Process Benchmarking Through Lean Six Sigma for ERP Sustainability in Small & Medium Enterprises

Enterprise Resource Planning was a term restricted purely to elite class. ERP for small business calls for voluminous investments. But the question that kept ringing in the market was can everyone afford it? The answer was a stubborn no initially but not anymore. The world is changing, and new opportunities are appearing every day. Globalization, once the domain for only large companies, is now presenting new markets for growth for small to mid market companies. In today's competitive manufacturing environment, it takes more than quick fixes, outsourcing and downsizing to consistently achieve growth and profit objectives. While these options may yield temporary financial relief, they will not lead the way to long-term growth and profitability. For companies to grow and consistently exceed bottom line expectations, they need to get lean. And to get lean they should master eight basics of Lean Six Sigma. Today every organization strives to optimize its operations, further based on the type of problems, combining Lean and/or Six Sigma tools with traditional project management techniques for ERP Implementation can be a powerful combination for ERP Sustainability in Small & Medium Enterprises.