This week, SAP has arranged the annual CVLBA (Center for Very Large Business Applications) meeting at its headquarters in Walldorf (see CVLBA Annual Meeting 2012 at SAP AG in Walldorf for more information around this event).
As a member of the CVLBA research group at Technische Universität München, I was invited to talk about my research on On-Demand ERP implementation projects.
The research approach in this project combines a literature-based approach with a qualitative approach in order to characterize the implementation process of SaaS based ERP systems at SMEs. Because the topic of SaaS based ERP solution can be considered as an innovative technology, there is still room for improving the process of implementing these information systems at SMEs. An interview guideline aiming at the organization, activities and challenges of a SaaS based ERP implementation is designed and iteratively enhanced.
The intention of interviewing two parties (consultants and customers) involved in the implementation process is the holistically possible examination of the research topic from different perspectives. The goal is to identify implications from theory and praxis in order to improve the implementation process of SaaS based ERP solutions. The research builds on established IT project management research and extends this to the specific characteristics and requirements of SaaS based ERP implementation projects.
The subsequent discussion was very helpful to get some feedback.
Thanks to all participants sharing their experiences and knowledge to improve the development of my research.