Integrating operational processes and information has real-time advantages to the end user experience. The ability to call up reliable information anywhere and anytime ensures that workers spend their time on high-value rather than administrative tasks.
Operational processes often involve changes to the physical environment that are recorded by updating drawings, models and documents. Unless ERP and CSP are integrated, this can involve making changes multiple times – e.g., to a physical copy, in a drawing management system, in the ERP platform, and to other documents such as operating procedures.
This is highly inefficient, costly and risky due to the increased likelihood of human error. Integration of ERP and CSP reduces the need for duplicated effort and the risk of error by centralising information management and integrating it directly with operational processes, such as maintenance work order management.
The main complexity in ERP-CSP integration lies in re-defining business processes, information flows and governance. The effort spent on business re-engineering pays off in the form of more streamlined and people-friendly business practices. Astral has a strong track record in delivering successful business transformations to clients
Figure 1: Disconnected vs integrated information and change processes