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- Systems Research and Behavioral Science
Syst. Res. 23,157^168 (2006)
Published online inWiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com)
DOI:10.1002/sres.751
& Research Paper
A Knowledge Management System
for ERP Implementation
Yuan Li*, Xiu Wu Liao and Hong Zhen Lei
School of Management, Xian Jiaotong University, Xian, China
An enterprise resource planning (ERP) is an enterprise-wide application software
package that integrates all necessary business functions into a single system with a
common database. Its implementation is a complex process in terms of technology pre-
paration and organizational change management. Although the importance of knowledge
management (KM) in ERP implementation has been recognized, how to conduct
knowledge management has not received deserved attention till now. The main objective
of this paper is to develop a KM system to manage the knowledge of ERP implementation
process. To accomplish this, the article first identifies the types of knowledge in ERP
implementation. It then summarizes various KM activities based on a six-stage model. At
last, it proposes a KM system that consists of cooperative working platform, consulting
platform, individual KM platform, organizational KM platform, and knowledge transfer
platform. This system can effectively manage knowledge and provide support for the
successful implementation of an ERP system. Copyright # 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Keywords enterprise information systems; enterprise resource planning; knowledge manage-
ment; systems research; systems engineering; systems approach; MIS; management information
systems
INTRODUCTION product choice, provide more reliable delivery
dates and better customer service, improve
In today’s dynamic and unpredictable business quality, and efficiently coordinate globe demand,
environment, companies face the tremendous supply and production (Li, 2000a; Li and Li, 2000;
challenge of expanding markets and rising custo- Umble et al., 2003). In order to accomplish these
mer expectations. This compels them to lower objectives, more and more companies are turning
total costs in the entire supply chain, shorten to the enterprise resource planning systems
throughput times, reduce inventories, expand (ERP). An ERP is a packaged enterprise-wide
information system that integrates all necessary
* Correspondence to: Yuan Li, School of Management, Xian Jiaotong
business functions, such as product planning,
University, Xian 710049, China. E-mail: liyuan@xjtu.edu.cn purchasing, inventory control, sales, financial
Contract/grant sponsor: NSFC; contract/grant numbers: 70121001;
and human resources, into a single system with
70472039; 70571063. a shared database (Alavi and Leidner, 2001).
Copyright # 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
- RESEARCH PAPER Syst. Res.
A successfully implemented ERP can offer of an ERP implementation. These factors include
companies the following three major benefits top management support, business plan and
(Yusuf et al., 2004): vision, organizational change management and
culture, business process re-engineering (BPR),
* Automating business process
data accuracy, education and training, and ven-
* Timely access to management information
´
dor selection and support, etc (Tchokogue et al.,
* Improving supply chain management through
2005; Kumar et al., 2003; Somers et al., 2004;
the use of e-commerce
Umble et al., 2003; Sheu et al., 2004; Motwni et al.,
In the past few years, thousands of companies 2002; Mabert et al., 2003; Al-Mudimigh et al.,
around the world have implemented ERP 2001; He, 2004). Although different authors
systems. The number of companies that plan to may have their own diverse perspectives, they
implement ERP is growing rapidly. AMR all consider that the most important factor
Research, an authoritative market forecast insti- that influences successful ERP implementation
tution in America, indicated that the ERP market is management, instead of technology; and
would grow at annual rate of 37% in recent technology is only a minor factor. Thus, it is
5 years. The sales of the ERP packaged software especially important to investigate the issue of
are estimated to be around $20 billion by the year how to enhance management in ERP implemen-
2000 and the eventual market size is predicted to tation process.
