Surprises in ERP Projects: Part I

by Peter O'Farrell

In recent years, enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems occupied a central focus in attempts to integrate disparate legacy systems with the steady flow of new software and changing architectures. Along with the general interest in these ERP installations, we see a rising concern about their ultimate cost (for both installation and maintenance) as well as these systems' flexibility in accommodating upgrades. To help clarify some of these issues, Cutter Consortium conducted a survey of IT professionals and corporate executives asking about their experience with the evaluation and implementation of ERP installations. This Executive Update -- Part I in a two-part series -- examines the successes, difficulties, and costs for the approximately 100 survey respondents who use an ERP system in their organization.