ERP

ERP Features

ERP, also called enterprise resource planning, describes a software model that first came onto the market in the early 1990s and has since revolutionized both front and back office business functions for a wide variety of industries. ERP features are generally designed to unify diverse functions run from disconnected software platforms. By gathering all of these separate business functions onto a collective platform designed and supported by a single software developer, a business can begin to reap the benefits of vastly improved efficiency and asset management.

The earliest ERP features were developed with manufacturing industry in mind. These systems were first known as MRP or manufacturing resource planning models, and they were created with the goal of coordinating all aspects of shop floor scheduling, including bill of material, ordering, raw material delivery and assembly, and lot tracking. These ERP features allowed manufacturers to free themselves from isolated software systems and run all of their applications from a single architecture. Since the introduction of these software models two decades ago, manufacturing ERP features have expanded into ERP features that handle and facilitate general business functions as well, including accounting, payroll, and human resource management. Recently, ERP features have expanded to incorporate front office functions that sometimes function using internet interfaces, like customer relationship management. Using these front office applications, a business can allow customers to place orders and provide product feedback by interacting with the system directly.

ERP features and applications have moved beyond the world of manufacturing, but the principal of the integrated business solution remains essentially the same. If multiple departments and diverse employee functions can be carried out and managed by a central software infrastructure, efficiency can improve, communication can improve, and increased simplicity can reduce error and increase processing speed. Simplicity of design means fewer potential problems. It also means increased data access, since all departments can share databases that any authorized employee can change and update in real time. The shared databases can be housed on a collective single or multi-tier server architecture. The same architecture can back up and protect the data and allow employees to run applications and business management tools. 

There are no limits to the new ERP features or software tools that can be developed and run from this integrated software backbone. Every year, new products and applications are designed that can be incorporated and run from an existing framework. This means that once a business opts to step away from a legacy software platform in favor of an ERP solution, upgrades can be seamlessly introduced and a software system can grow as a business grows. This flexibility can be invaluable for business managers in rapidly evolving industries from manufacturing to e-commerce. 

Written by :

tracey boxer