A Roadmap for E-Business Implementation

Abstract

:The rapid deployment of e-business systems has surprised even the most futuristic management thinkers. Unfortunately, little empirical research has documented the variations of e-business solutions as major software vendors release complex IT products into the marketplace. The literature holds simultaneous evidence of major successes and major failures as implementations evolve. The current economic conditions have slowed implementation efforts but most companies report ongoing efforts to further strengthen their investment in e-business as they anticipate a reinvigorated marketplace. In this research, we first distinguish and develop a conceptual model of e-business and its predecessor concepts of e-commerce, supply chain management (SCM), and enterprise resource planning (ERP) and demonstrate how these systems relate and serve significantly different strategic objectives. This research combines interviews, case studies and an industry survey to determine the significant variables leading to successful implementation of e-business systems. Based on the research finding, we build cause-effect diagrams illustrating the significant relationships between the variables suggested in the literature and actual success scores for e-business systems. We use these findings to suggest an implementation roadmap using four stages for implementing e-business systems: planning, developing, implementing, and testing. The roadmap indicates when and where the significant success variables would appear and how a firm might manage the implementation process.