be around $1 trillion by the year 2010 (Rajagopal, The process of implementing ERP begins with
2002). Even in China, a developing country, ERP planning. After planning is completed, a project
has also become a main product in the software team embarks on and then moves through a
market and the sales have approached six number of discrete phases. After the system is
hundreds million RMB in the first half of 2002 up and running, there may be a post-implemen-
(Li, 2000b; Li et al., 2001; Chaudhry et al., 2005; tation review and later a stabilization phase
Dan et al., 2005; Wang et al., 2005; Xu et al., 2005). (Parr and Shanks, 2000). In the model proposed
Surprisingly, given the significant investment in by Kwon and Zmud (Kwon and Zmud, 1987;
resources and time, many companies did not Rajagopal, 2002), ERP implementation process
achieve success in ERP implementation. It is can be divided into six stages: initiation, adop-
estimated that the failure rate of ERP implemen- tion, adaptation, acceptance, routinization and
tation ranges from 40 to 60% or higher (Umble et infusion (see Figure 1). The first or the initiation
al., 2003). Some surveys and researches indicate is characterized by both internal and exter-
that successful outcome is also not guaranteed nal factors that influence the organization to
even under ideal circumstances. Researchers implement an ERP system. At this stage, the
consider that the factors such as organizational
change and process re-engineering, the enter-
prise-wide implications, the high resource
commitment, and high potential business bene- Next Innovation Initiation
fits and risks associated with ERP systems make
the implementation a much complex exercise
´
(Kumar et al., 2003; Tchokogue et al., 2005). It is Infusion Adoption
therefore not surprising that numerous compa-
nies have abandoned their ERP projects before
completion or have failed to achieve their busi-
ness objectives after implementation (Cliffe, Routinization Adaptation
1999). Many experts and scholars have investi-
gated this issue from various angles. Some pro-
vide valuable insights into ERP implementation Acceptance
process and others identify a variety of factors
that can be considered to be critical to the success Figure 1. ERP implementation process
Copyright ß 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Syst. Res. 23,157^168 (2006)
158 Yuan Li et al.
- Syst. Res. RESEARCH PAPER
organization must carefully define why the ERP the system, and learn implementation experience
system is to be implemented and what critical from other organizations. After a certain type
business the system will address. Additionally, of ERP software is chosen, most organizations
education is also given to the employees. They usually align their business processes with the
will learn some new knowledge about the functionality provided by the ERP system, rather
development history, basic concepts, main func- than customizing the ERP package to match their
tional modules of ERP, and the benefits of imple- current processes. These organizations may dis-
menting an ERP. After ERP education is finished, card previous business processes and accept the
the implementation process enters the second standardized business processes. In other words,
stage. Organization will carry out investment the explicit business knowledge incorporated in
decision and cost–benefit analysis related to the software is transferred to the adopting
implementing ERP and select appropriate brand organization (Lee and Lee, 2000). On the other
or vendor. In the adaptation stage, the organi- hand, an ERP system is not just a pure software
zation analyses the details of the various busi- package to be tailored to an organization. It
ness processes and actualizes business process also represents an organizational infrastructure
re-engineering (BPR) to exploit the full potential that affects how people work and imposes its
of ERP. BPR has long been considered one of the own logic on a company’s strategy, organization
key success factors in implementing major IT and culture. After organizations accept the
projects, such as ERP, especially in firms that management mode of an ERP, the tacit knowl-
have a strong corporate culture or that rely on edge related to the business process is trans-
legacy systems. Once the business process is ferred to the adopting organization. Extant
redesigned and system is customized, appro- studies (O’Leary, 2002) show that KM is asso-
priate training is given to the end-users imme- ciated with ERP implementation intimately.
diately and resistance may be observed because Based on the theory of KM and information
of the ‘inertia’ associated with using the previous technology, it is possible to identify, capture,
system. This stage is considered as the most transfer, and apply the knowledge created dur-
difficult of all the stages. In the acceptance stage, ing ERP implementation process, and provide
the integration of various functional units is effective support for the successful implementa-
realized and continuous improvements are made tion of ERP (see Figure 2). Recently, some issues
to make the system easy to use and to solve on KM in ERP implementation have been
various problems. The users feel comfortable studied. O’Leary (2002) investigated the use of
with using the ERP system. During the fifth knowledge management to support ERP systems
stage, end-users accept the system completely. across entire life cycle, with particular interest in
The ERP system usage becomes a regular day-to- case-based knowledge management. A proto-
day activity. Organizational integration and type system designed to support the use of the
internal function coordination are realized. At ERP system is also presented. Lee and Lee (2000)
the infusion stage, the system is used to enhance proposed a new approach to analysing ERP
the performance of the organization (Rajagopal, implementations from a knowledge transfer
2002). After years of operation, the company perspective. It also contributed to a better under-
may need new system to cope with business standing of competitive advantage based on
and technology change, so the first stage will be process knowledge when standardized business
repeated again. processes are implemented by an organization.
