is generally needed in order to be able to use it correctly, but since limited training has been carried out employees still lack a greater un-derstanding of how to adapt it into their workflow effectively. This barrier can be overcome either by further education and training users or by simplifying the interface and improving the usability. By having a well communicated vision, employees can work towards common goals, by standardising processes and simplifying the usability of the ERP system it is easier for new employees to learn, which means that employees can be shared easier within Saab.