An Exploratory Study of Organizing Structures for Post-Implementation ERP

How to organize for post-implementation support of an ERP system is a key issue for research and practice. Specifically, what happens to subject matter experts (SME), who are invaluable contributors to the success of ERP installations? Their knowledge of business practices and system processes are critical to configuring enterprise systems. Once the system is installed, should they become permanent members of an ERP team, resulting in a more centralized post-implementation support organization? Or, should they be returned to their functional roles, but still assist in enhancements, thereby forming a decentralized or hybrid post-implementation support organization? We frame these issues as a question of organizational structure, i.e. whether to centralize a functional support organization or to employ a distributed model with subject matter experts working on future ERP efforts from their roles in the various functional departments supported by the systems. In accordance with contingency theory, such choices should align with an organization's goals and measures of success. This research reports on the findings from survey research with 65 organizations concerning their post-implementation support decisions and prioritization of their goals and measures of success. The findings and questions for future research are discussed.