ERP

What is ERP?

In accounting, ERP is the acronym for enterprise resource planning. ERP could be described as a database software package that supports all of a business's processes and operations including manufacturing, marketing, financial, human resources, and so on. In other words, the goal of ERP is to have one integrated system for the entire company.

The integration of all of a company's information from all departments, processes, operations, etc. requires that an ERP system be very sophisticated. This in turn requires a company to commit considerable resources for planning, training, and implementing an ERP system.

Here are 7 terms you keep hearing many times in a conversation related to ERP -

[1] Human Capital Management (HCM) :: This refers to the support system responsible for managing employee data right from recruitment till retirement, in any organization. It includes tracking, managing and analyzing the skillsets, department, education, roles, achievements, cost to company and other benefits of each and every employee.

[2] Financial Management :: This is the process of managing cash inflow and outflow, advance budgeting, tracking operational expenses, controlling and decision-making

[3] Customer Relationship Management (CRM) :: CRM is one of the most commonly used and important terms you come across. CRM refers to the methodology or processes involved in acquiring new customers and managing existing customers. The aim is to ensure smooth relationship with customers through effective sales and services support, helpdesk, lead management,  field sales tracking and reports.

[4] Supply Chain Management (SCM) :: SCM deals with management of inventory, procurements, packaging, distribution, sales and all other necessary steps involved in supply of any product to the customer.

[5] Production Control :: All activities involved in controlling the production process are collectively termed as production control. Managing orders, material planning, production floor management, quality control etc. are some of the important activities in production control.

[6] Business Intelligence (BI) :: This is the latest buzz word! BI refers to the set of tools that facilitate the senior management to make better decisions by providing a wide range of data and information. The information is provided in graphical or tabular formats. Typically, BI acts like a decision support system.

[7] Product Life Cycle :: In engineering terms, product life cycle refers to the different stages a product goes through right from ideation, design, prototyping, testing, manufacturing to packaging and distribution.  In marketing terms, this refers to the time period during which the product is available in the market for sale. The different phases involved are introduction stage, growth stage, maturity, market saturation and decline stage.