Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems integrate information across an entire organization that
automate core activities such as finance/accounting, human resources, manufacturing, production and
supply chain management… etc. to facilitate an integrated centralized system and rapid decision making–
resulting in cost reduction, greater planning, and increased control. Many organizations are updating their
current management information systems with ERP systems. This is not a trivial task. They have to identify
the organization’s objectives and satisfy a myriad of stakeholders. They have to understand what business
processes they have, how they can be improved, and what particular systems would best suit their needs.
They have to understand how an ERP system is built; it involves the modification of an existing system with
its own set of business rules. Deciding what to ask for and how to select the best option is a very complex
operation and there is limited experience with this type of contracting in organizations. In this paper we
discuss a particular experience with contracting out an ERP system, provide some lessons learned, and
offer suggestions in how the RFP and bid selection processes could have been improved.
Critical Success Factors for Implementing an ERP System within University Con...IJMIT JOURNAL
Nowadays, Information Technology (IT) plays an important role in efficiency and effectiveness of the organizational performance. As an IT application, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems is considered one of the most important IT applications because it enables the organizations to connect and interact with its administrative units in order to manage data and organize internal procedures. Many institutions use ERP systems, most notably Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). However, many projects fail or exceed scheduling and budget constraints; the rate of failure in HEIs sector is higher than in other sectors. With HEIs’ recent movement to implement ERP systems and the lack of research studies examining successful implementation in HEIs, this paper provides a critical literature review with a special focus on Saudi Arabia. Further, it defines Critical Success Factors (CSFs) contributing to the success of ERP implementation in HEIs. This paper is part of a larger research effort aiming to provide guidelines and useful findings that help HEIs to manage the challenges for ERP systems and define CSFs that will help practitioners to implement them in the Saudi context.
Critical Success Factors (CSFS) of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System ...csandit
Nowadays, Information Technology (IT) plays an impo
rtant role in efficiency and effectiveness of the
organizational performance. As an IT application, E
nterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems is
considered one of the most important IT application
s because it enables the organizations to connect a
nd
interact with its administrative units in order to
manage data and organize internal procedures. Many
institutions use ERP systems, most notably Higher E
ducation Institutions (HEIs). However, many project
s
fail or exceed scheduling and budget constraints; t
he rate of failure in HEIs sector is higher than in
other
sectors. With HEIs’ recent movement to implement ER
P systems and the lack of research studies examinin
g
successful implementation in HEIs, this paper provi
des a critical literature review with a special foc
us on
Saudi Arabia. Further, it defines Critical Success
Factors (CSFs) contributing to the success of ERP
implementation in HEIs. This paper is part of a lar
ger research effort aiming to provide guidelines an
d
useful findings that help HEIs to manage the challe
nges for ERP systems and define CSFs that will help
practitioners to implement them in the Saudi contex
t.
Critical Success Factors for Implementing an ERP System within University Con...IJMIT JOURNAL
Nowadays, Information Technology (IT) plays an important role in efficiency and effectiveness of the organizational performance. As an IT application, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems is considered one of the most important IT applications because it enables the organizations to connect and interact with its administrative units in order to manage data and organize internal procedures. Many institutions use ERP systems, most notably Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). However, many projects fail or exceed scheduling and budget constraints; the rate of failure in HEIs sector is higher than in other sectors. With HEIs’ recent movement to implement ERP systems and the lack of research studies examining successful implementation in HEIs, this paper provides a critical literature review with a special focus on Saudi Arabia. Further, it defines Critical Success Factors (CSFs) contributing to the success of ERP implementation in HEIs. This paper is part of a larger research effort aiming to provide guidelines and useful findings that help HEIs to manage the challenges for ERP systems and define CSFs that will help practitioners to implement them in the Saudi context.
Critical Success Factors (CSFS) of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System ...csandit
Nowadays, Information Technology (IT) plays an impo
rtant role in efficiency and effectiveness of the
organizational performance. As an IT application, E
nterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems is
considered one of the most important IT application
s because it enables the organizations to connect a
nd
interact with its administrative units in order to
manage data and organize internal procedures. Many
institutions use ERP systems, most notably Higher E
ducation Institutions (HEIs). However, many project
s
fail or exceed scheduling and budget constraints; t
he rate of failure in HEIs sector is higher than in
other
sectors. With HEIs’ recent movement to implement ER
P systems and the lack of research studies examinin
g
successful implementation in HEIs, this paper provi
des a critical literature review with a special foc
us on
Saudi Arabia. Further, it defines Critical Success
Factors (CSFs) contributing to the success of ERP
implementation in HEIs. This paper is part of a lar
ger research effort aiming to provide guidelines an
d
useful findings that help HEIs to manage the challe
nges for ERP systems and define CSFs that will help
practitioners to implement them in the Saudi contex
t.
HRIS Implementation and Change ManagementThu Nandi Nwe
Sharing one of the HRIS lectures designed by our Unit Coordinator and Lecturer: Dr Shah Miah from what we have learned through our Master Program. Greatly appreciated of our teachers guidance and support.
"Hopefully, the readers can use this resource for educational purposes and in a good way"
AN ANALYSIS OF THE CONTRACTING PROCESS FOR AN ERP SYSTEMcsandit
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems integrate information across an entire
organization that automate core activities such as finance/accounting, human resources,
manufacturing, production and supply chain management… etc. to facilitate an integrated
centralized system and rapid decision making– resulting in cost reduction, greater planning,
and increased control. Many organizations are updating their current management information
systems with ERP systems. This is not a trivial task. They have to identify the organization’s
objectives and satisfy a myriad of stakeholders. They have to understand what business
processes they have, how they can be improved, and what particular systems would best suit
their needs. They have to understand how an ERP system is built; it involves the modification of
an existing system with its own set of business rules. Deciding what to ask for and how to select
the best option is a very complex operation and there is limited experience with this type of
contracting in organizations. In this paper we discuss a particular experience with contracting
out an ERP system, provide some lessons learned, and offer suggestions in how the RFP and bid
selection processes could have been improved.
In this presentation, we will discuss ways to access HR information that are stored centrally, hoe it functions , skills required for HRIS practitioners and benefits of the same.
To know more about Welingkar School’s Distance Learning Program and courses offered, visit:
http://www.welingkaronline.org/distance-learning/online-mba.html
AN ANALYSIS OF THE CONTRACTING PROCESS FOR AN ERP SYSTEMcscpconf
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems integrate information across an entire organization that automate core activities such as finance/accounting, human resources,
manufacturing, production and supply chain management… etc. to facilitate an integrated centralized system and rapid decision making– resulting in cost reduction, greater planning, and increased control. Many organizations are updating their current management information systems with ERP systems. This is not a trivial task. They have to identify the organization’s
objectives and satisfy a myriad of stakeholders. They have to understand what business processes they have, how they can be improved, and what particular systems would best suit
their needs. They have to understand how an ERP system is built; it involves the modification of an existing system with its own set of business rules. Deciding what to ask for and how to select the best option is a very complex operation and there is limited experience with this type of contracting in organizations. In this paper we discuss a particular experience with contracting
out an ERP system, provide some lessons learned, and offer suggestions in how the RFP and bid selection processes could have been improved.
CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS (CSFS) OF ENTERPRISE RESOURCE PLANNING (ERP) SYSTEM ...cscpconf
Nowadays, Information Technology (IT) plays an important role in efficiency and effectiveness of the
organizational performance. As an IT application, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems is
considered one of the most important IT applications because it enables the organizations to connect and
interact with its administrative units in order to manage data and organize internal procedures. Many
institutions use ERP systems, most notably Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). However, many projects
fail or exceed scheduling and budget constraints; the rate of failure in HEIs sector is higher than in other
sectors. With HEIs’ recent movement to implement ERP systems and the lack of research studies examining
successful implementation in HEIs, this paper provides a critical literature review with a special focus on
Saudi Arabia. Further, it defines Critical Success Factors (CSFs) contributing to the success of ERP
implementation in HEIs. This paper is part of a larger research effort aiming to provide guidelines and
useful findings that help HEIs to manage the challenges for ERP systems and define CSFs that will help
practitioners to implement them in the Saudi context.
CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS FOR IMPLEMENTING AN ERP SYSTEM WITHIN UNIVERSITY CON...IJMIT JOURNAL
Nowadays, Information Technology (IT) plays an important role in efficiency and effectiveness of the
organizational performance. As an IT application, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems is
considered one of the most important IT applications because it enables the organizations to connect and
interact with its administrative units in order to manage data and organize internal procedures. Many
institutions use ERP systems, most notably Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). However, many projects
fail or exceed scheduling and budget constraints; the rate of failure in HEIs sector is higher than in other
sectors. With HEIs’ recent movement to implement ERP systems and the lack of research studies examining
successful implementation in HEIs, this paper provides a critical literature review with a special focus on
Saudi Arabia. Further, it defines Critical Success Factors (CSFs) contributing to the success of ERP
implementation in HEIs. This paper is part of a larger research effort aiming to provide guidelines and
useful findings that help HEIs to manage the challenges for ERP systems and define CSFs that will help
practitioners to implement them in the Saudi context.
HRIS Implementation and Change ManagementThu Nandi Nwe
Sharing one of the HRIS lectures designed by our Unit Coordinator and Lecturer: Dr Shah Miah from what we have learned through our Master Program. Greatly appreciated of our teachers guidance and support.
"Hopefully, the readers can use this resource for educational purposes and in a good way"
AN ANALYSIS OF THE CONTRACTING PROCESS FOR AN ERP SYSTEMcsandit
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems integrate information across an entire
organization that automate core activities such as finance/accounting, human resources,
manufacturing, production and supply chain management… etc. to facilitate an integrated
centralized system and rapid decision making– resulting in cost reduction, greater planning,
and increased control. Many organizations are updating their current management information
systems with ERP systems. This is not a trivial task. They have to identify the organization’s
objectives and satisfy a myriad of stakeholders. They have to understand what business
processes they have, how they can be improved, and what particular systems would best suit
their needs. They have to understand how an ERP system is built; it involves the modification of
an existing system with its own set of business rules. Deciding what to ask for and how to select
the best option is a very complex operation and there is limited experience with this type of
contracting in organizations. In this paper we discuss a particular experience with contracting
out an ERP system, provide some lessons learned, and offer suggestions in how the RFP and bid
selection processes could have been improved.
In this presentation, we will discuss ways to access HR information that are stored centrally, hoe it functions , skills required for HRIS practitioners and benefits of the same.
To know more about Welingkar School’s Distance Learning Program and courses offered, visit:
http://www.welingkaronline.org/distance-learning/online-mba.html
AN ANALYSIS OF THE CONTRACTING PROCESS FOR AN ERP SYSTEMcscpconf
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems integrate information across an entire organization that automate core activities such as finance/accounting, human resources,
manufacturing, production and supply chain management… etc. to facilitate an integrated centralized system and rapid decision making– resulting in cost reduction, greater planning, and increased control. Many organizations are updating their current management information systems with ERP systems. This is not a trivial task. They have to identify the organization’s
objectives and satisfy a myriad of stakeholders. They have to understand what business processes they have, how they can be improved, and what particular systems would best suit
their needs. They have to understand how an ERP system is built; it involves the modification of an existing system with its own set of business rules. Deciding what to ask for and how to select the best option is a very complex operation and there is limited experience with this type of contracting in organizations. In this paper we discuss a particular experience with contracting
out an ERP system, provide some lessons learned, and offer suggestions in how the RFP and bid selection processes could have been improved.
CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS (CSFS) OF ENTERPRISE RESOURCE PLANNING (ERP) SYSTEM ...cscpconf
Nowadays, Information Technology (IT) plays an important role in efficiency and effectiveness of the
organizational performance. As an IT application, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems is
considered one of the most important IT applications because it enables the organizations to connect and
interact with its administrative units in order to manage data and organize internal procedures. Many
institutions use ERP systems, most notably Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). However, many projects
fail or exceed scheduling and budget constraints; the rate of failure in HEIs sector is higher than in other
sectors. With HEIs’ recent movement to implement ERP systems and the lack of research studies examining
successful implementation in HEIs, this paper provides a critical literature review with a special focus on
Saudi Arabia. Further, it defines Critical Success Factors (CSFs) contributing to the success of ERP
implementation in HEIs. This paper is part of a larger research effort aiming to provide guidelines and
useful findings that help HEIs to manage the challenges for ERP systems and define CSFs that will help
practitioners to implement them in the Saudi context.
CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS FOR IMPLEMENTING AN ERP SYSTEM WITHIN UNIVERSITY CON...IJMIT JOURNAL
Nowadays, Information Technology (IT) plays an important role in efficiency and effectiveness of the
organizational performance. As an IT application, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems is
considered one of the most important IT applications because it enables the organizations to connect and
interact with its administrative units in order to manage data and organize internal procedures. Many
institutions use ERP systems, most notably Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). However, many projects
fail or exceed scheduling and budget constraints; the rate of failure in HEIs sector is higher than in other
sectors. With HEIs’ recent movement to implement ERP systems and the lack of research studies examining
successful implementation in HEIs, this paper provides a critical literature review with a special focus on
Saudi Arabia. Further, it defines Critical Success Factors (CSFs) contributing to the success of ERP
implementation in HEIs. This paper is part of a larger research effort aiming to provide guidelines and
useful findings that help HEIs to manage the challenges for ERP systems and define CSFs that will help
practitioners to implement them in the Saudi context.
Investigating the use of an Artificial Intelligence Model in an ERP Cloud-Bas...AI Publications
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems are necessary to improve an enterprise's management performance. However, the perception of information technology (IT) professionals about the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning with ERP cloud service platforms is unknown. Few studies have examined how leaders can implement AI for strategic management, but no study has qualitatively explored AIs integration in the cloud ERP system. This qualitative phenomenological study explored IT professionals’ perceptions regarding the integration of AI and Supervised-machine (S-machine) learning into cloud service platforms in the enhancement of the cloud ERP system. Two research questions were developed for this study: 1) What are the perceptions of IT professionals regarding the use of an AI model to integrate SaaS and ERP? and 2) What are the perceptions of IT professionals regarding how AI can be integrated in order to enhance the security of using an ERP cloud-based system? Through a hermeneutical lens and a focus on integrating the Application Programming Interface (API), purposive sampling was used to interview five AI experts, three Machine Learning (ML) experts, five Cybersecurity experts, and two Cloud Service Providers provided their lived experiences with AI and S-machine learning. Five main themes emerged, including 1) use of an AI model to integrate SaaS and ERP helped perform work efficiently, 2) challenges for integrating AI into cloud service ERP and SaaS, 3) resources needed to fully implement an AI into cloud-service ERP or SaaS, 4) the best practices for developing and implementing an AI model for ERP and SaaS, and 5) how security of an ERP clouds-based system is optimized by integrating AI. The culmination of these findings has positive implications for individuals and organizations to improve management performance. While this study does not proposal a new theory, this study extends current literature on the application of theories related to technology integration.
A Study and Analysis of Various Existing Implementation Framework Related to ...EECJOURNAL
Despite the difficulties, risk and failures, higher education institutions are continuously implementing the ERP Systems to meet the demands of increased competition and customer expectation. So, it is important to understand and follow an implementation frameworks to reduce/avoid the implementation failures. This study focuses on the overview of different frameworks/models used in ERP implementation and raise an alarm to indicate that there is only limited research available in this area of higher education hence it should be given more focus.
I, BIPIN BHARDWAJ, Hereby declare that this MUP report is the record of authentic work carried out and has not been submitted to any other University or Institute for the award of any degree / diploma etc.
IMPROVING PRIVACY AND SECURITY IN MULTITENANT CLOUD ERP SYSTEMSacijjournal
This paper discusses cloud ERP security challenges and their existing solutions. Initially, a set of definitions associated with ERP systems, cloud computing, and multi-tenancy, along with their respective challenges and issues regarding security and privacy, are provided. Next, a set of security challenges is listed, discussed, and mapped to the existing solutions to solve these problems. This thesis aims to build an effective approach to the cloud ERP security management model in terms of data storage, data virtualization, data isolation, and access security in cloud ERP. The following proposed techniques are used to improve the security for multi-tenant SaaS: database virtualization, implementation of data encryption and search functionality on databases and developed systems, distribution of data between tenant and ERP providers, secure application deployment in multi-tenant environments, implementation of the authentication and developed systems together as a two-factor authentication, and improved user access control for multi-tenant ERP clouds.
