Affiliations: The British University in Dubai P.O.Box 502216 Dubai,
UAE | Department of Industrial Engineering and Management
Systems, University of Central Florida, 4000 Central Florida Blvd, Orlando, FL,
USA
Abstract: Post-implementation analysis on Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
systems has drawn attention to many structural shortcomings. Yet, no framework
exists to compare the different structural features of the ERP system. This
paper develops a framework to compare different enterprise-wide systems at the
conceptual design level using size, coupling and architectural complexity as
criteria. Since, metrics used to measure these criteria are subjected to
individual interpretation, a statistical technique using repeated measures
design is used to validate the results of multiple evaluators. The framework
was applied to the comparison of two enterprise-wide system implementations at
the conceptual design level. One was a typical ERP, and the other was a
document- based system. A conceptual model was developed for the two
methodologies using Unified Modeling Language (UML). Ten evaluators, all
graduate students with the knowledge of UML were given the conceptual models of
both systems and were instructed to apply the metrics. The evaluators performed
the evaluations separately and were under no time restriction. Their results
were used in the repeated measures design. Based on the results, TDM was
smaller in size, more loosely coupled and less complex as compared to the ERP
model. The framework successfully demonstrated that it can differentiate
between two different implementations on the basis of their size, module
coupling and architectural complexity. This framework presents a quantifiable
technique that helps in informed decision making prior to a major financial
commitment.
Keywords: ERP, systems design, software metrics, UML
