Automated enterprise management systems are exactly what the current industry needs quite urgently. Process automation can significantly increase the productivity and efficiency of organizations. In addition, this has become relevant also because at present there is a global computerization of almost all branches of human activity.
general characteristics
The automated enterprise management system (ACSM) is currently used in the Russian Federation according to the MRP and ERP methodology. Both of these areas are recognized worldwide.
As for the appearance of the first automation systems, these were material resource planning systems, they are also MRP. This direction was developed and first used in the United States in the 1960s. It is worth noting that today it has not lost its relevance at all.
However, the automated enterprise management system (ACSM) in our time is most common, it is often called information. It was she who received the reduction in the form of ERP. As for the general information about the introduction of such technologies, then, as in the case of any other major change, it could not have been painless. However, today it is fair to say that a certain number of problems have been formalized, well studied, and effective methods have been developed that will allow them to be solved without much damage to the enterprise itself. If you study the problems and take care of solving them even before you begin to implement an automated enterprise management system, you can greatly facilitate this process.
General information about automated process control systems
If you define the automated system, then it is a combination of software, technical, information and several other other complexes, as well as certain actions of specially trained personnel. The actions of workers are usually aimed at solving certain planning problems and managing various kinds of activities at the enterprise.
The use of an automated enterprise management system is intended to optimize and increase the efficiency of the management team at the facility. In addition, the same rule applies to the work of some other personnel services that carry out their activities at the enterprise. Experts in this field agree that the use of such a complex of tools that helps to manage any enterprise more efficiently significantly increases the existing competitiveness, and can also, in principle, bring the property to an acceptable level so that it can compete with other companies.
A very important role is played by automated enterprise management systems in the effective work of managers. If you believe the statistics, then approximately 60% of the manager’s working time is spent only on compiling reports and documentary tasks for the surrounding staff. The presence of an automated system will allow the employee to get quick access to the information he needs. In addition, it is possible to use an automated enterprise management information system in order to calculate wages for each employee quickly enough, based on many factors.
Equipment classification
There are several groups of automated systems that are used to manage the enterprise, depending on their functional equipment:
- The first are multifunctional systems that are designed to perform the full range of tasks necessary for complete and effective facility management.
- There are expert analysis systems. This complex is aimed at monitoring the main trends and directions of development of the enterprise.
- Separately stand out systems that will allow you to calculate the wages of staff.
- The latest functional features are programs that allow you to manage personnel. They are intended in order to effectively solve any problems associated with employees. They can store all the contact information for each employee individually, their work schedule, date of admission and dismissal, paid salary and many other important information.
Automation System Tasks
Here it’s worthwhile to dwell in more detail on the main task of the expert program. Its primary goal is to search and compare the most diverse characteristics of the applicant for the required position. Using this automated enterprise management information system will allow you to easily find the most promising employees in the desired department. However, it is worth noting here that the use of such expert programs is quite expensive, and therefore it will be advisable from an economic point of view to apply them at already quite large facilities.
Another fairly important fact. It is best to integrate automated systems only together with other programs that will be used for accounting and other activities of these employees, that is, accountants. This feature is due to the fact that the manager will be able to make objective decisions only if he has all the relevant information about the state of the enterprise and its employees.
As it has already become clear, an automated control system as part of an enterprise system is a complex of many programs. However, they are not all the same and are divided into several groups, depending on the nature of the production in which they are applied. They can be of continuous type, discrete, that is, single, small-batch or medium-series production, as well as continuous-discrete type, that is, large-scale or mass-production.
Basic principles of creation
The automated control system as part of the enterprise system began to be actively used back in the 1970s. At the same time, its effectiveness was confirmed.
There are several basic principles for creating automated control systems of different classes:
- There is the so-called principle of new tasks. In other words, these are optimal tasks that can be solved using conventional computing technology.
- The second principle can be called complex. In this case, during the development of automated process control systems, it is necessary to approach the solution of a complex of tasks such as technical, economic and organizational.
- Another principle can be called the principle of the first leader. In this case, it is understood that the development of programs for an automated enterprise management system should be carried out with the participation and under the supervision of the head of this facility. This is true for the development of a large-scale automated control system that will manage the entire enterprise. If one of the AMS subsystems is being developed, then participation is allowed not for the head, but for the head of the functional service, for which the complex is being developed.
- Another principle is often called the continuous development of the system. In this case, it is understood that the number of tasks that need to be solved will constantly increase, which means that the system will constantly evolve. In addition, new tasks will not replace previously implemented ones.
- The next principle is modularity and typing. It consists in the fact that there will be a separation and development of separate and independent parts of the system that will be used in various kinds of subsystems.
- The last principle is quite simple, and it consists in automating the circulation of documents, as well as in creating a single information base throughout the enterprise.
It is worth noting that most of the principles apply even to the creation of an automated hotel management system. This is especially true for the last paragraph, where a common database is a key element.
The main problem of development
It is worth considering several basic problems, as well as ways to solve them that may arise during the formation of an automated control system, and you should start with the main one.
The first common problem is the lack of a specific management task for the enterprise.