Although realizing ERP is an implementation Newell et al. (2003) examine related interactions
process of information system, it is also a process and impacts as ERP and knowledge manage-
of knowledge creation, storage/retrieval, trans- ment system implemented simultaneously with-
fer and application from knowledge manage- in an organization. Haines and Goodhue (2003)
ment (KM) perspectives. For example, in ERP give a framework that explains how consulting
selection process, an organization needs to know involvement and knowledge of the organization
the characteristics and functional modules of can impact the outcome of the project based on
Copyright ß 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Syst. Res. 23,157^168 (2006)
A Knowledge Management System for ERP Implementation 159
- RESEARCH PAPER Syst. Res.
The successful implementation of ERP
Promote
Knowledge management System in ERP implementation
Support
Theory of knowledge management Information technology
Figure 2. The relation between KM and ERP implementation
agency theory. Ko et al. (2005) proposed an KNOWLEDGE AND KNOWLEDGE
integrated theoretical model in which knowledge MANAGEMENT
transfer is influenced by knowledge-related,
motivational, and communication-related fac- Knowledge management (KM) is an emerging
tors. Although the importance of KM in ERP field (Rubenstein-Montanno et al., 2001; Xu et al.,
implementation has been recognized, how to 2001; Qiu et al., 2003; Sun et al., 2003; Zhang et al.,
conduct knowledge management to support 2003). It has gained tremendous popularity as
such process has not received deserved attention one of the most promising ways for organi-
till now. In this paper, a KM system in the zations to succeed in information age. In extant
framework of systems theory is proposed to literatures, there are various views about knowl-
manage the relevant knowledge of ERP imple- edge (Alavi and Leidner, 2001; Wong and
mentation process (Xu, 2000). To accomplish this, Aspinwall, 2004; Wiig, 1997). The definition of
the paper first identifies the types of knowledge knowledge adopted here is ‘knowledge is com-
available in ERP implementation. It then sum- bined with experience, context, interpretation,
marizes various KM activities based on the six- and reflection. It is a high-value form of infor-
stage model. Lastly, a KM system is proposed mation that is ready to apply to decisions
that consists of cooperative working platform, and actions’ (Albert and Baradley, 1997).
consulting platform, individual KM platform, Although there are sundry knowledge cate-
organizational KM platform, and knowledge gories, the tacit-explicit knowledge classification
transfer platform. This system can effectively is widely cited. Explicit knowledge is transmit-
manage knowledge and provide support for the table in formal, systematic way. It can be
successful implementation of ERP systems. processed by a computer, transmitted electro-
The rest of this paper is organized as follows: nically or stored in a database (Nonaka and
the subsequent section introduces the basic Takenchi, 1995). On the other hand, tacit knowl-
concepts and theory of KM. In the third section, edge is associated with personal experiences
the knowledge sources in ERP implementation and difficult to fully articulate, and poorly
are identified and various KM activities based on documented. Because it is subjective and intui-
the six-stage model are summarized. In Section 4, tive, it is not easily processed or transmitted in
a system of KM is developed. Final section will any systematic or logical manner (Lee and Lee,
provide a summary about this paper. 2000).
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160 Yuan Li et al.
- Syst. Res. RESEARCH PAPER
Within this context, KM refers to the strateg- consultants and internal experts, the gaps be-
ies and processes of identifying, capturing, and tween internal experts and end-users, the gaps
leveraging knowledge to help the firm compete. between end-users from different business units.
