Chapter 10: Enterprise Resources Planning and Collaboration Systems{0}
This week’s reading in the chapter ten textbook talks about enterprise resource planning and collaboration systems. According to the textbook, enterprise resource planning (ERP) “integrates all departments and functions throughout an organization into a single IT system (or integrated set of IT systems) so that employees can make decisions by viewing enterprise-wide information on all business operations” (358). This actually relates to what we are doing at my work place just not too long ago. There is a lot of programming that we do with my non-profit and each project runs under its own system and ways of functioning that it gets all complicated for everyone to stay on top of what each project or person is doing. Thus, in the past few months, we have been working to integrate all the project plans and budgets under one system and also have it all available for easy access to all employees on Google Docs. Having everyone able to see what is going on and having equal access to information will cause us to function better as an organization. The chapter also talks about teams, partnerships and alliances saying that “the core competency of an organization is its key strength, a business function that it does better than any of its competitors”. Also having everyone report their project plans, finances, and etc. under one system in which everyone else is able to see makes us all more responsible in getting things done, on time, and in a professional matter. People are less likely to turn in bad reports if they know that others will read it and stay on top of what is going on.