In the literature on the automated enterprise management system, this problem is given the most significant place, since it is quite difficult to solve. In addition, it is often confused with another point, namely with the reorganization of the structure of the enterprise. However, such a problem is much more global, since it also includes philosophical and psychological aspects, in addition to the management methodology. Speaking in more detail about the problem, it lies in the fact that many managers manage their enterprises based on their own experience, vision and needs. Moreover, they often use actually unstructured or poorly structured data on the dynamics of growth and development of their facility.
If you turn to such a director and ask to describe his structure of activity of any of the departments responsible for him, then most likely the matter will come to a standstill. It is for this reason that the competent formulation of management tasks is the most important factor in the successful development and implementation of automated project management systems at the enterprise.
It is important to note here that correctly set tasks will positively influence not only the development of the facility as a whole, but also the development of the automation process itself. As for the solution to this problem, here everything is bad enough for some reason. Firstly, in the territory of the Russian Federation, a special national approach to setting management objectives has not yet been fully developed. Therefore, the experience of Western management is used, but at the same time it is in many cases not adequate in relation to the situation in Russia. Secondly, the experience of Russian-Soviet times in the formulation of these tasks is still being applied. In this case, everything is somewhat better, and many principles are still in harmony with the realities of life, but at the same time they are less able to withstand general market competition.
Based on the foregoing, we can draw the following conclusion: before proceeding with the introduction of an automated enterprise resource management system, it is necessary to formalize as clearly as possible all those control loops that, in general, need to be automated. Most often, for this you have to attract experienced consultants from the outside, which will lead to unnecessary expenses. However, they will be significantly less than the money spent on a failed automation project.
Other problems
The second problem, which, as mentioned earlier, is somewhat reminiscent of the first, but it is less global. This is the need for a partial reorganization of the structure, as well as the activities of the enterprise during the implementation of automated control systems.
Another frequently encountered problem is the need to change the approach to working with incoming information. In addition, you will have to revise the principles of doing business in general. Many managers find themselves unprepared for such a problem as the resistance of local employees to the introduction of an automated industrial enterprise management system. And this, in turn, can become quite a significant problem. Another difficulty that is also associated with employees is the temporary increase in workload during the immediate implementation process.
Among other things, it will be necessary to solve such a problem as the formation of a specialized group, which will not only correctly integrate the system, but also accompany it. In addition, such a group will definitely require an experienced leader.
Solving problems with employees
Since often many directors are not ready for this problem, it is worth considering it in more detail.
The first is local resistance. It is worth saying that this is encountered much more often, and the problem itself can either significantly delay the implementation process, or even completely disrupt it, which is unacceptable. Most often this is caused by several purely human factors.
Firstly, many people, oddly enough, are afraid of innovations and are more prone to conservatism. For example, a person who worked for many years in a warehouse with a paper card index will be rather painful to transfer to a computerized system. Secondly, many will begin to worry that they may lose their job, as they can be replaced by a machine, although before that they were considered indispensable in this enterprise. In addition, the introduction of such a system can increase the responsibility for any actions that employees take on the ground, which can also put significant pressure on them.
In order to minimize the damage from the occurrence of such a problem or completely reduce it to nothing, the leader needs to contribute as much as possible to the group that will be involved in the development of automated control systems. In addition, you need to conduct high-quality explanatory work with staff and solve several more problems:
- Create an understanding among every employee of the enterprise that system integration is inevitable.
- The leader of the implementation group should have sufficient authority, since even subconscious resistance of employees in high positions (for example, top managers) is possible.
Solving the problem with the staff load
Next, it is worthwhile to understand that integrated automated enterprise management systems at the stage of their installation will significantly increase the burden on workers. Naturally, this is due to the fact that, in addition to performing their daily duties, employees have to learn new equipment, engage in self-education, etc. In addition, during the pilot implementation, as well as a certain amount of time after, the employees will have to work as the old system, and the new one. Because of this, the integration process may be delayed, as employees will say that they do not have enough time to learn new technologies, since they are always busy with their direct duties.
In such cases, a good leader should do the following:
- Firstly, it is worth introducing a temporary system of rewards and gratitude, which will increase the motivation of employees to learn new technologies.
- Secondly, certain organizational measures should be taken that will reduce the time allotted for the development of new knowledge.
MRP and ERP technology
As mentioned earlier, there are two areas of automated control systems that are currently used around the world. However, these systems are not without drawbacks.
If we talk about MRP, then the main disadvantage of the system is that when calculating the demand for materials, the production capacity of the enterprise, the loading of these capacities, the cost of labor and so on are not taken into account. This was the impetus for the development of MRP II, designed for resource planning. Over time, systems for accounting for other costs of the enterprise were added to it. Thus, in the future, an automated enterprise management system was formed, the function of which is to account for all those industries that the first MRP did not expect. It was this automated control system that later became known as the ERP-system of automated enterprise management.
To summarize all of the above, it is safe to say that automated systems have come a long way and are now an effective means of managing the enterprise, but at the same time they need to be very competently implemented and managed. Of course, there is something to improve in the systems themselves.