International Journal of Engineering Research and Applications (IJERA) is an open access online peer reviewed international journal that publishes research and review articles in the fields of Computer Science, Neural Networks, Electrical Engineering, Software Engineering, Information Technology, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Plastic Engineering, Food Technology, Textile Engineering, Nano Technology & science, Power Electronics, Electronics & Communication Engineering, Computational mathematics, Image processing, Civil Engineering, Structural Engineering, Environmental Engineering, VLSI Testing & Low Power VLSI Design etc.
Advanced Computing: An International Journal (ACIJ) is a peer-reviewed, open access peer-reviewed journal that publishes articles which contribute new results in all areas of the advanced computing. The journal focuses on all technical and practical aspects of high performance computing, green computing, pervasive computing, cloud computing etc. The goal of this journal is to bring together researchers and a practitioners from academia and industry to focus on understanding advances in computing and establishing new collaborations in these areas.
Authors are solicited to contribute to the journal by submitting articles that illustrate research results, projects, surveying works and industrial experiences that describe significant advances in the areas of computing.
Call for Papers - Advanced Computing An International Journal (ACIJ) (2).pdfacijjournal
Submit your Research Papers!!!
Advanced Computing: An International Journal ( ACIJ )
ISSN: 2229 -6727 [Online] ; 2229 - 726X [Print]
Webpage URL: http://airccse.org/journal/acij/acij.html
Submission URL: http://coneco2009.com/submissions/imagination/home.html
Submission Deadline : April 08, 2023
Here's where you can reach us : acijjournal@yahoo.com or acij@aircconline
Advanced Computing: An International Journal (ACIJ
)
is a bi monthly open access peer-reviewed journal that publishes articles which contribute new results in all areas of the advancedcomputing. The journal focuses on all technical and practical aspects of high performancecomputing, green computing, pervasive computing, cloud computing etc. The goal of this journalis to bring together researchers anda practitioners from academia and industry to focus onunderstanding advances in computing and establishing new collaborations in these areas
Submit your Research Papers!!!
Advanced Computing: An International Journal ( ACIJ )
ISSN: 2229 -6727 [Online] ; 2229 - 726X [Print]
Webpage URL: http://airccse.org/journal/acij/acij.html
Submission URL: http://coneco2009.com/submissions/imagination/home.html
Here's where you can reach us : acijjournal@yahoo.com or acij@aircconline.com
7thInternational Conference on Data Mining & Knowledge Management (DaKM 2022)acijjournal
7thInternational Conference on Data Mining & Knowledge Management (DaKM 2022)provides a forum for researchers who address this issue and to present their work in a peer-reviewed forum.
7thInternational Conference on Data Mining & Knowledge Management (DaKM 2022)acijjournal
7thInternational Conference on Data Mining & Knowledge Management (DaKM 2022)provides a forum for researchers who address this issue and to present their work in a peer-reviewed forum.
7thInternational Conference on Data Mining & Knowledge Management (DaKM 2022)acijjournal
7thInternational Conference on Data Mining & Knowledge Management (DaKM 2022)provides a forum for researchers who address this issue and to present their work in a peer-reviewed forum.
4thInternational Conference on Machine Learning & Applications (CMLA 2022)acijjournal
4thInternational Conference on Machine Learning & Applications (CMLA 2022)will provide an excellent international forum for sharing knowledge and results in theory, methodology and applications of on Machine Learning & Applications. The aim of the conference is to provide a platform to the researchers and practitioners from both academia as well as industry to meet and share cutting-edge development in the field.
7thInternational Conference on Data Mining & Knowledge Management (DaKM 2022)acijjournal
7thInternational Conference on Data Mining & Knowledge Management (DaKM 2022)provides a forum for researchers who address this issue and to present their work in a peer-reviewed forum.Authors are solicited to contribute to the conference by submitting articles that illustrate research results, projects, surveying works and industrial experiences that describe significant advances in the following areas, but are not limited to these topics only.
3rdInternational Conference on Natural Language Processingand Applications (N...acijjournal
3rdInternational Conference on Natural Language Processing and Applications (NLPA 2022)will provide an excellent international forum for sharing knowledge and results in theory, methodology and applications of Natural Language Computing and its applications. The Conference looks for significant contributions to all major fieldsof the Natural Language processing in theoretical and practical aspects.
4thInternational Conference on Machine Learning & Applications (CMLA 2022)acijjournal
4thInternational Conference on Machine Learning & Applications (CMLA 2022)will provide an excellent international forum for sharing knowledge and results in theory, methodology and applications of on Machine Learning & Applications. The aim of the conference is to provide a platform to the researchers and practitioners from both academia as well as industry to meet and share cutting-edge development in the field.
Graduate School Cyber Portfolio: The Innovative Menu For Sustainable Developmentacijjournal
In today’s milieu, new demands and trends emerge in the field of Education giving teachers of Higher Education Institutions (HEI’s) no choice but to be innovative to cope with the fast changing technology. To be naturally innovative, a graduate school teacher needs to be technologically and pedagogically competent. One of the ways to be on this level is by creating his cyber portfolio to support students’ eportfolio for lifelong learning. Cyber portfolio is an innovative menu for teachers who seek out strategies to integrate technology in their lessons. This paper presents a straightforward preparation on how to innovate a cyber portfolio that has its practical and breakthrough solution against expensive and inflexible vended software which often saddle many universities. Additionally, this cyber portfolio is free and it addresses the 21st century skills of graduate students blended with higher order thinking skills, multiple intelligence, technology and multimedia.
Genetic Algorithms and Programming - An Evolutionary Methodologyacijjournal
Genetic programming (GP) is an automated method for creating a working computer program from a high-level problem statement of a problem. Genetic programming starts from a high-level statement of “what needs to be done” and automatically creates a computer program to solve the problem. In artificial intelligence, genetic programming (GP) is an evolutionary algorithm-based methodology inspired by biological evolution to find computer programs that perform a user defined task. It is a specialization of genetic algorithms (GA) where each individual is a computer program. It is a machine learning technique used to optimize a population of computer programs according to a fitness span determined by a program's ability to perform a given computational task. This paper presents a idea of the various principles of genetic programming which includes, relative effectiveness of mutation, crossover, breeding computer programs and fitness test in genetic programming. The literature of traditional genetic algorithms contains related studies, but through GP, it saves time by freeing the human from having to design complex algorithms. Not only designing the algorithms but creating ones that give optimal solutions than traditional counterparts in noteworthy ways.
Data Transformation Technique for Protecting Private Information in Privacy P...acijjournal
Data mining is the process of extracting patterns from data. Data mining is seen as an increasingly important tool by modern business to transform data into an informational advantage. Data
Mining can be utilized in any organization that needs to find patterns or relationships in their data. A group of techniques that find relationships that have not previously been discovered. In many situations, the extracted patterns are highly private and it should not be disclosed. In order to maintain the secrecy of data,
there is in need of several techniques and algorithms for modifying the original data in order to limit the extraction of confidential patterns. There have been two types of privacy in data mining. The first type of privacy is that the data is altered so that the mining result will preserve certain privacy. The second type of privacy is that the data is manipulated so that the mining result is not affected or minimally affected. The aim of privacy preserving data mining researchers is to develop data mining techniques that could be
applied on data bases without violating the privacy of individuals. Many techniques for privacy preserving data mining have come up over the last decade. Some of them are statistical, cryptographic, randomization methods, k-anonymity model, l-diversity and etc. In this work, we propose a new perturbative masking technique known as data transformation technique can be used for protecting the sensitive information. An
experimental result shows that the proposed technique gives the better result compared with the existing technique.
Advanced Computing: An International Journal (ACIJ) acijjournal
Advanced Computing: An International Journal (ACIJ) is a bi monthly open access peer-reviewed journal that publishes articles which contribute new results in all areas of the advanced computing. The journal focuses on all technical and practical aspects of high performance computing, green computing, pervasive computing, cloud computing etc. The goal of this journal is to bring together researchers and practitioners from academia and industry to focus on understanding advances in computing and establishing new collaborations in these areas.
E-Maintenance: Impact Over Industrial Processes, Its Dimensions & Principlesacijjournal
During the course of the industrial 4.0 era, companies have been exponentially developed and have
digitized almost the whole business system to stick to their performance targets and to keep or to even
enlarge their market share. Maintenance function has obviously followed the trend as it’s considered one
of the most important processes in every enterprise as it impacts a group of the most critical performance
indicators such as: cost, reliability, availability, safety and productivity. E-maintenance emerged in early
2000 and now is a common term in maintenance literature representing the digitalized side of maintenance
whereby assets are monitored and controlled over the internet. According to literature, e-maintenance has
a remarkable impact on maintenance KPIs and aims at ambitious objectives like zero-downtime.
