ERP Management 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which ERP management concept refers to the practice of adjusting production schedules based on actual customer demand rather than forecasts?
- Demand-driven planning (Correct answer)
- Push manufacturing
- Batch processing
- Capacity leveling
Correct answer: Demand-driven planning
Demand-driven planning synchronizes production with real customer orders to reduce waste and inventory.
Question 2: In ERP change management, what is the primary purpose of a 'steering committee'?
- Writing technical specifications
- Providing executive oversight and strategic decisions (Correct answer)
- Training end users on the new system
- Managing database migrations
Correct answer: Providing executive oversight and strategic decisions
A steering committee provides executive sponsorship, resolves cross-functional conflicts, and ensures the project aligns with business strategy.
Question 3: What does 'process standardization' mean in the context of ERP implementation management?
- Using the same software vendor for all modules
- Aligning business processes across departments to a common, consistent workflow (Correct answer)
- Standardizing IT infrastructure hardware
- Applying uniform data entry screen layouts
Correct answer: Aligning business processes across departments to a common, consistent workflow
Process standardization harmonizes how tasks are performed across the organization so the ERP system can enforce consistent rules.
Question 4: Which management metric measures the percentage of production orders completed on time and in full?
- Throughput rate
- On-Time In-Full (OTIF) (Correct answer)
- Days Sales Outstanding (DSO)
- Inventory Turnover
Correct answer: On-Time In-Full (OTIF)
OTIF is a key ERP supply chain KPI that tracks delivery reliability from both a timing and quantity perspective.
Question 5: In ERP project management, what is a 'cutover plan'?
- A budget reduction strategy mid-project
- A detailed schedule for transitioning from the legacy system to the new ERP (Correct answer)
- A plan to cut underperforming project team members
- A risk mitigation document for data loss
Correct answer: A detailed schedule for transitioning from the legacy system to the new ERP
A cutover plan documents every step required to switch operations from the old system to the live ERP, typically over a tight go-live weekend.
Question 6: Which management approach involves giving employees authority to stop production when they detect a defect?
- Six Sigma DMAIC
- Jidoka (autonomation) (Correct answer)
- Theory of Constraints
- Kaizen event
Correct answer: Jidoka (autonomation)
Jidoka, a lean manufacturing principle, empowers workers or machines to stop the production line immediately upon detecting abnormalities.
Question 7: What is the main risk of 'scope creep' during an ERP implementation?
- Reduced user adoption
- Budget overruns and delayed go-live dates (Correct answer)
- Loss of vendor support contracts
- Decreased system performance
Correct answer: Budget overruns and delayed go-live dates
Scope creep adds unplanned requirements that consume budget and time, making cost and schedule overruns the primary risks.
Which ERP management concept refers to the practice of adjusting production schedules based on actual customer demand rather than forecasts?