The importance of management innovation and consultant services on ERP implementation success

Abstract

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation has been an important activity for improving efficiency. However, an ERP system is a critical investment that can significantly affect future performance of a company. Many ERP projects report an unusually high failure rate. This study empirically investigates the involvement of management consultants in ERP implementation success. The results from our field survey of 134 ERP end-users in Spanish ceramic tile companies show that ERP implementation success significantly depends on the quality of consultant services. The results also indicate the importance of internal management throughout the learning process. Overall, these findings contribute to a better understanding of how, or under which organizational conditions, ERP should be implemented.

Keywords:

• enterprise resource planning
• ERP
• end-user
• information system
• implementation
• organizational learning
• efficiency
• management consultants

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (ECO2008-00729) for their financial support for this research.