10th International Conference on Software Engineering and Applications (SEAPP...acijjournal
10th International Conference on Software Engineering and Applications (SEAPP 2021) will provide an excellent international forum for sharing knowledge and results in theory, methodology and applications of Software Engineering and Applications. The goal of this Conference is to bring together researchers and practitioners from academia and industry to focus on understanding Modern software engineering concepts and establishing new collaborations in these areas.
10th International conference on Parallel, Distributed Computing and Applicat...acijjournal
10th International conference on Parallel, Distributed Computing and Applications (IPDCA 2021) will provide an excellent international forum for sharing knowledge and results in theory, methodology and applications of Parallel, Distributed Computing. Original papers are invited on Algorithms and Applications, computer Networks, Cyber trust and security, Wireless networks and mobile Computing and Bioinformatics. The aim of the conference is to provide a platform to the researchers and practitioners from both academia as well as industry to meet and share cutting-edge development in the field.
DETECTION OF FORGERY AND FABRICATION IN PASSPORTS AND VISAS USING CRYPTOGRAPH...acijjournal
In this paper, we present a novel solution to detect forgery and fabrication in passports and visas using
cryptography and QR codes. The solution requires that the passport and visa issuing authorities obtain a
cryptographic key pair and publish their public key on their website. Further they are required to encrypt
the passport or visa information with their private key, encode the ciphertext in a QR code and print it on
the passport or visa they issue to the applicant.
The issuing authorities are also required to create a mobile or desktop QR code scanning app and place it
for download on their website or Google Play Store and iPhone App Store. Any individual or immigration
authority that needs to check the passport or visa for forgery and fabrication can scan its QR code, which
will decrypt the ciphertext encoded in the QR code using the public key stored in the app memory and
displays the passport or visa information on the app screen. The details on the app screen can be
compared with the actual details printed on the passport or visa. Any mismatch between the two is a clear
indication of forgery or fabrication.
Discussed the need for a universal desktop and mobile app that can be used by immigration authorities and
consulates all over the world to enable fast checking of passports and visas at ports of entry for forgery
and fabrication.
Detection of Forgery and Fabrication in Passports and Visas Using Cryptograph...acijjournal
In this paper, wepresenta novel solution to detect forgery and fabrication in passports and visas using cryptography and QR codes. The solution requires that the passport and visa issuing authorities obtain a cryptographic key pair and publish their public key on their website. Further they are required to encrypt the passport or visa information with their private key, encode the ciphertext in a QR code and print it on the passport or visa they issue to the applicant.
The issuing authorities are also required to create a mobile or desktop QR code scanning app and place it for download on their website or Google Play Store and iPhone App Store. Any individual or immigration authority that needs to check the passport or visa for forgery and fabrication can scan its QR code, which will decrypt the ciphertext encoded in the QR code using the public key stored in the app memory and displays the passport or visa information on the app screen. The details on the app screen can be compared with the actual details printed on the passport or visa. Any mismatch between the two is a clear indication of forgery or fabrication.
Discussed the need for a universal desktop and mobile app that can be used by immigration authorities and consulates all over the world to enable fast checking of passports and visas at ports of entry for forgery and fabrication.
GDG Cloud Southlake #33: Boule & Rebala: Effective AppSec in SDLC using Deplo...James Anderson
Effective Application Security in Software Delivery lifecycle using Deployment Firewall and DBOM
The modern software delivery process (or the CI/CD process) includes many tools, distributed teams, open-source code, and cloud platforms. Constant focus on speed to release software to market, along with the traditional slow and manual security checks has caused gaps in continuous security as an important piece in the software supply chain. Today organizations feel more susceptible to external and internal cyber threats due to the vast attack surface in their applications supply chain and the lack of end-to-end governance and risk management.
The software team must secure its software delivery process to avoid vulnerability and security breaches. This needs to be achieved with existing tool chains and without extensive rework of the delivery processes. This talk will present strategies and techniques for providing visibility into the true risk of the existing vulnerabilities, preventing the introduction of security issues in the software, resolving vulnerabilities in production environments quickly, and capturing the deployment bill of materials (DBOM).
Speakers:
Bob Boule
Robert Boule is a technology enthusiast with PASSION for technology and making things work along with a knack for helping others understand how things work. He comes with around 20 years of solution engineering experience in application security, software continuous delivery, and SaaS platforms. He is known for his dynamic presentations in CI/CD and application security integrated in software delivery lifecycle.
Gopinath Rebala
Gopinath Rebala is the CTO of OpsMx, where he has overall responsibility for the machine learning and data processing architectures for Secure Software Delivery. Gopi also has a strong connection with our customers, leading design and architecture for strategic implementations. Gopi is a frequent speaker and well-known leader in continuous delivery and integrating security into software delivery.
Dev Dives: Train smarter, not harder – active learning and UiPath LLMs for do...UiPathCommunity
💥 Speed, accuracy, and scaling – discover the superpowers of GenAI in action with UiPath Document Understanding and Communications Mining™:
See how to accelerate model training and optimize model performance with active learning
Learn about the latest enhancements to out-of-the-box document processing – with little to no training required
Get an exclusive demo of the new family of UiPath LLMs – GenAI models specialized for processing different types of documents and messages
This is a hands-on session specifically designed for automation developers and AI enthusiasts seeking to enhance their knowledge in leveraging the latest intelligent document processing capabilities offered by UiPath.
Speakers:
👨🏫 Andras Palfi, Senior Product Manager, UiPath
👩🏫 Lenka Dulovicova, Product Program Manager, UiPath
LF Energy Webinar: Electrical Grid Modelling and Simulation Through PowSyBl -...DanBrown980551
Do you want to learn how to model and simulate an electrical network from scratch in under an hour?
Then welcome to this PowSyBl workshop, hosted by Rte, the French Transmission System Operator (TSO)!
During the webinar, you will discover the PowSyBl ecosystem as well as handle and study an electrical network through an interactive Python notebook.
PowSyBl is an open source project hosted by LF Energy, which offers a comprehensive set of features for electrical grid modelling and simulation. Among other advanced features, PowSyBl provides:
- A fully editable and extendable library for grid component modelling;
- Visualization tools to display your network;
- Grid simulation tools, such as power flows, security analyses (with or without remedial actions) and sensitivity analyses;
The framework is mostly written in Java, with a Python binding so that Python developers can access PowSyBl functionalities as well.
What you will learn during the webinar:
- For beginners: discover PowSyBl's functionalities through a quick general presentation and the notebook, without needing any expert coding skills;
- For advanced developers: master the skills to efficiently apply PowSyBl functionalities to your real-world scenarios.
Epistemic Interaction - tuning interfaces to provide information for AI supportAlan Dix
Paper presented at SYNERGY workshop at AVI 2024, Genoa, Italy. 3rd June 2024
https://alandix.com/academic/papers/synergy2024-epistemic/
As machine learning integrates deeper into human-computer interactions, the concept of epistemic interaction emerges, aiming to refine these interactions to enhance system adaptability. This approach encourages minor, intentional adjustments in user behaviour to enrich the data available for system learning. This paper introduces epistemic interaction within the context of human-system communication, illustrating how deliberate interaction design can improve system understanding and adaptation. Through concrete examples, we demonstrate the potential of epistemic interaction to significantly advance human-computer interaction by leveraging intuitive human communication strategies to inform system design and functionality, offering a novel pathway for enriching user-system engagements.
UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series, part 4DianaGray10
Welcome to UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series part 4. In this session, we will cover Test Manager overview along with SAP heatmap.
The UiPath Test Manager overview with SAP heatmap webinar offers a concise yet comprehensive exploration of the role of a Test Manager within SAP environments, coupled with the utilization of heatmaps for effective testing strategies.
Participants will gain insights into the responsibilities, challenges, and best practices associated with test management in SAP projects. Additionally, the webinar delves into the significance of heatmaps as a visual aid for identifying testing priorities, areas of risk, and resource allocation within SAP landscapes. Through this session, attendees can expect to enhance their understanding of test management principles while learning practical approaches to optimize testing processes in SAP environments using heatmap visualization techniques
What will you get from this session?
