Evaluating enterprise resource planning (ERP) post implementation problems in Egypt: Findings from case studies of governmental, multinational and private Egyptian organisations

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) has been described as a business system supported by software that enables an organization to manage the efficient and effective use of an enterprise’s materials and resources by providing an integrated system for the enterprise’s needs (Beheshti, 2006; Ehie and Madsen, 2005). Despite the significant benefits that ERP systems provide, fewer than 30% of ERP projects are successfully implemented, i.e. projects completed on time and on budget with all features and functions operating as specified (Wallace and Kremzar, 2001; Iskanius, 2009). Reasons underlying unsuccessful implementation include: dealing with ERP solely as software and not as a system; the inability to adopt a new organizational policy to implement ERP or to cope with the changes created by ERP; projects going over budget; projects being terminated before the implementation begins; and failure to achieve the planned objectives (Shah et al., 2011; Zhang et al., 2003). The ERP life cycle can be divided simply into three main stages; the pre-Implementation; during Implementation; and after Go-Live or post-implementation phase. The post-implementation stage in a system’s life cycle constitutes a number of processes that are critical for the system’s success. Following the implementation of the system, an organization engages in a number of activities, such as post-implementation review, support and maintenance, in order to minimize the risks of failure of ERP projects (Nicolaou, 2012).