EXPLORING CONSULTANTS' ROLE IN ERP SYSTEMS IMPLEMENTATIONS

Abstract

This paper reviews the extant literature on Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems consultants and investigates if their role change after their implementation in organizations. In ERP implementations, the consultant role is usually divided into different domains. For example, a financial and accounting functional consultants capture the clients’ requirements and guide their clients on the best practices and ensure the compliance with standards and accounting principles, while the technical consultants help in the actual technical installation, integration and testing of the system. In general, the primary role of an ERP consultant is to lead an organisation through the transition to an ERP system environment. An ERP consultant is also a person who has various set of skills and expertise across different domains. In this research, we investigate the under-researched area of consultants’ roles in the ERP realm. Specifically, we attempt to investigate the changes in consultants’ roles before, during, and post ERP adoptions.