1. Insights into SAP testing best practices
2. Heatmap utilization for testing
3. Optimization of testing processes
4. Demo
Topics covered:
Execution from the test manager
Orchestrator execution result
Defect reporting
SAP heatmap example with demo
Speaker:
Deepak Rai, Automation Practice Lead, Boundaryless Group and UiPath MVP
"Impact of front-end architecture on development cost", Viktor TurskyiFwdays
I have heard many times that architecture is not important for the front-end. Also, many times I have seen how developers implement features on the front-end just following the standard rules for a framework and think that this is enough to successfully launch the project, and then the project fails. How to prevent this and what approach to choose? I have launched dozens of complex projects and during the talk we will analyze which approaches have worked for me and which have not.
State of ICS and IoT Cyber Threat Landscape Report 2024 previewPrayukth K V
The IoT and OT threat landscape report has been prepared by the Threat Research Team at Sectrio using data from Sectrio, cyber threat intelligence farming facilities spread across over 85 cities around the world. In addition, Sectrio also runs AI-based advanced threat and payload engagement facilities that serve as sinks to attract and engage sophisticated threat actors, and newer malware including new variants and latent threats that are at an earlier stage of development.
The latest edition of the OT/ICS and IoT security Threat Landscape Report 2024 also covers:
State of global ICS asset and network exposure
Sectoral targets and attacks as well as the cost of ransom
Global APT activity, AI usage, actor and tactic profiles, and implications
Rise in volumes of AI-powered cyberattacks
Major cyber events in 2024
Malware and malicious payload trends
Cyberattack types and targets
Vulnerability exploit attempts on CVEs
Attacks on counties – USA
Expansion of bot farms – how, where, and why
In-depth analysis of the cyber threat landscape across North America, South America, Europe, APAC, and the Middle East
Why are attacks on smart factories rising?
Cyber risk predictions
Axis of attacks – Europe
Systemic attacks in the Middle East
Download the full report from here:
https://sectrio.com/resources/ot-threat-landscape-reports/sectrio-releases-ot-ics-and-iot-security-threat-landscape-report-2024/
DevOps and Testing slides at DASA ConnectKari Kakkonen
My and Rik Marselis slides at 30.5.2024 DASA Connect conference. We discuss about what is testing, then what is agile testing and finally what is Testing in DevOps. Finally we had lovely workshop with the participants trying to find out different ways to think about quality and testing in different parts of the DevOps infinity loop.
UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series, part 3DianaGray10
Welcome to UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series part 3. In this session, we will cover desktop automation along with UI automation.
Topics covered:
UI automation Introduction,
UI automation Sample
Desktop automation flow
Pradeep Chinnala, Senior Consultant Automation Developer @WonderBotz and UiPath MVP
Deepak Rai, Automation Practice Lead, Boundaryless Group and UiPath MVP
Essentials of Automations: Optimizing FME Workflows with ParametersSafe Software
Are you looking to streamline your workflows and boost your projects’ efficiency? Do you find yourself searching for ways to add flexibility and control over your FME workflows? If so, you’re in the right place.
Join us for an insightful dive into the world of FME parameters, a critical element in optimizing workflow efficiency. This webinar marks the beginning of our three-part “Essentials of Automation” series. This first webinar is designed to equip you with the knowledge and skills to utilize parameters effectively: enhancing the flexibility, maintainability, and user control of your FME projects.
Here’s what you’ll gain:
- Essentials of FME Parameters: Understand the pivotal role of parameters, including Reader/Writer, Transformer, User, and FME Flow categories. Discover how they are the key to unlocking automation and optimization within your workflows.
- Practical Applications in FME Form: Delve into key user parameter types including choice, connections, and file URLs. Allow users to control how a workflow runs, making your workflows more reusable. Learn to import values and deliver the best user experience for your workflows while enhancing accuracy.
- Optimization Strategies in FME Flow: Explore the creation and strategic deployment of parameters in FME Flow, including the use of deployment and geometry parameters, to maximize workflow efficiency.
- Pro Tips for Success: Gain insights on parameterizing connections and leveraging new features like Conditional Visibility for clarity and simplicity.
We’ll wrap up with a glimpse into future webinars, followed by a Q&A session to address your specific questions surrounding this topic.
Don’t miss this opportunity to elevate your FME expertise and drive your projects to new heights of efficiency.
Neuro-symbolic is not enough, we need neuro-*semantic*Frank van Harmelen
Neuro-symbolic (NeSy) AI is on the rise. However, simply machine learning on just any symbolic structure is not sufficient to really harvest the gains of NeSy. These will only be gained when the symbolic structures have an actual semantics. I give an operational definition of semantics as “predictable inference”.
All of this illustrated with link prediction over knowledge graphs, but the argument is general.
Neuro-symbolic is not enough, we need neuro-*semantic*
An experience based evaluation process for erp
1. Advanced Computing: An International Journal (ACIJ), Vol.5, No.1, January 2014
An Experience-Based Evaluation Process for ERP
Bids
Adnan Al Bar1, Victor Basili2, Wajdi Al Jedaibi3 and Abdul Jawad Chaudhry4
1
Department of Information Systems, Faculty of Computing & Information Technology,
King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
2
University of Maryland & Fraunhofer Center Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
3
Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Computing & Information Technology,
King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
4
E-Management Department, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
ABSTRACT
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems integrate information across an entire organization that
automate core activities such as finance/accounting, human resources, manufacturing, production and
supply chain management… etc. to facilitate an integrated centralized system and rapid decision making–
resulting in cost reduction, greater planning, and increased control. Many organizations are updating their
current management information systems with ERP systems. This is not a trivial task. They have to identify
the organization’s objectives and satisfy a myriad of stakeholders. They have to understand what business
processes they have, how they can be improved, and what particular systems would best suit their needs.
They have to understand how an ERP system is built; it involves the modification of an existing system with
its own set of business rules. Deciding what to ask for and how to select the best option is a very complex
operation and there is limited experience with this type of contracting in organizations. In this paper we
discuss a particular experience with contracting out an ERP system, provide some lessons learned, and
offer suggestions in how the RFP and bid selection processes could have been improved.
KEYWORDS
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Request for Proposal for ERP (ERP RFP), ERP Contracting,
Business Process, ERP Implementation, ERP Proposal
1. INTRODUCTION
In this paper we present our experience with contracting out an ERP system at King Abdulaziz
University in Saudi Arabia. We describe the process that was applied, the consequences of
various decisions, and what we believe could have been done to improve the process.
The goal is to present a set of lessons learned, specifically identifying the high risk areas involved
in writing a RFP, selecting a contractor, and setting up for the implementation. Based upon our
experience, we will suggest a process that we believe would have shortened the delivery time,
reduced costs, and provided a better final product. The goal of this paper is to help organizations,
DOI : 10.5121/acij.2014.5101
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2. Advanced Computing: An International Journal (ACIJ), Vol.5, No.1, January 2014
particularly in the public sector, be aware of the pitfalls involved in an ERP implementation and
provide recommendations on how to avoid these risks.
King Abdulaziz University (KAU) was established in 1967 as a national university aimed at
spreading higher education in the western area of Saudi Arabia. It offers university education to
both female and male students [1]. The university has witnessed much improvement in quality
and quantity since it was first established, becoming one of the more distinguished universities in
terms of the number of students, the number of scientific and theoretical fields of study, and the
quality of its programs. It is also the only university in Saudi Arabia that offers certain
specializations such as Sea Sciences, Geology, Nuclear Engineering, Medical Engineering,
Meteorology, Aviation, and Mineralogy.
Figure 1. KAU computing architecture showing legacy applications
Early on, KAU adopted and developed many information systems to automate the administrative
work that allowed different departments to execute their transactions through the systems, e.g.,
Human Resource, Finance, Budget and Planning (Accounting), Purchasing,Contracts,
Warehouse, Projects, etc. But it became clear that recording day-to-day activities and monitoring
the work within the department wasn’t sufficient. These legacy systems were developed based on
third generation programming language COBOL/CICS and using a DB2 database residing on an
IBM mainframe (IBM-Z series series ). Components were developed separately over several
years with minimal integration among the components and many recognized problems, such as
incomplete business functionalities, duplicated business process, data redundancy due to
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3. Advanced Computing: An International Journal (ACIJ), Vol.5, No.1, January 2014
inconsistent and un-normalized databases, no real automation due to the lack of integration, data
inconsistency and inaccuracy. The system was only used as data storage as little or no business
logic was being applied.
Figure 1 depicts KAU system landscape including KAU legacy application systems. The
computing environment there, under a continuous demand for more services, has grown vastly to
include many servers for Windows hosting architecture and internal/external domain services.
