Small enterprise systems based on document methodology

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Enterprise system vendors have attempted to enlarge their market by offering pre-engineered solutions for small companies, thereby avoiding the massive implementation difficulties usually associated with an enterprise system such as SAP. One unfortunate result of such an approach is that the pre-engineered structure does not fit the physical environment of the company well, resulting in poor results, a discouraged workteam, and excessive costs of ongoing system use and training. In a doctoral dissertation, one research effort [M. Arif, The Design of an Enterprise Information System: A Document Approach, Unpublished Ph.D. Dissertation, Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Systems, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, 2002] demonstrated that a less complex document based enterprise system could be constructed and compared to an integrated software based ERP system at the conceptual design level. The testbed was a live operating company. The comparison was based upon a series of quantitative software metrics applied to both constructs. The results were encouraging in that they showed that the possibility of smaller, simpler, and less expensive systems could be created using the document methodology. The purpose of this paper is to enlarge the comparison. It shows how the document methodology can be used to tailor a unique, well-fitting solution using document methodology and standard off the shelf software. The concepts are illustrated through a case application.