Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems have been widely adopted in business and industry to streamline operations, automate processes and improve efficiency. However, ERP systems often experience system failures, resulting in financial losses and operational disruptions. A pragmatic stance is followed in the development and validation of a practical and effective framework for resolving ERP challenges. This research investigates the key components of ERP systems, identifies common failure points and proposes a Formal Methods Framework to enhance the development and deployment of ERP systems. A comprehensive literature review on ERP challenges and formal specification was conducted, following a mixed interpretivist and positivist research philosophy, combined with an inductive and deductive approach to theory development. A mixed qualitative and quasi-quantitative research choice was employed, along with a case study strategy and a cross-sectional time horizon. The findings highlighted that inadequate specification during the early stages of system development is a primary cause of ERP system failure. The researcher subsequently synthesised the failures into five main categories, namely, complexity, traceability, hidden information, SDLC alignment and ambiguity. To address these challenges, a Formal Methods-driven framework is presented for facilitating the correctness of ERP systems. The proposed framework integrates formal methods (FMs) as a systematic approach to defining requirements for ERP systems. Specifically, the Z specification language, coupled with an enhanced Jackson’s problem frame approach, is utilised to further investigate the said ERP challenges. Through enhanced problem frames, formal specification solutions are proposed to address the five key ERP challenges. The formal methods framework is subsequently enhanced through the enhanced problem frame approach. Following the development of the enhanced framework, the research entered the deductive phase by specifying a hypothetical ERP case study to illustrate the utility of the enhanced problem frames in addressing the five challenges. The case study illustrated the usefulness of the enhanced problem frames, providing a structured approach for software practitioners to specify ERP systems correctly.
Future work in this area is noted as further validating the enhanced framework in the ERP industry through surveys among practitioners and case studies in companies.
Ondernemingshulpbronbeplanning- (OHB-) stelsels is wyd aangeneem in die sakewêreld en bedryf om bedrywighede te stroomlyn, prosesse te outomatiseer en doeltreffendheid te verbeter. OHB-stelsels ervaar egter dikwels stelselfoute, wat lei tot finansiële verliese en operasionele ontwrigtings. ʼn Pragmatiese houding word gevolg in die ontwikkeling en validering van ʼn praktiese en effektiewe raamwerk vir die oplossing van OHB-uitdagings. Hierdie navorsing ondersoek die sleutelkomponente van OHB-stelsels, identifiseer algemene foutpunte en stel ʼn formele metodesraamwerk voor om die ontwikkeling en ontplooiing van OHB-stelsels te verbeter. ʼn Omvattende literatuuroorsig oor OHB-uitdagings en formele spesifikasie is uitgevoer, volgens ʼn gemengde interpretivistiese en positivistiese navorsingsfilosofie, gekombineer met ʼn induktiewe en deduktiewe benadering tot teorie-ontwikkeling. Die bevindinge het uitgelig dat onvoldoende spesifikasie tydens die vroeë stadiums van stelselontwikkeling ʼn primêre oorsaak van OHB-stelselfoute is. Die navorser het vervolgens die foute in vyf hoofkategorieë gesintetiseer, naamlik kompleksiteit, naspeurbaarheid, verborge inligting, sagtewareontwikkelingslewensiklus-belyning en dubbelsinnigheid. Om hierdie uitdagings aan te spreek, word ʼn formele metodes-gedrewe raamwerk aangebied om die korrektheid van OHB-stelsels te fasiliteer. Die voorgestelde raamwerk integreer formele metodes (FM’s) as ʼn sistematiese benadering om vereistes vir OHB-stelsels te definieer. Die Z-spesifikasietaal, asook ʼn verbeterde Jackson-probleemraamwerkbenadering, word spesifiek gebruik om die genoemde OHB-uitdagings verder te ondersoek. Deur verbeterde probleemraamwerke word formele spesifikasie-oplossings voorgestel om die vyf belangrikste OHB-uitdagings te hanteer. Die formele metoderaamwerk word vervolgens verbeter deur die verbeterde probleemraamwerkbenadering. Na die ontwikkeling van die verbeterde raamwerk, het die navorsing die deduktiewe fase betree deur ʼn hipotetiese OHB-gevallestudie te spesifiseer om die nut van die verbeterde hantering van die vyf uitdagings te illustreer. Die gevallestudie het die nut van die verbeterde probleemraamwerke geïllustreer en bied ʼn gestruktureerde benadering vir sagtewarepraktisyns om OHB-stelsels korrek te spesifiseer.
