When computers were invented they were first restricted to the military but as time moved on other institutions realized that computers can be used to enhance their productivity. Computers use software programs to perform their duties such as managing payroll services among others. The applications have incorporated data from various sources to enable them execute their functions.
The systems are called enterprise resource management planning. According to Ocasio (2007), they make work easier because they are able to receive information from the customers and then process that same data for the required services. In brief they make service delivery to be quicker. The ERPs as they are called have both negative and positive impacts on the military and the industry in general and this paper is meant to review some of those effects.
First and foremost, for these systems to be developed both the companies and the military have to employ highly qualified personnel to manage these systems. At this point companies have an upper hand because they can hire experts from overseas or simply outsource their personnel from developing nations such as India which has the most appropriate man power in this field.
On the other hand the military hands are tied up because it is unethical to employ someone who is from another country or who is not in the military. This implies that budgetary allocations of the affected bodies, that is, the military and the enterprises will have to swell. This is because both the armies and the enterprises will spend more money in training their staff.
When military and organizations are automating their operations they have to evaluate the available software to determine the ones that are compatible with their needs. Inappropriate software could fail the institution concerned. In military operations automation includes the way materials are obtained from the suppliers, from request orders to invoicing the suppliers.
For such transactions to be efficient the institutions involved must ensure that security of their transactions is not compromised. This means that they have to employ high tech security tools to ensure that unauthorized persons do not access the data involved in transactions. Leon (2008) explains that automated systems have enhanced the performance of the above mentioned entities compared to when tasks were handled manually.
For instance, the US air force is able to deploy jets that are not operated by any human being over the skies of the enemy and at the same time stage an attack on the target. This has helped the US forces to minimize casualties on their side because if the unmanned jet is attacked no one will be injured or killed.
Moreover, data or information obtained from the satellite can be used to monitor the events on the whole world. Many countries such as China are investing in high-tech technologies because they have realized that in today’s world winning in wars is not determined by the number of military men and women in a country but the intelligence of the military in launching attacks.
ERPs enhance the performance of the military because data is centrally stored in databases and can be recalled instantly hence when decisions are being made they take shorter durations to be implemented because their systems are intertwined, unlike when each system was running separately.
The same applies to other enterprises especially in business world. ERPs are quite useful for institutions that have various branches within a country and internationally (Grant, 2003).
In the military, the various bases and units in different locations have a uniform way of executing their duties because the available information is placed on the system where the relevant personnel can access it. For ERPs to be more efficient they have to be incorporated with the internet to allow the provision of information to be in real time. If the information is not conveyed in real time the actions taken may not be effective.
Most of the transactions involving the military and their suppliers are paperless because they normally have a dedicated website that is linked to those of their suppliers. When the military is looking for suppliers it places the tenders on its website and the suppliers who are interested in those tenders are requested to submit their applications in the website.
The tendering process is also automated because the system has its own customized criteria of selecting successful bidders (Cook & Graser, 2001). This means that there is minimal human interaction in this process hence there are no chances of impunity. If the tenders were awarded manually there would be a lot of impunity ranging from nepotism to racism.
Banks (2007) points out that most institutions have not been able to embrace ERPs because they don not have adequate funding from the relevant bodies. For instance, the military is usually funded by the government but if the money allocated to it is not enough ERPs cannot be introduced.
ERPs meant for the military and other institutions have restrictions on their access because the information they hold can be manipulated without a trace if everyone was allowed to enter into the system as they wished. In the military user passwords are issued to people who hold higher ranks. This is because there have been so many cases of canvassing in the recent past.
There are instances when ERPs are not used effectively because the institution may have ignored the option of training their staff on the new system. If the system is not performing as it should, the institution has to configure it to meet its specifications.
There are some reasons as to why some ERPs in the military and other institutions failed. The first blame falls on the administrators for being negligent. One expects the senior administrators to spearhead the development and implementation of the ERP but on the contrary the same leaders are the ones who don not engage in the implementation procedures which in return demoralize the other officers. The senior officers must be active in the whole process of rolling out the ERP. Their absence will induce the other juniors to play around (Cook & Graser, 2001).
When new systems are being introduced there are some tasks that should be carried out manually especially, if they include redundant data, until the system has been configured thoroughly to enable a smooth transition. If this issue is ignored the ERP may not function properly. It is therefore advisable to roll out a new system gradually so that the users can get used to it.
Additionally, some institutions have very high expectations because they think that the changes will be realized overnight. ERP requires a lot of patience because the positive impacts cannot be felt within the first few months because during this time users will be familiarizing themselves with the system.
During this orientation period there are users who will be reluctant in embracing the new system. Lack of patience drives some military administrators back to the old system because they assume that the newer ERP did not meet their expectations.
Staff training concerning how an ERP functions should be thorough and should include all the people that are likely to use the system. If the other members of staff and the customers don not know what to expect, executing the ERP will be a difficult task.
During training sessions the administrators should ensure that all the stakeholders are comfortable with the new system and if any problems are noticed like those that affect people with special needs such as poor eyesight, the administrators should request the developer of the ERP to make some changes so that everyone is at ease with the system. During the training period potential users should be allowed to express their opinions concerning the new system.
Resistance to change is another problem because there are people who see the new system as a threat to their positions. Chang (2007) explains that this is common in an institution where some people have been engaging in dubious deals for their own gains. They tremble when they hear about the new system because they fear that the new system will unmask their activities.
Besides, there are people who feel that the new system will throw them out of the business or the institution because they know they have not been adhering to the laid out ethics.
Moreover, there are people who fear that the system will crush at some point hence they have negative attitude towards it. Others feel that there efforts will no longer be appreciated because most of their duties will be carried out by the new system.
There are instances when failure of the ERP is owed to the clash between the features of the software and the nature of institutional operations. Institutions should consider ERPs that are relevant to them and not adopt an ERP for the sake of having one because having an ERP and its efficiency are two different things.
Another issue that contributes to failure of ERPs in the military and other institutions is the correctness of data held in the database of the system. Incorrect data can result in errors which in return causes the confidence of the users towards the system to decline hence they will revert to the previous system.
Therefore, the military and other institutions must address all the issues mentioned above before rolling out an ERP. For the case of other institutions rather than the military, experts can be outsourced from service providers because it is cheaper compared to hiring new personnel.
References
Banks, J. (2007). RFID Applied. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
Chang, Y.W. (2007). Network-Centric Service Oriented Enterprise. Dordrecht: Springer
Cook, R.C. & Graser, C.J. (2001). Military Airframe Acquisition Costs: The Effects of Lean Manufacturing. Santa Monica, CA: Rand.
Grant, G. (2003). ERP & Data Warehousing in Organizations: Issues and Challenges, London: IRM Press.
Leon, A. (2008). ERP Demystified. (2nd Ed.). New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill.
Ocasio, A. (2007). Enterprise Resource Planning: The final (Automated logistics) Frontier. Army Logistician. Michigan: Thomson Gale. 39(4): 52(2)