Implementing Design Principles for Collaborative ERP Systems

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systems are notoriously difficult for users to operate. We present a framework that consists of a data model and algorithms that serve as a foundation for implementing design principles presented in an earlier paper for improving ERP usability. The framework addresses the need for providing user, task and process context of each system-user interaction. It is intended to form an integral part of the system’s data model, which can be queried in real time to produce the information required for a variety of user interface enhancements. We have implemented the framework within an ERP prototype and used it in a laboratory emulation of ERP usage. Using the log data from this laboratory emulation, we present examples demonstrating how the framework meets its design goal of providing contextual and historical information.