I've written more than a few entries about project management in the past two weeks. This entry is going to combine project management with ERP, and is appropriate because too many ERP projects either fail or cost far more than anticipated. The dependent variable in many cases is project management.

Allen Web's ERP Project Management Basics is a good starting point. He also has an informative page on planning ERP projects and a step-by-step recipe for succeeding in ERP projects. I also like his discussion about project failures and how to avoid them. Overall, the site is filled with general information that anyone who is implementing an ERP system will appreciate. If you're involved in a SAP R/3 implementation you'll want to carefully read his article on SAP R/3 Implementation Concerns.

If ERP architectures interest you the Purdue Enterprise Reference Architecture page is a discussion of the basic concepts for design and execution of enterprise and related systems of all types.

There are a few books that I highly recommend. They cover ERP in general, with no particular bias towards any of the systems on the market. My recommendations are:

• ERP: A-Z Implementer's Guide For Success. This is, and will probably remain, the most complete book on ERP. My 20 May 2001 review on Amazon gives my reasons for making such a broad statement.
• Scorecard System For World Class Enterprise Resource Management, which is an amazing value - read my 11 May 2001 Amazon review to find out why. Here's a hint.
• E-Business and ERP: Rapid Implementation and Project Planning (see my 19 May 2001 Amazon review).
• Enterprise Resource Planning Systems: Systems, Life Cycle, Electronic Commerce, and Risk (see my 19 September 2001 Amazon review).