Question: Enterprise Resource planning in short ERP is defined as an enterprise-wide info system described to communicate all info, activities and resources used to fulfill the business units.

ERP provides support to number of business units that stores data in a single database for business functions namely Human Resources, Projects, SCM(Supply Chain Management), Manufacturing.

The common database allows each and every department to store the data and retrieve the data in real time environment. The data should be retrievable, reliable and could be easily shared. The information for various business units is integrated. Today the term ERP can be referred to any type of organization.

Customer relationship management in short (CRM) is defined to processes introduced by a firm to handle contact with its customers, CRM software are used to provide support to these processes, current customers, storing data. Data in system can be accessed and used by employees from different units namely training, marketing, and sales, performance management, HR development, customer service.

As an IT Manager working in a Utility company which has different work streams such as Work, Asset and Procurement who have various different business units such as Generation, Transmission, Distribution, Fleet who have independent systems being leveraged at each business unit but the work cuts across multiple business units and work streams who need information to be shared to get the job done will use ERP systems and process to quickly transfer the information required from one business unit to the other to effectively and efficiently perform the daily duties. For example, for a repair to happen within a business unit there needs to be a work order created by the work management team who would receive all the information from the specific business unit to do so. If there is an ERP system which integrates the work across all work streams getting the job done is much easier and quicker.

Advantages of ERP:

• Reduced costs

• Enhanced client service

• Easy sharing of data across various business units

• Complete integrated system

• The capacity to streamline distinctive procedures and work processes

• Enhanced proficiency and profitability levels

Please use APA throughout in your responses to other posts.

Below are additional suggestions on how to respond to your classmates' discussions:

• Ask a probing question, substantiated with additional background information, evidence or research.

• Share an insight from having read your colleagues' postings, synthesizing the information to provide new perspectives.

• Offer and support an alternative perspective using readings from the classroom or from your own research.

• Validate an idea with your own experience and additional research.

• Make a suggestion based on additional evidence drawn from readings or after synthesizing multiple postings.

• Expand on your colleagues' postings by providing additional insights or contrasting perspectives based on readings and evidence.

Please write 150 words on the response.