Riordan Manufacturing IS Upgrade, Coursework Example

The value of ERP implementation to Riordan Manufacturing IS Upgrade

Riordan Manufacturing Inc. is an international company that is a leading manufacturer of plastics items that was initiated in 1991 with an employment capacity of 550 people (O’Brien & Marakas, 2009). The company has since expanded to three locations in the U.S. and one in China. As a result of the expansions that have been witnessed in the company, some problems that are associated with communication as well as processing have arisen in Riordan Manufacturing Company. Consequently, there is need to connect all the systems to one another in order to advance the tracking as well as productivity along with the communication between the systems.

The value of ERP implementation to Riordan Manufacturing IS Upgrade involves streamlining the manufacturing, the distribution as well as the inventory management systems in the entire processing plants such that only one system is put to use.  The system is anticipated to give Riordan Manufacturing an affluence of opportunity for expansion of the business and sustenance of the customers already existing for the business (O’Brien & Marakas, 2009). ERP implementation to Riordan Manufacturing company IS Upgrade is also anticipated to assist Riordan Manufacturing company in the achievement of the set objectives in regard of the missions statement set at Riordan Manufacturing company though offering the potential solutions that will facilitate meeting the needs of the its customers.

All the existing offices at Riordan Manufacturing Company are equipped with divergent software programs that are applicable in the management of the company’s processes of manufacturing, distribution as well as inventory.  This environment at Riordan Manufacturing Company is associated with very little functionality.  The competence of ERP implementation has been documented to be devastating because every plant in Riordan Manufacturing Company has no capacity of communicating with each other in consideration of one system.  The entire process therefore complicates the process of accurately tracking down the inventory, engender consequential reports, and act in response to requests for information from the stakeholders and initiating imperative decisions.  Riordan Manufacturing Company therefore requires an integrated solution which has the capacity for offering real-time access to the needed data applicable in reporting, inventory as well as distribution.  The value of ERP implementation to Riordan Manufacturing IS Upgrade will therefore take account of the following:

• A document with appropriate potentials for identification of particular software modeling which must be implemented in Riordan Manufacturing Company across the board together with the specific timeline of execution along with go live plan.
• A fully detailed project plan that is responsible for monitoring as well as tracking down the progress of implementation
• An efficient communications plan to facilitate for the sharing of status, upcoming events, milestones, and other general information with project team and stakeholders.
• Risk assessment to facilitate for identification of issues that may arise in the entire project and implement a contingency plan prior to arising of any issues.
• Implementation of a relatively easy to use system.
• All modules in ERP system evaluated prior to the actual implementation
• End users undergo training in system application along with all modules prior to actual implementation.
• Creation as well as finalization of technical along with end user documentation prior to implementation.
• Creation as well as finalization of process and procedural documentation prior to implementation
• The entire maintenance as well as support roles and duties assigned to people obliged to manage the syatem after implementation

The process of ERP implementation to Riordan Manufacturing IS Upgrade also entails holding important meetings that will facilitate for the evaluation of  the implementation prior to termination of the project (O’Brien & Marakas, 2009). Several factors play a crucial role in the determination of feasibility and viability of ERP implementation to Riordan Manufacturing IS Upgrade. The first one involves economic feasibility that accounts for the entire implementation expenses coupled with the cost of maintenance in ERP system. The other operational feasibility involves identification of Riordan’s infrastructure that will meet the demands anticipated in the ERP system. If in any case this is unachievable, changes will be mandatory in the system that will ensure that the operation of the implemented ERP is successful. It is also imperative to identify the suitability of the proposed ERP as a current business model in Riordan (O’Brien & Marakas, 2009). Ultimately, it is imperative to consider the technical feasibility that will facilitate in the determination of conventional technology for problems solution at Riordan Manufacturing Company (Motiwalla & Thompson, 2009).

ERP implementation to Riordan Manufacturing IS Upgrade will therefore require some considerations such as unifying the process in the entire facilities that will enhance tracking down the raw material that will consequently enhance the process of purchasing and odering for the raw materials in highly efficient manner. Additionally, it ios also imperative to consider unification of the process of entire facilities in attempts of efficiently monitoring the process of   production levels to allow the  management along with sales can plan for the future strategies (O’Brien & Marakas, 2009).

References

Motiwalla, L. F., & Thompson, J., (2009). Enterprise Systems for Management. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson-Prentice Hall.

O’Brien, J. A., & Marakas, G. M. (2009). Management Information Systems, 9th Ed. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill Irwin.