In general, KM is regarded as a process involving How can these gaps be eliminated? (3) In ERP
managing all kinds of knowledge to meet implementation, a lot of new tacit knowledge
existing and emerging needs, to identify and will be created through discussion, communi-
exploit existing and acquired knowledge assets cation, imitation and practice. How can such
and to develop new opportunities (Jarrar, 2002). tacit knowledge be converted to organization-
It consists of four basic processes: knowledge available knowledge? (4) The cross-functional
creation, store/retrieve, transfer, and appli- interconnectivity of an ERP system requires the
cation. Knowledge creation is the most important employees involve in implementation process to
process in knowledge management. It is realized have more cross-functional knowledge, how do
by the interaction between the tacit and explicit they access such knowledge? (5) When some key
knowledge inside an organization. Four possible employees, such as the members of project team,
conversion modes between the two types of retire or change job, they will take with them
knowledge have been identified: socialization, valuable knowledge and skills associated with
externalization, combination, and internalization ERP project. In order to prevent or reduce
(Nonaka and Takenchi, 1995; Alavi and Leidner, interruptions in activities, and enhance overall
2001). The knowledge creation begins in the ability to cope with changes in personnel, how
socialization mode. It refers to conversion of can an organization store their knowledge and
tacit knowledge to new tacit knowledge thro- skills?
ugh social interactions and shared experience
among organizational members. After new tacit
knowledge has been created, it is formalized and THE IDENTIFICATION OF KNOWLEDGE
standardized for facilitating communicating IN ERP IMPLEMENTATION
with other organization members. This leads to
the creation of new explicit knowledge. Once In an ERP system implementation, there are
new explicit knowledge has been created, it can usually three major parties involved the project
be reconciled with other explicit knowledge implementation: the organization implementing
created by other organizational members and the system (the implementer), the organization
the knowledge is expressed in a format that it can developed the ERP system (vendor) and an
be retained at organization. Once new explicit organization aiding the implementation (the con-
knowledge has been created, the member inside sulting company). Each of these parties contri-
organization can combine the new explicit know- butes different knowledge to the project.
ledge with own intrinsic knowledge to produce
new tacit knowledge. After new tacit knowledge
is shared with other members inside organi- The Knowledge From the
zation, the knowledge creation activity begins Consulting Company
again. Knowledge creation therefore is viewed as
a spiral growing process. ERP is not a simple software package. Although
The KM in ERP implementation faces a num- there are detailed instructions in product man-
ber of challenges: (1) the pivotal knowledge in ual, it is usually difficult to combine the function
ERP implementation is possessed by software of software with organizational business. Hardly
vendor and consultants. They will vanish soon any organization has the necessary knowledge
after the ERP implementation is completed. How and skills to implement an ERP project success-
can their knowledge be transferred into the fully without external help (Rubenstein et al.,
adopting organization? (2) In ERP implementa- 2001). An organization may expect consultants
tion process, there exist a lot of knowledge gaps. to transfer their implementation knowledge to
They include the gaps between external vendor, their employees so that they can contribute to
Copyright ß 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Syst. Res. 23,157^168 (2006)
A Knowledge Management System for ERP Implementation 161
- RESEARCH PAPER Syst. Res.
successful implementation and learn to maintain The Knowledge From Implementer
the system independent of the consultants.
Thus, bring consulting company into ERP imple- In generally, the knowledge of implementer
mentation can improve the success rate of project consists of the inherent knowledge and the
and avoid unnecessary mistakes. Generally, a innovative knowledge. The former mainly refers
consulting company may possess abundant to the detailed knowledge of its own particular
knowledge which includes an in-depth under- business processes, organizational context, cul-
standing of the management idea related to ture and competitive situation, which is essential
ERP, insights into business process incorporated for successful implementation. The later mainly
in the basic architecture of the ERP soft- refers to the experience, know-how produced
ware, the expertise of BPR, the approach of by discussion, communication, and practice in
project implementation, and the accumulative implementation process. The externalization of
experience by providing services to other organi- the innovative knowledge, namely conversion of
zations. A consulting company can help organi- individual knowledge to organization knowl-
zation employees learn more know-how about edge, can promote knowledge sharing and pro-
ERP implementation that is not included in ject implementation.
