This research examines WHY and HOW a new approach to Enterprise Strategy and IT planning can be adopted in the European national financial sector by using Enterprise Architecture (EA). EA has been promoted as a key tool for transformation and modernisation of the enterprise. By following best practices from successful case studies and the European Central Bank (ECB), the claim is that the adoption of EA will ensure that IT resources and business processes are planned, leveraged, and coordinated better in national financial sectors. In our five supporting papers, several qualitative case studies in Europe were investigated by applying an interpretive perspective. According to common belief EA connects business and IT; it is an important tool for survival and growth. Many EA endeavours, however, fail. The question is how can risks of EA implementation failure be reduced at an early stage? Underlying questions concern: why would a particular organisation need EA, can implementation risks be identified and are solutions available to reduce the failure rate? In order to answer research questions a literature study is performed to build the Business Transformation Enablement Program framework (BTEP). It advocates deliberate motivation, active risk management and an iterative and incremental implementation of EA. Next to the literature, the framework is validated through the Small National Bank (SNB) implementation. Data was collected in both structured, semi-structured and ad-hoc methods. Grounded theory techniques were used to analyse the data logically, using existing theory only as prior constructs. The theoretical abstractions, generalisations and experience generated in the research process have been published and availed to specialised groups.

No / Enterprise resource planning (ERP) is a system designed to bring processes and resource together by sharing data and information across functional areas. The use of ERP consultancy is becoming essential to the enterprises in China. However, many issues have risen in the process of ERP implementation. This paper aims to investigate the major obstacles in the way of ERP implementation among ERP consultancy and client organisations. It has found that the quality of Chinese consultancy is far from that expected as leading ERP products were not widely mastered by consulting firms. Efficient information system is essential for companies to stay in the competition. However, transparent information flow across functional areas is hard to achieve in China. A good understanding of ERP system and business processes can help Chinese enterprises to ease unrealistic expectations from ERP implementation.

The focus of this research questions the role of change management in successfully implementing an Enterprise Resource Planning solution in the retail industry. The importance of the study could reveal a change approach more useful and relevant to the retail industry and offer opportunities for further research in this industry. / Graduate School of Business Leadership / MBA

Atenção especial tem sido dada às atividades de documentação e suporte a projetos em Engenharia de Software, principalmente quando estão relacionadas a sistemas complexos e equipes distribuídas. Geralmente apenas se registram as informações relativas às decisões finais de determinada fase. Não são documentadas as razões de cada decisão e nem as alternativas que foram consideradas e descartadas. A captura e recuperação, de maneira eficiente, deste tipo de informação é a finalidade do estudo do Design Rationale. O registro destas informações pode facilitar a manutenção, o reuso e também a própria fase de elaboração do projeto, na medida em que possibilita um melhor entendimento do sistema, por meio da disseminação de conhecimento, comunicação e integração entre a equipe de projeto. A questão é quando e como capturar estas informações sem muita interferência junto às atividades usuais dos projetistas, a fim de que os benefícios possam superar os custos envolvidos nesta tarefa. O presente trabalho tem como objetivo mostrar com razões plausíveis a grande utilidade da aplicação da técnica de Design Rationale em projetos de sistemas ERP, propondo um novo modelo de representação das decisões de projeto para estes sistemas. / Special attention has been given to documentation and support activities in Software Engineering design, mainly when they are related to complex systems and distributed teams. Usually, information related to the final decisions of each phase is registered. However, the reasons of each decision and the alternatives that were considered and discarded are not documented. Capture and recovery of this type of information, in an efficient way, are the purposes of the Design Rationale study. Recording this information can facilitates maintenance, reuse and even the design phase, providing a better understanding of the system, by knowledge spread, communication and integration among the project team. The main concern is when and how to capture this information with low interference in designers\' usual activities, so that benefits can overcome costs involved in this task. The purpose of the present work is to show with plausible reasons the great usefulness of the application of Design Rationale technique in ERP systems design, proposing a new representation model for recording design decisions in these system.

The focus of this research questions the role of change management in successfully implementing an Enterprise Resource Planning solution in the retail industry. The importance of the study could reveal a change approach more useful and relevant to the retail industry and offer opportunities for further research in this industry. / Graduate School of Business Leadership / MBA

Atenção especial tem sido dada às atividades de documentação e suporte a projetos em Engenharia de Software, principalmente quando estão relacionadas a sistemas complexos e equipes distribuídas. Geralmente apenas se registram as informações relativas às decisões finais de determinada fase. Não são documentadas as razões de cada decisão e nem as alternativas que foram consideradas e descartadas. A captura e recuperação, de maneira eficiente, deste tipo de informação é a finalidade do estudo do Design Rationale. O registro destas informações pode facilitar a manutenção, o reuso e também a própria fase de elaboração do projeto, na medida em que possibilita um melhor entendimento do sistema, por meio da disseminação de conhecimento, comunicação e integração entre a equipe de projeto. A questão é quando e como capturar estas informações sem muita interferência junto às atividades usuais dos projetistas, a fim de que os benefícios possam superar os custos envolvidos nesta tarefa. O presente trabalho tem como objetivo mostrar com razões plausíveis a grande utilidade da aplicação da técnica de Design Rationale em projetos de sistemas ERP, propondo um novo modelo de representação das decisões de projeto para estes sistemas. / Special attention has been given to documentation and support activities in Software Engineering design, mainly when they are related to complex systems and distributed teams. Usually, information related to the final decisions of each phase is registered. However, the reasons of each decision and the alternatives that were considered and discarded are not documented. Capture and recovery of this type of information, in an efficient way, are the purposes of the Design Rationale study. Recording this information can facilitates maintenance, reuse and even the design phase, providing a better understanding of the system, by knowledge spread, communication and integration among the project team. The main concern is when and how to capture this information with low interference in designers\' usual activities, so that benefits can overcome costs involved in this task. The purpose of the present work is to show with plausible reasons the great usefulness of the application of Design Rationale technique in ERP systems design, proposing a new representation model for recording design decisions in these system.

