Enterprise Resource Programs: A Thing of the Past

This article discusses the changing aspects of enterprise resource programs, and how these systems may become less frequently used in the coming years. With increased technology, and a changing demographic of employees coming into the work force, ERP’s may be unable to continue to provide the necessary services that businesses require.

            There are many aspects of this article that I believe support their argument for the decreased use of ERP systems throughout the business world. Most importantly, I agree with the argument that “manufacturing is no longer based only on information from the past”. This is caused by the fact that technology as increased dramatically since the implication of ERP’s, and these advanced machinery and inventory programs can provide companies with real time data regarding the products their customer’s desire. The system businesses use must be able to quickly respond to issues and make changes. ERP’s may risk becoming systems of the past due to the fact it has proven to be difficult to update these systems quickly and efficiently in order to keep up with their competition. Another point that supports their argument is the desire for companies to understand and analyze the data that their ERP’s provide. ERP’s heavily rely on information from previous seasons to drive their production, however with increased technology companies will be able to quickly and effectively “interpret data from inventories, customer feedback, and machinery information” in order to make the best informed decisions on what products to make on a given day. The final point that I believe this article effectively argues is that a heavy reliance on mobile apps and changing demographics of employees will ultimately effect the use of ERP’s. With an always increasing reliance on mobile phones, the younger generation of workers may begin to feel more comfortable with systems based around a App format, making the data and information easier to access and interpret. Many experts believe that although this may not erase ERP’s completely, the ways in which individual users interpret and use the systems will change dramatically.

            There are some aspects of the article that I believe pose an issue to the argument they are trying to present. One thing I believe they fail to consider is the time frame that ERP’s will begin to become obsolete. The article argues that by the end of 2016 few companies will use these systems, but I believe the phasing out of these programs will be much slower due to the number of years ERP’s have been used. Also, I believe this article fails to take into the consideration that ERP’s may be able to grow and update its software, ultimately causing them to become as effective as new and advanced technology. Ultimately I agree with many of the arguments made throughout this article that support the idea that ERP’s will become systems of the past, however I also believe they failed to discuss the idea that ERP’s change in order to stay effective within the business management industry.

sources:

http://www.itproportal.com/2016/01/14/is-2016-the-end-of-the-road-for-erp-software/