Drawing on a wealth of data, sound experience and expert opinion - from Thomas Friedman's Bjarne Stroustrup, from David Gelernter to Nicholas Carr - author builds when enterprise software in large organizations has not fulfilled its promise to fully integrate and intelligently manage complex business processes, while remaining flexible enough to adapt to changing business needs. Instead, ERP systems - including software applications and data that they process - this colorful mosaic containing 50 or more databases and hundreds of separate software programs installed over decades and interconnected unique, Byzantine, and poorly documented customized processes. To cope with the growing complexity of IT departments have increased significantly: IT departments today are spending 70% to 80% of its budget is just trying to keep the existing system works. Studies show, he says, that the typical structure of IT is so dense and extensive that it is often a miracle that it works at all. Corporate systems, which should simplify and streamline business processes, and did not bring high risks, uncertainties, and deeply concerned about the level of difficulty. Instead, dexterity, they produced rigidity and unexpected obstacles to change, this excess of information, containing many hidden errors, and a cloud of questions relating to their common benefit. How did this happen? Rettig points to the shortcomings inherent in the nature of the software, the cost of implementation, and the vagaries of the data. In fact, it offers enterprise software may be just too hard to fulfill their promises. She also suggests that the next new thing - service-oriented architecture (SOA) - it is probably not much better for many of the same reasons. There are no simple solutions, warns Rettig, save a large dose of sobriety and clear-eyed analysis and a focus on simplicity and efficiency. "Hide
by Cynthia Rettig Source: MIT Sloan Management Review 9 pages. Publication Date: 01 Oct 2007. Prod. #: SMR259-PDF-ENG
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