The Industrial Viewpoint on the Role of Enterprise Resource Planning Systems in Establishing Information Integration (original) (raw)

2009, 4th International Research Symposium -IRW

In recent years, the competition in the construction industry has compelled Large Scale Enterprises (LSEs) in the construction industry to work in integrated collaborative information management platforms such as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, where information can be acquired, stored and accessed more efficiently. In fact, ERP systems are a relatively recent technology to be adopted within the construction sector and as such the organisational point of view on the role of ERP systems in enabling information integration in the construction industry has not been explored in previous research. Thus, the aim of this study was determined as investigating the industrial viewpoint on the role of ERP systems in establishing information integration in LSEs. Following a literature review in the field, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 leading large scale engineering and consulting enterprises in Turkey, to explore their viewpoints and visions on the role of ERPs, in forming information integration. The industry believes that implementing an ERP system will contribute to the centralisation of information, which may later facilitate information integration. The industrial viewpoint on the issue indicates that information integration will be facilitated mainly by integration of ERP systems with project and product data management applications.