Panorama Consulting Group Issues Call for Participants in 2010 ERP Benchmark Survey

Panorama Consulting Group, an independent ERP consulting firm, today announced its sixth annual ERP benchmark survey to collect qualitative and quantitative data regarding actual results from across the globe.

The survey is designed to collect information relative to project scope, ERP implementation cost and duration, as well as the ERP vendors considered and ultimately selected. Survey questions cover traditional ERP software packages, software as a service (SaaS) ERP solutions, and open source providers. This year’s study includes a number of new areas of focus compared to previous studies including more detail about scope and modules implemented, cost, and hosting solutions.

“Our research has proven to be the industry’s leading independent source for companies looking to select and implement new ERP software,” says Eric Kimberling, president of Panorama Consulting Group. “This year’s study will take our research to a whole new level in terms of detail and statistical analysis.”

In exchange for participation, each submission will be given a complimentary copy of the new report. In addition, one company will be selected as the recipient of an Enterprise Systems and Processes Audit Program to be performed by Panorama Consulting Group and valued at $16,000. The winning company will receive a complimentary, two-week business systems and processes review. This evaluation is designed to measure the potential for realizing additional business benefits and increasing cost savings with the organization’s current ERP software package or legacy systems. The winning company will be notified by December 31, 2010.

The survey is available at http://Panorama-Consulting.com/resource-center/erp-diagnostics/. Prior survey results and analyses are available in Panorama’s online resource center at http://Panorama-Consulting.com/resource-center/.

Panorama Consulting Group Releases 2010 ERP Report

Panorama Consulting Group, an independent ERP consulting firm, today released the 2010 ERP Report. The Report includes data on a wide variety of traditional and SaaS ERP software solutions.

While the average cost of an ERP implementation has decreased from $8.5 million in 2008 to $6.2 million in 2010, companies are realizing significantly less business benefits from the technology, according to the 2010 ERP Report issued today by Panorama Consulting Group, an independent ERP consulting firm in Denver. The report reveals that two out of five (41%) of participants failed to achieve at least half of the business benefits they expected. This figure is nearly double the finding in the 2008 ERP Report (21%).

“While it is promising to see the costs of ERP implementations decrease, we are concerned that it is at the expense of organizational change management and other key activities required to make enterprise software initiatives successful,” said Eric Kimberling, President of Panorama Consulting Group. “Companies that cut costs in these areas suffer lower levels of satisfaction, user buy-in, and return on investment.”

The 2010 Report provides further data on the importance of balancing a company’s high expectations of ERP systems with comprehensive organizational change management initiatives. While 69% of companies expect that a new system will improve business performance and 39% expect it will make employees’ jobs easier, more than half (53%) of respondents assess their company’s ability to deal with change as fairly poor or very poor. Nearly half (47%) indicate communication between management and employees is poor. In addition, more than two out of five (41%) of respondents have experienced significant changes to their business (e.g., a new CEO, new locations, mergers and acquisitions, and layoffs) during the implementation process.

“Turbulence in business operations is magnified by the stress of an ERP implementation,” said Kimberling. “Management must allocate proper time and realistic spending to ensure that employees are aware of the benefits of the process and ready to accept and work through the challenges of a system changeover. In addition to hiring third-party consultants to help with software selection and implementation, smart companies are looking for outside assistanceto manage the user-side processes that are so critical to project success.”

To offer further analysis of the study results, Kimberling will present the free webcast “Overview of Panorama’s 2010 ERP Report,” on Wednesday, February 17, 2010. Register for the webinar at http://www.panorama-consulting.com/erp-webinars/.

About the 2010 ERP Report
The 2010 ERP Report is based on research by Panorama Consulting Group via online polling and was supplemented with qualitative data gathered from focus group interviews with a sample of survey respondents. Information was collected from December 2005 to December 2009. The 1,600 participants represent global organizations that have implemented ERP within the last four years. The 2010 ERP Report can be accessed at: http://panorama-consulting.com/resource-center/2010-erp-report/.

About Panorama Consulting Group
Founded in 2005, Panorama Consulting Group is a niche consulting firm specializing in the enterprise resource planning (ERP) software market for mid-sized companies across the globe. Independent of affiliation, Panorama helps firms evaluate and select ERP software, manages the implementation of the software, and facilitates all related organizational changes to assure that each of its clients realize the full business benefits of their ERP implementation. More information can be found on its web site, www.panorama-consulting.com.

Panorama Releases a 2009 ERP Report Focused on the Use of ERP Software Within the Aerospace and Airline Industry

Denver, Colorado – Panorama Consulting Group, an independent ERP consulting firm, today released a new ERP report focused on ERP software usage within the aerospace and airline industry.

This portion of Panorama’s 2009 ERP Report outlines the use of ERP software at companies within the aerospace and airline industry and also includes a comparison of ERP results to other industries. This study includes metrics on ERP implementations and reviews data for average project budget, implementation timeframes, and actual project costs. The 2009 ERP Report also covers implementation variables such as the level of software customization and ERP modules deployed.

The report reveals that Oracle is the leading ERP software vendor within the airline and aerospace sector. Oracle holds 35% market share and is followed by SAP with 30%. The remaining market share is divided among various Tier II ERP vendors.

“This latest report demonstrates the breadth of enterprise software options available to companies in the aerospace industry,” states Eric Kimberling, President and Founder of Panorama Consulting Group. “Our experience in this industry vertical shows that the available ERP solutions are just as diverse as the needs of our clients in the space.”

In addition to ERP market share, the study reviewed ERP implementations and ERP project variables such as implementation timeframes, cost, and module usage. “The average implementation time for aerospace and airline companies is 28 months, which is significantly greater than the average ERP implementation timeframe of 19.8 months. This extended implementation helps support the report’s data that showed the aerospace and airline industry is much more likely to exceed other industries in overall ERP spending. Our survey data shows the average cost of ERP implementations in this segment is $31.5M, which compares to $8.5M in other industries. This variance is attributed to the fact that this is a complex industry. In order to satisfy quality and regulatory needs, aerospace and airline companies need to have well-defined and tightly integrated business processes, which tends to increase implementation duration and cost,” states Kimberling.

Panorama Consulting Group offers independent ERP software selection and implementation expertise, as well as tools that help aerospace and airline companies reduce their total cost of ownership and optimize measurable business results.

For additional information on Panorama’s ERP service offering or to download the entire report, please visit Panorama’s website at http://www.panorama-consulting.com/resource-center/.

About Panorama Consulting Group

Founded in 2005, Panorama Consulting Group is a niche consulting firm specializing in enterprise resource planning solutions for mid-market companies globally. Independent of affiliation, Panorama helps companies in ERP software selection, ERP implementation, and organizational change management to assure that each of its clients realize the full business benefits of their newly purchased ERP system. More information is available at http://www.panorama-consulting.com.