Microsoft Active Directory is an example of a much needed service by many applications today
at KAU computing services, since it facilitates a single sign-on service for KAU'ers. In addition,
more and more web-based application appeared to the scene as depicted creating a group of
diverse applications and services. This diversification of services resulted in creating a huge
server farm and KAU Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) along with the IBM COBOL/CICS legacy
systems. The original database is IBM DB/2, however, with the advent of other applications and
platforms many other databases are in use today. It was clear there was a clear need to develop a
fully automated, integrated system that facilitated the flow of all business activities through all
departments, from start to finish in one single system with all the needed data shared.
Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems integrate the internal and external management of
information across an entire organization, embracing Finance/Accounting, Human Resources and
Procurement, Contract Management, etc. ERP systems automate this activity with an integrated
software application. The purpose of ERP is to facilitate the flow of information among all
business functions inside the boundaries of the organization and to manage the connections to
outside stakeholders [16].
With the development of a Saudi Arabian e-Government initiative [8, 9, 15], KAU bought into
the vision of being a “Paper-Less University” and was the among the first public sector
organizations in Saudi Arabia to implement an ERP system that would enable a fully automated
system internally (by integrating all departments in one system) and externally (by adopting
capabilities that ensure integration with other public sectors). The University decided to
implement an ERP system and created an E-management department reporting directly to the
vice president for administrative affairs. Amongst the authors of this paper is the head of the EManagement department, who was the supervisor of KAU SAP implementation project. Figure 1
shows SAP enterprise system architecture which has been adopted at KAU SAP project. In
Figure 2 we show the real KAU SAP system architecture landscape. This landscape reside on an
IBM system Z mainframe. The landscape is further subdivided into production and
quality/development environment.
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4. Advanced Computing: An International Journal (ACIJ), Vol.5, No.1, January 2014
Figure 1 SAP Enterprise System Architecture (adopted from SAP)
Figure 2 KAU SAP System Landscape Architecture
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5. Advanced Computing: An International Journal (ACIJ), Vol.5, No.1, January 2014
2. RELATED EXPERIENCES
In reviewing the literature [2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7] there were several articles that discussed their lessons
learned from the implementation of their ERP system. Although there were none that we could
find that specifically addressed their experience with writing an RFP and selecting a bid, there
were lessons identified that certainly were relevant to the topic. One of the studies, Bondarouk
and Van Riemsdijk [2] suggested that a six-month investigation period was important to get ready
for the implementation. Dieringer [3] recommended that selection an ERP package requires a lot
of homework beyond a demonstration of its capabilities. They implied that a universal buy-in is
needed, starting with the top executives down to everyone in the organization.
There was a consistent theme throughout all the papers that a redesign of the business processes
were critical, i.e., the goal of an ERP is not to automate what the organization is already doing but
to improve its processes, which involves reengineering the processes and moving closer to the
processes offered by the particular ERP system being selected. Lykkegaard and Gemela [5] make
the point that the organizations adapting an ERP system must be prepared for a transformational
change and not treat it as a regular IT project. An important goal here is to minimize the number
of customizations as it is the customizations that cause unanticipated costs, schedule delays, and a
higher likelihood of bugs. This involves lots of discussion and acceptance and training for the
stakeholders, the whole process of integrating the internal and external management of
information across an entire organization is meant to be a learning experience. There is continual
learning involved as the system evolves. However, we believe that if a business architecture of
KAU business functions and their correspondent department and the business processes used was
conducted and built, it would had support the transformational change that was clearly needed
during various implementation phases of the project.
3. THE RFP DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
Figure 3 depicts the stakeholders of the RFP creation process and related intersections among
them. In our case the executive management team was the University President and all of his
deputies. Business process owners are the managers of the administrative departments such as the
University Human Resource Managers and the Financial Manager. The IT deanship at the
University represented the development and infrastructure stakeholders. The most complicated
area for settlement is noted in red, where all classes of stakeholders must agree on the specific
details. Decisions made in these ternary intersections must be based on consensus; simply voting
on issues would not be practical due to the fact that all stakeholders will be greatly affected by
decisions made. The role of executive management is to ensure alignment of project goals and
enforce a unified decision process. Business process owners are comprised of subject matter
experts (SME), data owners, and process owners. They are the responsible personnel who have
the authority to lead and direct the execution of transactions within their respective departments.
Development and infrastructure groups represent the e-management, implementation team, and
IT team.
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6. Advanced Computing: An International Journal (ACIJ), Vol.5, No.1, January 2014
Figure 3. RFP Stakeholders
Contracting for an ERP implementation is difficult because there is such a large number of
stakeholders, all of which need to learn over time, be heard, trained, negotiated with, and be in
constant communication with each other. Business process owners need to be able to agree with
and transition to reengineered processes. This involves a learning curve and a form of continual
evolution to the Should-Be business processes. It is natural for some business owners to fear that
the evolved system will not support them in their activities. It also means change from what they
are currently doing.
The implementation of an ERP is not a typical development process with a standard set of
requirements, design, and code but a process of customizing the code from an existing system.
There is a general lack of knowledge and experience with this type of implementation process as
well as with understanding the bounds and limits of the available ERP systems.
Added complexities come from the fact that KAU is a public sector organization that must
communicate with the larger e-government organizations. This means that the standard
government-based policies and processes are different from the ERP standard activities for-profit
businesses and so the mapping to the customized set of practices can be more complex. It also
means that there is another external major stakeholder and system, the e-government system
YESSER, with which the KAU stakeholders and system need to interact with. .Once the decision
had been made to implement an ERP system, the goal was to do it as quickly as possible. In
retrospect, it is clear that the development of the RFP and Bid selection were too rushed. The
whole process took about 9 months from start to announcing the winner. Of this, ten weeks was
for the ERP readiness report and 6 weeks for the RFP preparation. Due to government business
rules that require the RFP to be in the newspaper for 60 days in order for the bidder to respond to
the RFP and reply with their proposal. It took us another 12 weeks to evaluate the proposals and
select the winning bid. In the following section we will discuss each step of the RFP development
process in more details.
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7. Advanced Computing: An International Journal (ACIJ), Vol.5, No.1, January 2014
3.1. ERP Readiness Assessment
As a start, the e-management team conducted several meetings with all stakeholders to decide on
the appropriate approach for the road ahead. After reviewing the literature and what were
considered the industry best practices in ERP system implementation [13], the e-Management
team began to analyze the university’s requirements by conducting several internal workshops to
identify a list of business processes from all the relevant departments. It was decided to conduct
an ERP readiness assessment [7] to help characterize KAU’s maturity with respect to three
important factors, (1) Organization (people), (2) Business Process, and (3) IT infrastructure and
decide on the road to take. Three external experts were hired to conduct the readiness assessment
and provide support in writing the RFP. Two had experiences in implementing ERP systems and
the third was hired to assist with the IT infrastructure. The readiness analysis of KAU’s business
processes included a comparison of the required functionality against the features offered by the
major ERP systems and an analysis the availability of skilled resources in the region. It came up
with four options. The first option (continue with current system) was ruled out due to the fact
that the current systems lack the necessary functionality to support the current business
intellectual properties and future expansion of the business needs. The second option (Custom
Built) was also not a viable option as the university core competency is to offer education and not
to build systems. The third option was to select an ERP package. The fourth option (Hybrid) was
to combine an ERP with internally developed systems was also rejected as it would not be able to
scale to the KAU’s future business growth. It was concluded that selecting an ERP package
(option 3) from a world-class vendor would be the most viable option for KAU. The analysis
strongly suggested that the ERP roll out be staggered over a period of time, starting with the
Finance and Accounting module and introducing other departments according to a roll-out
readiness map. It was felt that a multi-phased implementation as opposed to a “Big-Bang”
approach would minimize the risk of failure, allowing the organization to learn from its mistakes
and gradually build up the in-house talent pool and sponsorship that would provide a grass-roots
“Buy-In” for both the IT organization and the Business divisions.
Based upon the readiness report and the requirements gathered, the e-Management team
developed an RFP (Request for Proposal) which included the Scope of the Project and published
a Public Bid to select an implementer who would be capable of implementing an ERP system for
a public sector organization. In order to satisfy the business process owners and mitigate their
fears of moving to a new system, the RFP business process requirements were specified as ‘as-is’
requirements, duplicating what was currently being done.