standard training provided by ERP vendor. In addition to above-mentioned three kinds
Additionally, the practical experience of the of knowledge, document management is also
consulting company can help project member an important task of knowledge management.
to save time and increase implementation effi- These documents include: (1) the operation man-
ciency. ual of ERP and systems management; (2) Educa-
tion/training documents provided by the vendor
and consulting company; (3) Detailed documents
The Knowledge From the Vendor regarding implementation process; (4) Complete
records of business process before implementa-
The main roles that ERP vendor plays in ERP tion, the standard business process of ERP system
implementation include: (1) providing the imple- and their difference; (5) Complete records of BPR;
menter with ERP software and documents; (6) Complete records of business process after ERP
(2) offering standard education/training pro- implementation, and the like. The management for
grams in connection with their products, includ- these documents facilitates communication, lean-
ing the function of software, modules, business ing and practice.
process, operation approaches and so on; (3) In terms of the model proposed by Kwon
cooperating with consulting companies to imple- and Zmud, ERP implementation process can be
ment ERP. On the one hand, ERP implemen- divided into six stages: initiation, adoption,
tation requires mass knowledge to enable adaptation, acceptance, routinization and infu-
employees to solve problems within the frame- sion. In order to manage the knowledge of
work of system. If employees do not understand ERP implementation effectively, it is necessary
how a system works, they will not be able to use to analyse the main KM activities of each
the system correctly. On the other hand, educa- stage. To accomplish this, Table 1 summarizes
tion/training is a learning process. It is impos- the KM practices in ERP implementation
sible for employees to master all necessary process.
knowledge in education/training. Employees
need time to learn in practice. Therefore, the
knowledge from the vendor, especially standard A KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT
education/training knowledge should be collec- SYSTEM FOR ERP IMPLEMENTATION
ted, stored consciously and open to all employees
inside organization. Managing vendor knowledge Knowledge management systems (KMS) refer to
can provide users with convenience for learning a class of information systems applied to mana-
and reducing education/training costs. ging organizational knowledge. That is, they
Copyright ß 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Syst. Res. 23,157^168 (2006)
162 Yuan Li et al.
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Table 1. Summary of KM activities in ERP implementation process
Stage KM activities
Initiation (1) Vendor provides ERP software and document.
Adoption (2) Vendor offers training programs in connection with their products. Explicit knowledge
(know-what) could be captured from user manual and training document.
(3) Learn the experience of other organizations.
(4) Carry out investment decision and cost–benefit analysis related to ERP implementation
and select appropriate vendor
Adaptation (1) Analyse the differences of business process between standard ERP and implementer.
Acceptance (2) New process knowledge is captured and new management idea is brought into
organization.
(3) Carry out knowledge transfer from vendor, consulting company to project team and from
project term to end-users.
(4) The training is offered to end-users. Users should learn the knowledge about ERP system
and master operation process.
(5) Learning by using.
Routinization (1) Knowledge accumulation.
Fusion (2) Knowledge sharing.
(3) Knowledge creation.
(4) The application of new KM tools (KDD).
