Investigating the challenges during the post-implementation stage of an ERP system at an FMCG company

Abstract

Companies today considers the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system beneficial for their operations because it provides a holistic view of the business real-time information from different geographical standings. ERP systems have replaced numerous legacy systems where each system performed a different function which was difficult to manage. Although the ERP system integrated all these systems into one, it was however found that there are challenges in its implementation stages which are more evident in the post-implementation stage. This study sought to investigate the challenges at the post-implementation stage of the ERP system at the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods Organisation (FMCG) Company. To achieve this, the research was guided by the positivism paradigm where variables were created to measure social phenomena using a scientific approach to generate acceptable knowledge. The nature of the study dictated the use of a quantitative research approach where a structured questionnaire with close-ended questions was administered to all the targeted respondents to determine the perceptions of ERP users on their experience in using the ERP system. The collected data was statistically analysed using a Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) tool. The study indicated six major ERP system findings, namely, Scheduling of the ERP training, ERP system training time allocation, knowledge of the training conductors, practical part of training, technical support and knowledge sharing. Recommendations were provided based on the aforementioned findings.