As stated earlier, ERP systems are not developed based upon a set of requirements but mapped
into a predefined collection of components that offer a limited set of variations on a set of
business processes. This mapping method requires a huge effort where the current business
processes have to be discussed (As-Is Business Processes), and evolved (Should-be Business
Processes) to improve the way the business processes satisfy the organization’s needs, and then
compared with business processes offered by the ERP. This approach should necessarily lead to a
form of Gap Analysis during bid evaluation. The real time and effort expended on the
implementation comes from the customization of those components to meet the needs of the
organization’s should-be business processes.
The ultimate goal in selecting an appropriate ERP system is to identify each particular business
process offered by a particular ERP system, understand the limitations of the ERP Standard
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8. Advanced Computing: An International Journal (ACIJ), Vol.5, No.1, January 2014
Processes with respect to the Should-Be business processes, and propose a solution that
minimizes the amount and cost of customization, i.e., that enables the organization to adapt their
Should-Be business processes with mostly minor changes. When we require changes to the
existing set of components, each upgrade of the current version of the ERP system, will require
these changes to be made again to the next version of the system to be consistent with the next
release of the ERP system.
Based upon the trade-offs between what might not make it to the should-be processes and the lack
of sufficient knowledge about the various ERP offerings, the decision was made to create an RFP
that was general in nature aimed at leaving open possible issues to be settled during
implementation. This was due mostly to the lack of time to reach a consensus on the should-be
processes. As it was not possible to predict all the possible implications of the integrated set of
business process, it was decided to leave that to the particular ERP that was chosen. In retrospect,
this was a major mistake. The too general nature of the RFP was evidenced by the fact that the
bids varied in price by an order of magnitude.
3.3. ERP Limitations
Due to the lack of team experience with respect to an ERP implementation, and the number of
limitations in the collection of ERP systems, many of these limitations were not well understood
by the KAU team. For example, the ERP systems are not developed based upon a set of
requirements but mapped into a preset collection of components that offer a limited set of
variations on a set of business processes. As stated above, the real time and effort comes from the
customization of those components to the needs of the organization’s business processes. In
retrospect, it was clear that a detailed gap analysis needed to be performed identifying the kinds
of changes that needed to be made to each of the proposed ERP systems and categorized by their
level of complexity.
Each ERP has limits in terms of what can be handled. Most limitations of ERP packages can be
categorized into functional and technical limitations. Functional limitations are mismatches
between the ERP standard process and the organization’s business process and the organizations
business process cannot be implemented without a prohibitive amount of effort.. An example of a
functional limitation is that some of the standard business processes of ERP systems cannot be
automated through an approval workflow, e.g., a required approval by a manager. But the KAU
business processes require a full approval business process workflow, more than five levels of
approval. Also, some business rule validation has to be hardcoded into the existing set of ERP
components because it cannot be made a variation of any of the existing business rules. This is a
major drawback with respect to system upgrades as the hardcoded business rule have to be
handled with care otherwise they will be overridden by the upgrade.
Technical limitations are encoded restrictions in the ERP system design that are very difficult to
overcome. As an example of a technical limitation, SAP cannot handle name text fields larger
than 40 characters. This turned out to be a problem for KAU’s standard terminology for business
entities. This limit is actually hardcoded in SAP, i.e., it is not a parameter. Another example of a
technical limitation is that the lack of support to configure the financial fiscal year according to
your local calendar as in our case for the Hijri calendar, which is the official calendar of Saudi
Arabia.
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9. Advanced Computing: An International Journal (ACIJ), Vol.5, No.1, January 2014
As implied earlier, an important factor causing problems was that the KAU ERP was for a Saudi
government agency and must adhere to government rule restrictions, real or imagined, on their
business processes, i.e. going from As-Is to Should-Be involved complicated negotiations. For
example, during the negotiation about improving the current set of business processes with the
business process owner, there was resistance encountered. The Business process owner would
object to the change on the basis that he thought the current rules were required by the Ministry of
Finance and can't be changed. It was also a painful exercise to resolve conflict among business
owners with regards to some file names in shared screens with each owner insisting on keeping
their own familiar terminology. In ERP packages, field names are usually defined once and used
everywhere. KAU business process owners came from a COBOL legacy system world, where
every application has its own terminology and classification encodings. It was evident that letting
go of old processes and encodings was difficult for them. In this regard, the whole ERP project
was viewed as a threat rather than improvement.
Another serious issue was that the RFP did not specify the common browsers used by the
business process owners and the wining RFP did not support the use of that browser. The most
common browser at KAU was Google chrome and the winning bid only supported Internet
Explorer version 8 at the time of the project. This created serious concerns from the business
process owners. Unfortunately, the business process owners did not have an opportunity to
review the RFP, even though it is not clear they would have thought about specifying the
browser.
4. USING LESSONS LEARNED TO PROPOSE A BETTER RFP
DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
A lot of unanticipated cost, effort and time were expended because of the lack of an available
functional and technical ERP consultant at KAU (and possibly anywhere) for developing an RFP
to contract for an ERP system. Based upon what happened we would propose a different
approach to adopt an ERP for an enterprise organization like KAU and a different approach for
bid selections, too. In our discussions with successful implementers of ERP systems, it appears to
be quite common that the successful implementation was not the initial attempt at an
implementation. The highest level change would be to spend more time and money upfront, e.g.,
have a separate activity (e.g., a contract) for developing the RFP and evaluating the bids so there
would be a minimum of surprises during the implementation of the ERP. As others in the
literature have suggested [10, 11], we should have spent more time up front identifying what
needed to be done and to learn more about ERP implementation and more of its hidden pitfalls.
One approach for starting the process would have been to hire (or contract) a team that has the
right experience so that KAU personnel work with them directly to gain the experience needed
[12].
4.1. Identifying and specifying goals for the ERP
We now know that from the early start of the project, the goals were not clear to all stakeholders.
In fact, in some areas conflicting goals existed! While the e-management team knew to some
extent what was to come, other stakeholders did not. For example, business process owners
thought that it was just another application and the change of the actual processes would be
minimal. That was, however, not the case. Reactions differed when integration of the systems was
to take place. For instance, integration means a unified encoding system must be used; hence
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10. Advanced Computing: An International Journal (ACIJ), Vol.5, No.1, January 2014
specific locally exercised flexibility must be abandoned. Any false or wrong piece of data entered
will be flagged if not by the system itself then by the users of the other integrated modules of the
ERP. As the project progressed, the goals of each group of the stakeholders became clearer and
more conflicting. Thus, more resistance came to the surface.
If we were to do this again, we would include a couple of opening workshops, e.g., Joint
Application Design sessions [17], where we would discuss the goals, e.g., improving the business
processes so they could be more efficient, automated, and integrated with each other to provide a
seamless system, bounding the changes that could be made, etc. We could then discuss the
strategies for achieving these goals. All stakeholders would be required to participate in these
workshop and all concerns would be aired and a consensus drawn. A key factor is that there be an
executive sponsor, the project owner, who is high enough in the organization to be able to make
the necessary final decisions.
4.2. Business Process Development
Based upon the agreed goals, we would perform a thorough analysis of how well KAU business
processes are performing. Such an analysis would bring hard evidence to the discussion with
business process owners on the need to change various processes and which current processes are
not optimal. This discussion is needed to make it clear to the business process owners what
processes should be changed in order to achieve the stated goals in order to yield an overall
improvement of the internal and external management of information across the entire
organization. Given the As-Is, what should be the To-Be. This requires a balancing of what would
be an improvement to the processes that would satisfy the goals and what would be acceptable to
the current business process owners. One approach that would help the business process owners
envision the potential improvements is to build prototype screens that show the new business
processes and allow the business process owners to play with them.
We would evolve these changes via a series of workshops where we would discuss how to
improve the business processes, identify the hurdles in terms of discussions of the effect of
changes in the business processes, the implications of integrating the systems, etc. All
stakeholders would be required to participate in the workshops and all concerns would be aired
and consensuses drawn. Ultimately, the executive sponsor would arbitrate the final set of
decisions. It would be good for the workshops to occur over several days so that stakeholders
would have the chance to think over the implications of each day’s activities.
4.3. Improving Communication
A fundamental principle that should be emphasized during the entire process is to improve
communication among all stakeholders. At any stage of the project, they should be made aware of
the status of the project and all project related decisions. This information should even be
disseminated to them periodically. They should be allowed to comment and express concerns
enabling them to engage actively in the project. Having an electronic communication channel,
e.g., group forums, would encourage this kind of interaction. In addition, we suggest that regular
workshops and team meetings should be conducted, especially before deciding on major issues.