Kennis word geneem van toekomstige werk op hierdie gebied wat as verdere bevestiging dien van die verbeterde raamwerk in die OHB-bedryf deur middel van opnames onder praktisyns en gevallestudies in maatskappye.
Izixokelelwano zocwangciso lwezixhobo zeshishini (ERP) zisetyenziswa kakhulu ngamashishini ngenjongo yokulungelelanisa imisebenzi, ukwenza iinkqubo ezizenzekelayo kunye nokuphucula ukusebenza ngokufezeka kwishishini. Kodwa ke, izixokelelwano zeERP ziye zisilele ngamanye amaxesha nto leyo idala ilahleko yemali kunye nokuphazamiseka komsebenzi. Xa kuveliswa naxa kuqinisekiswa inkqubo-sikhokelo esebenzisekayo nefezekileyo yokusombulula imiceli-mngeni yeERP kusetyenziswa indlela eqiqileyo. Olu phando-nzulu luphanda ngezinto ezingundoqo zezixokelelwano zeERP, lufumanisa iindawo zentsilelo eziqhelekileyo kwaye luphakamisa iNkqubo-sikhokelo yeeNdlela eziseSikweni ngenjongo yokuphucula ukuveliswa nokusetyenziswa kwezixokelelwano zeERP. Kolu phando kwenziwe uphengululo olunabileyo loncwadi olujongene nemiceli-mngeni yokusilela kweERP kunye nengcaciso esesikweni kulandelwa indlela yophando-nzulu esekelwe kumava omntu ngamnye kwizinto zobomi kwakunye nendlela yophando-nzulu esebenzisa ubunzululwazi ukufumana ubunyaniso bezinto, ezi ndlela zidityaniswa nethiyori yokuvelisa eqala ngolwazi oluncinane ilwandise kwakunye naleyo iqala ngolwazi oluninzi ilunciphise ekugqibeleni. Iziphumo zidalule ukuba ingcaciso engonelanga enikwa kwizigaba ezisekuqaleni zokuveliswa kwesixokelelwano ingoyena nobangela wokusilela kwesixokelelwano seERP. Umphandi-nzulu udibanise oku kusilela wakwenza kwaba ngamacandelo amahlanu angundoqo ekungala: ukuntsokotha, ukulandeleleka, ingcombolo efihlakeleyo, ukungqalana nobumbaxa beSDLC. Kwiinzame zokulungisa le miceli-mngeni kuziswe inkqubo-sikhokelo ejolise kwiindlela ezisesikweni elungelelanisa ukuchaneka kwezixokelelwano zeERP. Le nkqubo-sikhokelo iphakanyiswayo imanya iindlela ezisesikweni (FM) njengendlela ecwangcisiweyo yokuchaza iimfuno zezixokelelwano zeERP. Ukuze kuphandisisiswe imiceli-mngeni exeliweyo yeERP kusetyenziswa ulwimi olucacisiweyo lweZ ludityaniswa kunye nendlela yezakhelo zengxaki kaJackson ephuculweyo. Izakhelo zengxaki eziphuculweyo zinceda ekubeni kuphakanyiswe izisombululo zengcaciso ezisesikweni eziza kulungisa imiceli-mngeni emihlanu engundoqo yeERP. Inkqubo-sikhokelo yeendlela ezisesikweni iphuculwa ngokuthi kusetyenziswe indlela yesakhelo sengxaki ephuculweyo. Emva kokuvelisa inkqubo-sikhokelo ephucukileyo, uphando-nzulu lungene kwisigaba sokuqala ngolwazi oluninzi oluncitshiswayo ekugqibeleni ngokuchaza ingqikelelo yophononongo lweERP ngelibonisa ukusebenza kwezakhelo zengxaki eziphuculweyo ekulungiseni le miceli-mngeni mihlanu. Uphononongo lubonise ukusebenziseka kwezakhelo zengxaki eziphuculweyo nto leyo inika iingcali zesoftware indlela ecwangcisiweyo yokuchaza izixokelelwano zeEPR ngokuchanekileyo.
Umsebenzi osaza kwenziwa kulo mmandla uphawulwa njengokukuyiqinisekisa nangakumbi inkqubo-sikhokelo ephuculweyo yeERP ngokuthi kwenziwe uphononongo kwiingcali kunye nophononongo kwiinkampani.
