Critical Success Factors for ERP Projects Revisited: An Update of Literature Reviews

The aim of our study was to provide an update to the research field of critical success factors (CSFs) of enterprise resource planning (ERP) system projects. Therefore, we conducted two literature reviews, more specifically systematic reviews of relevant articles in different databases and among several international conference proceedings from mid-2012 to 2023. These two reviews serve as an update of previous analyses that we conducted covering the period from 1998 until mid-2012. In our current analysis, we identified 272 relevant papers – single or multiple case studies, surveys, and literature reviews or articles from which CSFs can be derived. From these existing studies, we discovered 33 different CSFs for ERP projects. The top three factors identified are 1) Top management support and involvement, 2) Organizational fit of the ERP system, and 3) User training. Our analysis shows that the majority of important CSFs are organizational factors with a strategic perspective. Nevertheless, important technological CSFs should also be decisively considered in ERP projects. These CSFs must be coordinated and aligned with the organizational factors in order to contribute to the holistic success of the ERP project.