This will facilitate communication and demonstrate to stakeholders that they are an integral part
of the team.
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4.4. Incorporating Continuous Learning
The results of these three activities would help create an organizational mindset that developing
an ERP is a continuous learning activity. That is, as an organization we are evolving the ERP,
learning from each decision we have made along the way. Because of the lack of internal
experience, acceptance of the idea that we are learning step by step is important. It was a mistake
to develop an RFP for the entire set of business processes without integrating a learning process
into it. For example, it would have been useful to start the implementation with a particular set of
business processes, e.g., human resources, and learn from them for implementing the next of
processes. What is learned from that particular task could be used to do a better job of
implementing the next set of business processes. It would allow the KAU team to build
experience in each of the tasks and be better able to play a significant role in the implementation.
4.5. Developing the RFP
At this point we should be ready to develop the RFP. As stated above, it might be appropriate to
build the system incrementally and select a first set of business processes for implementation.
Since the contracting for an ERP is not contracting for a development but a modification of an
existing system, it is clear that we would need to understand the differences between the specified
business processes and those available from the various ERP systems in order to select the system
that requires minimum modifications. It is the cost of modification that will be the major cost of
the system. To this end, we should perform a gap analysis between what the various ERPs offer
and what we need to satisfy our goals.
4.6. Gap Analysis
The bidding process required each bidder to demonstrate how their system would address various
types of high level business processes, e.g., human resources. But we did not provide specific and
detailed processes, such as the processes for hiring new employees of various types. As a
government agency, KAU has a large number of complex hiring processes for different employee
roles. It was not clear what kinds of configurations and customizations were needed.
Configuration is the process of setting up the ERP system by selecting standard functionalities
from a list of those supported by the system. Customization is the process of mapping ERP to
organization’s business process which might require code changes to create functionality that is
not available through configuration.
A better approach would have been to provide a representative set of specific processes for each
of the high level processes that would allow a more detailed Gap analysis.
4.7 The bid Evaluation process
As stated earlier the bids varied in cost by an order of magnitude. The rules were to accept the bid
with the best fit solution at the lowest price. Unfortunately there was not enough information to
make that judgment. This was due to lack of details in the RFP and to the lack of experienced
ERP consultants at KAU when evaluating bids A session was held with business owners to ask
for their feedback and get a review with them about the general requirements. However, the main
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goal was to spread the awareness among business owners that we were going for an ERP
solution. It was not meant to solicit detailed comments about the RFP from the business process
owners. The bid selection was viewed as a technical task. In retrospect this was a mistake not to
solicit feedback as the process could have been used to create a more collaborative atmosphere
and an educational experience for the business process owners.
As an attempt to better understand what bidders had to offer, they were asked to provide a live
demonstration of the ERP system they were proposing. Some of the demos were scheduled for
three full days. Bidders were given a scenario of a business process but it was not clear from the
demo what was needed to customize the ERP as we didn’t have a functional consultant to pin
point issues related to the products offered and whether they suited KAU business processes. This
limited our ability to make informed decisions about each vendor.
In retrospect, we should have done a mapping of each KAU business process for each bid to
understand and assess what standard capabilities the bid offered. This was done at a high level,
but not in sufficient details to make clear the customization and effort needed for that
customization. For example, we did it for Human Resources in general but not at a detailed level,
such as the hiring process.
One approach would be to build a table for evaluating the level of customization covering
sufficient detail in the processes to make clear what customization would be needed (see Table 1).
For example, if each row represents a particular detailed sample business process and each
column represents an evaluation of how that proposed ERP system would be rated in terms of a
specific business process being available as standard (0), customization (1). This would give us
significantly more information as to which proposed system would require the minimum amount
of effort to implement and reduce the amount of customizations. This step should be done in
advance of contracting the project.
Table 1. Bid Evaluation
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Thus, for this set of business processes, Bidder 2 would require the least effort. The results would
also provide feedback on those business processes which would be the most trouble to implement
and would give KAU the opportunity to see if those processes could be modified to minimize
enhancements and developments. Based upon our principle of good communication, we would
again run workshops with the relevant business process owners to see what adaptations could be
accepted.
Moreover, similar to the gap analysis of business processes, it would be important to list all
reports, forms and printouts in another table to evaluate the capability of each proposal and how
their ERP system will address these requirements. It could be the case that the required format by
business owners doesn’t map to the standard reports/forms or does not exist; these kinds of
formats can be customized which should be part of the evaluation process of the bid.
4.8. Identifying Technical Issues
Aside from identifying the gaps in the implementation of the business processes, an examination
of the data migration and cleansing processes needs to be performed. Data migration and
cleansing are major activities in an ERP implementation project. It is important for a data
architect to be able to map the scattered existing data in different formats from the various
existing legacy systems to a common, centralized, consistent master data file in the ERP
implementation. Thus it is important to have a highly capable data architect as part of the KAU
team. This cleansing involves identifying and effectively using master data from the KAU data
resources such as legacy databases and archived HR files. The RFP needs to specify as part of the
project, the identification and collection of the missing data from the various sources. A fair
sample of current data should been made available to bidders flagging the amount of work needs
to be accomplished in the transition.
4.9. Selecting the Bidder
At this point, armed with the results of the gap analysis and the identification of the various
technical issues that need to be overcome, the bidder with the minimum number of
customizations and the best technical support can be selected. The organization, at this stage,
should be able to develop reasonable estimates of the cost and schedule and for evaluating the
bids with respect to these parameters.
5. CONCLUSIONS
Contracting for an ERP system is a complex and difficult task, especially without having any
previous ERP implementation experience. It involves (1) writing an RFP for a system that will be
developed based upon the configuration and customization of an existing system and (2) selecting
a bidder and proposed system based upon how closely their proposal minimizes the amount of
customization. The writing of the requirements for such a system needs to be a compromise
between what business processes already exist, what business process are available in the ERP
system, and what business process would improve the way an organization does its business.
There has been little discussed in the literature about the contracting process, which sets the stage
for the implementation. In the KAU case, it is clear that not enough time was spent up front in
marshaling all the stakeholders, focusing the RFP on the major issues, and evaluating the bidders
appropriately. In many ways, the authors believe these activities are the key factors for
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implementing an ERP. Had they be done right, the actual implementation process would have
been cheaper and faster.
Based upon our experience, this paper suggests an approach which should improve an
organization’s control of the project and allow it to minimize the risk of surprises during the
implementation which should lead to a successful implementation.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This project was funded by the Deanship of Scientific Research (DSR), King Abdulaziz
University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The authors acknowledge and extend their gratitude towards
DSR for its technical and financial support.
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Authors
1
Adnan A. Al Bar
Adnan Albar is Assistant Professor of Information systems at the King Abdulaziz
University. He holds a PhD degree in Computer Science from George Washington
University. He served as chairman of the Information Systems department for two
year and then as the Vice Dean for Development of Student Affairs. He supervised
the implementation of SAP ERP project at the King AdulAziz University. He is a
member of the ACM and IEEE. His main research interests are enterprise
information systems, IT governance, and enterprise architecture.
2
Victor R. Basili
Victor Basili is Professor Emeritus of Computer Science at the University of
Maryland. He holds a PH.D. in Computer Science from the University of Texas,
Austin and two honorary degrees. He served as founding director of the Fraunhofer
Center - Maryland and the Software Engineering Laboratory at NASA/GSFC. He
serves as co-Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Empirical Software Engineering, and
is an IEEE and ACM Fellow. He works on measuring, evaluating, and improving
the software development process and product. For more information, please see
http://www.cs.umd.edu/~basili/
3
Wajdi Al Jedaibi
Wajdi Al Jedaibi is a faculty member of the Computer Science department in the
Faculty of Computing & Information Technology at King Abdulaziz University. He
served as the KAU IT Manager and then Dean of Information Technology at KAU.
Wajdi was awarded the Ph.D in Information Technology – Software Engineering and
MSc. in Software Systems Engineering both from George Mason University. His
current research interests are: component based software engineering, software
measurement, and Open Source ERP systems.
4
Abdul Jawad M. Chaudhry
Professional system analyst and ERP Consultant, he has participated in several ERP
implementation projects for both private and public (government) organizations, He
received a professional associate certificate for SAP Consultation and was awarded
appreciation certificates from leading organizations like: Saudi Arabian Airlines and
IBM.
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