Während Open Source-Software wie etwa Linux, der Apace Webserver oder die OpenOffice-Suite eine grosse Verbreitung erfahren haben, sind Open Source-Lösungen zur Unterstützung betrieblicher Aufgaben weniger bekannt. Dieser Bericht unternimmt ausgehend von den funktionalen Anforderungen der Auftragsabwicklung eines Industrieunternehmens einen Vergleich bestehender Lösungen und diskutiert die Einsatzmöglichkeiten aus heutiger Sicht.

Univ., Diss.--Bayreuth, 2002. / Literaturverz. S. 224 - 239.

Zugl.: Oldenburg, Universiẗat, Diss., 2009.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Information Technology (IT) artefacts, such as Enterprise Resource Planning systems (ERPs), promise much with regard to meeting the requirements of organisations. In the knowledge economy, organisations require real time data, information flow and integration of business processes to remain financially viable and competitive. However, organisations often fail to harness ERP systems effectively. This thesis attempts to unpack a section of the complex nature of ERPs with emphasis on the post-adoption phase of the systems’ development life cycle. This study explores the complex interface between rigid IT artefacts like ERPs and the, often unpredictable, reality of organisational work processes. Focus falls, in particular, on the workaround practices that end users of the system perform and the effects these have on the integrity of the business process. Based on an extensive literature review, an integrated framework for business process integrity is developed and formulated. This model is applied to the analysis of a qualitative data set compiled during an empirical investigation of a large Local Government Organisation utilising a proprietary ERP product. The data set includes semi-structured interviews with members of the ERP user community relating to their handling of impositions or deficiencies experienced when using the artefact. To define the relationship between business process integrity and workaround practices, each workaround identified is individually analysed to determine the reasons and outcomes that are associated with its enactment. Results indicate that workaround practices have diverse impacts on the various dimensions of business process integrity. While, in certain scenarios, they pose serious threats to organisational performance, they also play a particularly important role in enhancing the organisation’s ability to handle non-standard business cases. Despite their informal and often covert nature, workaround practices are at the heart of the balance between control and flexibility in organisations and their existence suggests that, contrary to common beliefs, ERPs only have limited agency in determining organisational workflow. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Inligtingstegnologie (IT) artefakte, soos ondernemingshulpbronbeplanningstelses (OHBs), beloof baie ten einde aan organisasies se vereistes te voldoen. In die kennis-ekonomie vereis organisasies regstreekse data, inligtingsvloei en integrasie van besigheidprosesse om finansieel lewensvatbaar en kompeterend te bly. Dikwels faal organisasies egter om OHB stelsels effektief te benut. Hierdie tesis poog om ʼn deel van die ingewikkelde aard van OHBs te ontleed, met klem op die postaanvaardingsfase in die stelsels se lewensiklus. Hierdie studie ondersoek die ingewikkelde koppelvlak tussen rigiede IT artefakte soos OHBs en die dikwels onvoorspelbare realiteit van organisatoriese werk prosesse. Die klem val in besonder op die alternatiewe praktyke wat eindgebruikers van die stelsel gebruik, en die uitwerking wat hierdie praktyke op die integriteit van die besigheidsproses het. Gegrond op ʼn uitgebreide literatuurstudie, is ʼn geïntegreerde raamwerk vir besigheidsprosesintegriteit ontwikkel en geformuleer. Hierdie model is toegepas op die ontleding van ʼn kwalitatiewe datastel wat saamgestel is tydens ʼn empiriese ondersoek van ʼn Plaaslike Regeringsorganisasie wat ʼn privaat patent OHB-produk gebruik. Die datastel sluit semigestruktureerde onderhoude in wat met lede van die OHB gebruikersgemeenskap gevoer is met betrekking tot hul hantering van opleggings of tekortkominge wat tydens die gebruik van die artefakte ondervind word. Om die verhouding tussen besigheidsprosesintegriteit en die toepassing van omweë te definieer, is elke geïdentifiseerde alternatief individueel ontleed om sodoende die redes en uitkomste wat met die uitvoer daarvan geassosieer word, te bepaal. Resultate dui aan dat alternatiewe gebruike diverse uitwerkings op die verskillende dimensies van besigheidsprosesintegriteit het. Terwyl, in sommige gevalle, dit ernstige bedreigings vir organisatoriese prestasie inhou, speel dit ook ʼn besonder belangrike rol in die verbetering van die organisasie se nie-standaard bedryfsake. Ten spyte van hul informele en dikwels verborge aard, is alternatiewe gebruike die hart van die balans tussen beheer en buigsaamheid in organisasies, en hul bestaan dui daarop dat, in teendeel met algemene oortuigings, OHBs net beperkte werking het met betrekking tot die bepaling van organisatoriese werksvloei.