Integrating ERP using EAI: a model for post hoc evaluation

Abstract

In recent years there has been an increased focus on improving the capability and flexibility of organisational information systems through improving, and where necessary, re-engineering inter- and intra-organisational information flows. In doing so, many firms have realised that the cornerstone of their information systems capability is dependent upon core systems such as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). In realising this, it has forced businesses to acknowledge the need to integrate ERP systems with existing disparate legacy systems. Technology solutions such as Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) have been seen as a panacea to facilitate integration through the use of technologies that allow corporate IS subsystems to communicate with one another. In the context of using enterprise technologies to integrate ERP with other organisational business systems, this paper analyses and extends previously published work through presenting the failure of an industrial automation business to integrate its ERP system with legacy processes when using an EAI approach. In doing so, the authors present a post hoc evaluation model that can be used by others as a frame of reference; a tool for reflection. The presented model seeks to provide further insight to the failed approach to ERP integration, within the given case study organisation. This proposed model, is constructed in terms of Technical, Organisational and Tailorability components. It is anticipated that this will be a useful tool for both practitioners and academics, who wish to gain a deeper understanding of ERP/EAI implementation approaches, as well as providing insights into how the componentisation and extension of ERP functionalities can be achieved, towards so-called ERPII.

Keywords:

• ERP
• ERPII
• EAI
• evaluation
• tailorability
• post hoc model

Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge the support from the Information Systems Evaluation and Integration Group (ISEing) within which this work was carried out and upon which the research was based and supported. ISEing was established at Brunel University Department of Information Systems and Computing, in December 2000, under a research grant from the U.K. Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC: GR/R08025/01).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Amir M Sharif

About the authors

Dr. Amir M. Sharif is currently a Business Analyst within the Fixed Income Rates and Currencies (FIRC) IT division of UBS Investment Bank, in London, having had several years experience as an Analyst/Developer within Equities Research IT also. Prior to joining UBS, Amir worked as a Management and IT Consultant for KPMG Consulting, where his role involved providing business advice and technical consultancy to many leading national and multinational ‘Blue Chip’/Fortune 500 organisations. Amir was awarded his BEng (Hons) in Aeronautical Engineering from City University, London, in 1994, and was awarded a Ph.D. in Information Systems, from Brunel University, U.K., in Knowledge Management, in 2004. As part of these academic experiences, Amir has also held full and part-time lecturing posts over the years: as a Visiting Lecturer for the University of London, and as a Teaching Fellow at Brunel University (lecturing both Postgraduate and Undergraduate courses on Software Engineering Management, Knowledge Engineering Systems, and Java Programming). Amir has remained research active throughout this time, having research interests spanning Information Systems Evaluation, Enterprise Information Systems, Knowledge Management and Artificial Intelligence. As a result, he has published over 30 peer-reviewed international journal and conference papers and is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board on the Journal of Enterprise and Information Management and Business Process Management Journal. Amir has also provided independent consultancy advice to many well-known Global organisations such as Intel Corporation (U.S.A.), Sony Corporation (Japan) and Virgin Atlantic Airways (U.K.). Acting in his capacity as both an industrial practitioner as well as a former academic, Amir has also been involved in reviewing research grant proposals in the U.K., for the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). In recognition of these achievements, Amir has recently been appointed as a Visiting Research Fellow to the School of Information Systems, Computing and Mathematics at Brunel University, U.K.

Zahir Irani

Professor Zahir Irani is the Head of Information Systems and Computing and a member of Senate at Brunel University (U.K.). Having worked for several years as a project engineer in the manufacturing sector, Professor Irani retains close links with industry, and has served as a non-executive director for a number of years. He consults for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) in the U.K as well as international organisations such as HSBC, Royal Dutch Shell Petroleum, DERA, BMW and Adidas. Professor Irani reviews research proposals submitted to U.K. funding councils, European Commission and the National Science Foundation (NSF) in the U.S.A. Professor Irani leads a multi-disciplinary group of International Ph.D. students that research information systems evaluation and application integration. He has been recognised as the Hooker Distinguished Professor at McMaster University (Canada) as well as being a Visiting Professor at the Arab Academy of Science and Technology (Egypt) and at Ahlia University (Bahrain). He is the editor-in-chief of the established Journal of Enterprise Information Management and European Editor of the Business Process Management Journal. He has co-authored teaching text-books and written almost 200 internationally refereed papers and received ANBAR citations of research excellence. He has spoken at conferences and guest seminars worldwide, and is internationally known for his scholarly work in the area of information systems evaluation and application integration. Professor Irani is on the editorial-board of several journals, as well as co-and-mini-track chair to international conferences. He has edited special issue journals, and publishes his scholarly work in leading journals that include: IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, Information & Management, Information Systems Journal, Journal of Management Information Systems and European Journal of Information Systems. Professor Zahir Irani has received numerous contracts, grants and awards from funding bodies that include the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), Royal Academy of Engineering, Australian Research Council (ARC), QinetiQ, Department of Health and European Commission.

Peter E D Love

Professor Peter Love is a Chair of Information Systems in the School of Management Information Systems at Edith Cowan University (Australia) and Asia Pacific Editor for the Journal of Enterprise Information Management. He has an M.Sc. in Construction Project Management from the University of Bath in the U.K. and a Ph.D. in Operations Management from Monash University in Australia. He has a wide range of industry experience, which he gained in the U.K. and Australia working as consultant project manager and a commercial manager for a multi-national contracting organization. Prof Love's research interests include supply chain management, quality management, IS project management and strategic information systems evaluation. He has co-authored/edited four books and has authored/co-authored over 200 internationally refereed research papers, which have appeared in journals such as the IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, European Journal of Operations Research, European Journal of Information Systems, Journal of Management Information Systems, International Journal of Production Economics, International Journal of Operations and Production Management, Project Management Journal and International Journal of Project Management.