are IT-based systems developed to support and Cooperative Working Platform
enhance the organizational processes of knowl-
edge creation, storage/retrieval, transfer, and The cooperative working platform consists of
application (Alavi and Leidner, 2001). During communication module and document manage-
ERP implementation, there exist vast amount ment module. The first module provides a
of knowledge. The knowledge resides in employ- vehicle to generate knowledge across entire
ees, organization resources and external partner- ERP implementation process. It provides infor-
ship (the vendor and the consulting company). mal setting where participants ask questions of
Therefore, a knowledge management system other participants. Participants post questions
should ensure that the explicit and tacit knowl- and hope that some other participants will know
edge of external partnership can transfer into the answer or where a solution can be found. In
the adopting organization, the knowledge of addition, participants may inform the actions
employees can flow freely inside organization, they took and ask if anyone knows what went
and the knowledge created during ERP imple- wrong (O’Leary, 2002). The advantage of such a
mentation can be captured and distributed. In module is that it can accommodate specific
this section, a KM system for ERP implementa- questions. The responses are to the point and
tion is proposed (see Figure 3). This system timely. In some cases, participants provide a
consists of cooperative working platform, con- personal e-mail address for responses, which can
sulting platform, individual KM platform, orga- allow a dialogue between the asker and the
nizational KM platform, and knowledge transfer respondent. Besides, corporate directories may
platform (see Figure 4). This integrated KM also enable individuals to rapidly locate the
system of ERP implementation is expected to individual who has the knowledge that might
offer significant potential for improvement in help them solve a current problem. The main
ERP implementation support. The main func- object of this module is to create a channel for the
tions of the five platforms are described as sharing and exchange of knowledge gained
follows: through experience and increasing familiarity
Copyright ß 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Syst. Res. 23,157^168 (2006)
A Knowledge Management System for ERP Implementation 163
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RESEARCH PAPER
Cooperative working platform
Individual KM platform
Communication module Document management Organization KM platform
module including all kinds
Learning by Insight and (1) E-mail of documents associated
using understanding (2) Virtual communities with ERP implementation
(3) BBS process. Classify Experience of
…… other
Capture
organizations
Copyright ß 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Other
sources
Consulting platform
Consulting Education/ training documents Make knowledge
Make knowledge explicit
explicit
Knowledge transfer platform
Distribute The accumulative process Approve Organizational
Individual of knowledge knowledge/document base
knowledge/document base
Knowledge
learning/application
Add delete modify retrieve
Add delete modify retrieve
Just in time learning
Figure 3. A KM system in ERP implementation
Syst. Res.
Syst. Res. 23,157^168 (2006)
Yuan Li et al.
- Syst. Res. RESEARCH PAPER
Cooperative Working Platform
Individual Organizational
KM Consulting Platform KM
Platform Platform
Knowledge Transfer Platform
Figure 4. The platform structure of the knowledge management system
with the ERP system. The second module mainly documents, process design documents, systems
manages all kinds of documents associated with configuration, communication module, consult-
ERP implementation process, including much of ing, etc. The tacit part is those skills and know-
the information such as business knowledge, how regarding how to operate the ERP system. It
detail implementation plan, the entire records of can be transferred from consultants to project
business process change, project advancement, members and then transferred to the employees
and the like. All these documents will be classi- in the organization. All too often, the employees
fied and entered automatically into the organiza- are expected to be able to effectively use the new
tional knowledge/document base. However, not system based only on education/training. How-
all questions are answered or not all questions ever, much of the learning process comes from
are answered in a timely manner in this platform. hands-on use under normal operating condi-
In addition, the same question can be asked tions. Therefore,they can gain insight and under-
again and again and the quality of the answers standing through contacting, learning, and using
can not be guaranteed. Therefore, the organiza- ERP system in practice. In addition, individual
tion can have personnel in charge of monitoring can also gain tacit knowledge from the consul-
and tracking questions and sending feed back to tants and other employees. For example, when a
consultants. The consultants will respond hard consultant for implementing ERP works with
questions. end-users, if an end-user has an idea and the
consultant listens to the idea, in some cases,
providing suggestion and instruction. After
Individual KM Platform all these kinds of knowledge are captured, the
idea of KM helps each employee to convert
Individual KM platform provides technology various kinds of tacit knowledge into explicit
support for the KM activities of each employee knowledge, and store in individual knowledge/
in the organization. Its main functions are the document base. Furthermore, with the effect of
construction, renewal and replenishment of indi- incentive mechanism and organization culture, the
vidual knowledge/document base. One of the individual knowledge can be converted into
most important processes to establish individual organization-available knowledge (see Figure 5).
