Abstract:
Business Intelligence (BI) applications are increasingly prevalent in the Small and
Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) sector. BI vendors are targeting SMEs but many
projects fail due to poor planning, lack of resources, organization immaturity and
failure to understand the complexities of integrating such applications with existing
business systems. This study looks at how manufacturing Small and Medium-sized
Enterprises (SMEs) using or planning on using Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
software could integrate BI to improve the availability of operational and strategic
planning information within the constraints imposed on organizations in the SME
category. SMEs need BI tools integrated with their financial (and other) applications
so users (not only dedicated IT resources) can access the financial and operational
data residing in the ERP systems in a quick, easy, efficient and cost effective manner.
The study approaches BI integration from three perspectives. Strategy process looks
at how strategy is implemented in SMEs as a precursor to defining how BI
applications can integrate organizational goals into Key Performance Indicators
(KPIs). BI maturity models are presented as a roadmap to measure the capability and
readiness of an organization to progress BI, and BI tools are discussed from the
perspective of selection, integration strategies and delivery platforms suited to SMEs
culminating in a best practices framework for BI integration in the SME sector.
