ERP systems implementation: best practices in Canadian government organizations

ERP (Enterprise resource planning) systems implementation is a complex exercise in organizational innovation and change management. Government organizations are increasing their adoption of these systems for various benefits such as integrated real-time information, better administration, and result-based management. Government organizations, due to their social obligations, higher legislative and public accountability, and unique culture face many specific challenges in the transition to enterprise systems. This motivated the authors to explore the key considerations and typical activities in government organizations adopting ERP systems. The article adopts the innovation process theory framework as well as the (Markus & Tanis, 2000) model as a basis to delineate the ERP adoption process. Although, each adopting organization has a distinct set of objectives for its systems, the study found many similarities in motivations, concerns, and strategies across organizations. © 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.