KM platform is to capture knowledge. Capturing
knowledge refers to determining what informa-
tion and knowledge should be added to the sys- Organizational KM Platform
tem. During ERP implementation process, two
parts of knowledge are captured: explicit and Organization KM platform provides technology
tacit. The explicit part is mainly related to know- support for the KM activities of the organization
what and part of know how. It can be captured in ERP implementation. Its main functions are
in several forms such as user manual, training the construction, renewal, and replenishment of
Copyright ß 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Syst. Res. 23,157^168 (2006)
A Knowledge Management System for ERP Implementation 165
- RESEARCH PAPER Syst. Res.
Learning by using Communication
and consulting
Distribute
Individual knowledge Individual Organizational
knowledge base knowledge base
Transfer
Insight and Education/training
understanding documents
Figure 5. Individual knowledge platform
organizational knowledge/document base. One Converting personal knowledge to group-avail-
organization can be viewed as the set of many able knowledge is often viewed as one of the key
‘individuals’. Therefore, the knowledge captur- problems of knowledge management. The sec-
ing in the organization depends on the knowl- ond process realizes the transfer from organiza-
edge capturing from each individual. During tion knowledge to individual knowledge. In
ERP implementation process, the organizational addition, the accumulative process of knowledge
knowledge mainly comes from three parts. can also evaluate the contribution magnitude of
The first part is all documents associated with individual knowledge to the organization know-
ERP implementation. They include the operation ledge. The evaluation criteria include the number
manual of ERP, systems management docu- of knowledge/documents submitted, the num-
ments, education/training documents from the ber of knowledge/documents adopted, and the
vendor and consulting companies, detailed value of knowledge/documents adopted. The
implementation process documents, the com- main objective of this process is to encourage
plete records of business process before imple- the knowledge sharing inside organization. In
mentation, the standard business process of order to assure the quality of knowledge, strict
ERP system and their difference, the complete examinations are carried out in this process.
records of BPR, and the complete records of Only approved knowledge can enter organiza-
business process after ERP. The second part is tional knowledge/document base.
the experience of other organizations that have
implemented ERP system. The last part is the
knowledge transferred from individual knowl- Consulting Platform
edge/document base (see Figure 5).
The consulting platform consists of two modules.
The first module mainly manages all kinds of
Knowledge Transfer Platform education/training documents associated with
ERP implementation process, including user
Knowledge transfer platform provides techno- manual, documents related to system configura-
logy support for the knowledge transfer between tion and main functional modules. The second
individuals and the organization. It includes module mainly provides timely consulting for
the accumulative process of knowledge and all employees in the organization. In general,
knowledge learning/application process. The the consulting platform contributes to the ERP
first process realizes the transfer from indivi- implementation in following two stages: (1) the
dual knowledge to organization knowledge. education/training stage; (2) the running and
Copyright ß 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Syst. Res. 23,157^168 (2006)
166 Yuan Li et al.
- Syst. Res. RESEARCH PAPER
debugging stage of ERP software. At the first KM platform, organizational KM platform and
stage, consultants transfer their explicit knowl- consulting platform. The interplay of these five
edge to the employees of organization. Organiza- platforms can speed up the knowledge transfer
tion, therefore acquires the manipulation and from both the vendor and consulting company to
practice knowledge about ERP. At the second organization, stimulate knowledge sharing and
stage, consultants transfer the skills of practical creation, and enhance organizational overall
work to the employees of the organization. The ability to cope with changes.
main objective of this platform is to facilitate
explicit and tacit knowledge transfer of the vendor
and the consulting company, and diffuse ‘best ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
practice’ incorporated in the basic architecture of
the software into the adopting organization. This research was supported by NSFC (70121001;
So far, we have discussed the main functions 70472039; 70571063). We are grateful to the
of the five platforms. The five KM platforms are anonymous referees for their valuable comments.
highly interdependent and intertwined. That is,
each platform relies on, contributes to, and bene- REFERENCES
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