A Model for ERP Systems Management: An Exploratory Study in Companies Using SAP R/3

ERP systems are now an important component of information technology architecture in most large and medium sized companies. As such, it is inevitable that the activities undertaken to align this component to business requirements, conduct its evolution and ensure its performance and availability become increasingly important to companies’ IT areas. Success of these activities relies upon knowledge and participation of various actors inside and outside the IT area, imposing challenges not observed in internally developed systems Many authors have researched the implementation processes of ERP systems with diverse approaches and stressing the benefits achieved by its application. However, few have analyzed the management of already implemented ERP systems. This work proposes a model for the analysis of ERP systems management, including the activities and actors engaged in this effort. The proposed model is the basis for an exploratory survey conducted with 85 Brazilian companies whose results also comprise this text.