Abstract
Most information processing needs in small and medium enterprise (SME) related to standard enterprise activities are nowadays addressed through commercial-off-the-shelf software (COTS) products. This enables SMEs to reduce costs, save time, and diminish the risk of failure. Obtaining an enterprise IT application (EITA), shifted from a software development process to an EITA implantation process. Key aspects of this process, besides installing, configuring and making available the EITA, include dealing with the inevitable change of the enterprise’s structure, redefining the work and altering communication patterns among employees. Although implanting EITA processes are nowadays common, the research literature is scarce in what concerns their systematic description and characterization. This article provides a perspective of the EITA implantation processes in SMEs that encompasses three components: actors involved, process model, and influence factors. It was developed through a research process that included an exploratory case study and a series of forty-eight interviews with different actors participating in EITA implantation processes in SMEs. The result – the SImplE Framework – aims to contribute to a better understanding of the process and to support SME seeking the benefits of IT.
Paper Type
Event
SImplE: A Framework for the Successful Implantation of Enterprise IT Applications in Small and Medium Enterprises
Most information processing needs in small and medium enterprise (SME) related to standard enterprise activities are nowadays addressed through commercial-off-the-shelf software (COTS) products. This enables SMEs to reduce costs, save time, and diminish the risk of failure. Obtaining an enterprise IT application (EITA), shifted from a software development process to an EITA implantation process. Key aspects of this process, besides installing, configuring and making available the EITA, include dealing with the inevitable change of the enterprise’s structure, redefining the work and altering communication patterns among employees. Although implanting EITA processes are nowadays common, the research literature is scarce in what concerns their systematic description and characterization. This article provides a perspective of the EITA implantation processes in SMEs that encompasses three components: actors involved, process model, and influence factors. It was developed through a research process that included an exploratory case study and a series of forty-eight interviews with different actors participating in EITA implantation processes in SMEs. The result – the SImplE Framework – aims to contribute to a better understanding of the process and to support SME seeking the benefits of IT.
Recommended Citation
Reascos Paredes, I. M. & Carvalho, J. A. (2019). SImplE: A Framework for the Successful Implantation of Enterprise IT Applications in Small and Medium Enterprises. In A. Siarheyeva, C. Barry, M. Lang, H. Linger, & C. Schneider (Eds.), Information Systems Development: Information Systems Beyond 2020 (ISD2019 Proceedings). Toulon, France: ISEN Yncréa Méditerranée.