Any large software implementation is challenging—and ERP systems are no
exception. There are countless examples of large implementations failing, and it is easy
to understand why. Many different departments are involved, as are the many users of the
system, programmers, systems analysts, and other personnel. Without top management
commitment, large projects are doomed to fail. More implementation issues are discussed
in Chapter 7.
After a company chooses its major modules, it must make an incredible number of
decisions on how to configure the system. These configuration options allow the company
to customize the modules it has chosen to fit its needs. For example, in the Financial
Accounting (FI) module, a business might need to define limits on the dollar value of
business transactions that certain employees can process. This is an important
consideration in minimizing the risk of fraud and abuse, and is just one example of the
many decisions facing a company at the start of a major ERP implementation.