《系统工程》课程教学资源（英文文献）Applicability of EPR Systems fo Konwledge Management in the context of Quality Management

Applicability of ERP Systems for KnowledgeManagement in the Context of QualityManagementAbstract. Today technological advances are frequently affecting all aspects of atypical organizationOne of such aspects is organisational quality management.As work environment changes dramaticallythe need for appropriate business systems to support the new working conditions arises. Theassumption behind this paper is that quality management oriented knowledge management systemwould be a proper mean for enchasing effectiveness of an organisation. Thegoal of the paper is toanalyse direct and indirect support of different ERP mod-ules and technologies to knowledge andquality management in order to identify which ERP solutions and technologies could be used inquality manage mentoriented knowledge management system.1IntroductionToday's dynamic and turbulent environment makes it difficult for organisations to operatesuccessfully and maintain competitive advantage. Therefore, organizations are looking for newsolutions and possibilities for improvement of existing systems in order to achieve and/or maintaintheircompetitiveness.Rapid environmental changes challenge existing organisational quality management systems byrequesting agile quality strategies and innovative quality solutions. Such requirements hardly can bemet by traditional quality information systems, be- cause managing in rapidly changing environmentrequires knowledge (not just information) based solutions. In the same time particular knowledgemanagement oriented properties are presented by several information systems solutions, e.g.,particular solutions incorporated in ERP systems.This paper presents a part of the research on the development of quality management orientedknowledge management system. Quality management oriented knowledge management system is aknowledge management system that is designed to enhance the effectiveness of quality managementsystem and thus contribute to the overall welfare of the organisation. The goal of the paper is toanalyse direct and indirect support of different ERP modules and technologies to knowledge andquality management in order to identify which ERP solutions and technologies could be used inquality oriented knowledge management system, Research method is analytical, i.e. the conclusions

Applicability of ERP Systems for Knowledge Management in the Context of Quality Management Abstract. Today technological advances are frequently affecting all aspects of atypical organization. One of such aspects is organisational quality management.As work environment changes dramatically, the need for appropriate business systems to support the new working conditions arises. The assumption behind this paper is that quality management oriented knowledge management system would be a proper mean for enchasing effectiveness of an organisation. Thegoal of the paper is to analyse direct and indirect support of different ERP mod-ules and technologies to knowledge and quality management in order to identify which ERP solutions and technologies could be used in quality manage mentoriented knowledge management system. 1 Introduction Today’s dynamic and turbulent environment makes it difficult for organisations to operate successfully and maintain competitive advantage. Therefore, organizations are looking for new solutions and possibilities for improvement of existing systems in order to achieve and/or maintain their competitiveness. Rapid environmental changes challenge existing organisational quality management systems by requesting agile quality strategies and innovative quality solutions. Such requirements hardly can be met by traditional quality information systems, be- cause managing in rapidly changing environment requires knowledge (not just information) based solutions. In the same time particular knowledge management oriented properties are presented by several information systems solutions, e.g., particular solutions incorporated in ERP systems. This paper presents a part of the research on the development of quality management oriented knowledge management system. Quality management oriented knowledge management system is a knowledge management system that is designed to enhance the effectiveness of quality management system and thus contribute to the overall welfare of the organisation. The goal of the paper is to analyse direct and indirect support of different ERP modules and technologies to knowledge and quality management in order to identify which ERP solutions and technologies could be used in quality oriented knowledge management system. Research method is analytical, i.e. the conclusions

are derived on the basis of feature analysis of ERP systems components. The research relies on a widevariety of information sources in order to identify the current situation in the research areas. In general,organizational information systems can provide a part of knowledge management systemsinfrastructure and components.Here,in particular,the potential contribution of ERP systems toquality management oriented knowledge management system is analysed.ERP arecomprehensive,packaged software solutions that seek to integrate the completerange ofbusiness processes and functions in order to present a holistic view of the business from a singleinformation and information technology architecture.It provides seamless integration of allinformation flowing through a company, such as financial, accounting, human resources, supply chain,and customer information. ERP combines all the information of an organization together into a single,integrated software program that converges on a single database so that the various departments canshare information and communicate with each other more easily. Once the data are input at onesystem, they immediately become available throughout all systems, which deliver a consistentmanagement interface. ERP packages are usually upgraded on a regular basis to adopt new technology,further improve the productivity with advanced work process, streamline and standardize workprocess, and yet bring more data consistency and integrity across all modules, so the management canbenefit from prompt real-time processing to provide information for decisions.Many largeorganisations worldwide have already adopted ERP, and increasingly small- and medium - sizedenterprises also are finding it cost effective and competitively advantageous to follow the example oflargeorganisations.Impact of ERP systems modules and technologies on knowledge management inthe context ofqualitymanagement is threefold:(1) ERP systems provide knowledgemanagement oriented modules that may be used in qualitymanagement.(2) ERP systems incorporate technologies applicable for knowledge management systems, and(3) ERP systems have quality management oriented modules that can be included as aninformation sources in the quality management oriented knowledge management system of theorganisation.This paper investigates the field that has not been broadly researched yet. Although theinteraction and intersection between ERP and knowledge management, and the ways, in which theknowledge management initiatives can help to facilitate the processes of implementation and

are derived on the basis of feature analysis of ERP systems components. The research relies on a wide variety of information sources in order to identify the current situation in the research areas. In general, organizational information systems can provide a part of knowledge management systems infrastructure and components. Here, in particular, the potential contribution of ERP systems to quality management oriented knowledge management system is analysed. ERP are comprehensive, packaged software solutions that seek to integrate the complete range of business processes and functions in order to present a holistic view of the business from a single information and information technology architecture. It provides seamless integration of all information flowing through a company, such as financial, accounting, human resources, supply chain, and customer information. ERP combines all the information of an organization together into a single, integrated software program that converges on a single database so that the various departments can share information and communicate with each other more easily. Once the data are input at one system, they immediately become available throughout all systems, which deliver a consistent management interface. ERP packages are usually upgraded on a regular basis to adopt new technology, further improve the productivity with advanced work process, streamline and standardize work process, and yet bring more data consistency and integrity across all modules, so the management can benefit from prompt real-time processing to provide information for decisions. Many large organisations worldwide have already adopted ERP, and increasingly small- and medium - sized enterprises also are finding it cost effective and competitively advantageous to follow the example of large organisations. Impact of ERP systems modules and technologies on knowledge management inthe context of quality management is threefold: (1) ERP systems provide knowledgemanagement oriented modules that may be used in quality management, (2) ERP systems incorporate technologies applicable for knowledge management systems, and (3) ERP systems have quality management oriented modules that can be included as an information sources in the quality management oriented knowledge management system of the organisation. This paper investigates the field that has not been broadly researched yet. Although the interaction and intersection between ERP and knowledge management, and the ways, in which the knowledge management initiatives can help to facilitate the processes of implementation and

maintenance ofERP systems,are extensively investigated,by authors knowledge,ERP systems in thecontext of their application to knowledge management have not been thoroughly analysed. Therefore,the goal of the paper is to analyse the ERP systems in order to identify the ERP modules andtechnologies that support knowledge management, as well as to determine whether it is possible toapply these solutions and technologies to quality management to enhance effectiveness of anorganisation. The ERP systems are chosen as representatives of information system in general becauseof their wide application in organisations and their high competitive capacity within the informationsystems'market. No specific criteria were used to choose particular ERP systems for analysisHowever, principles of popularity and diversity were taken as bases for ERP systems selection.Therefore the most advanced and popular ERP systems (e.g. SAP, Baan, Oracle, and PeopleSoft) thaare oriented to large organizations and international corporations, as well as such ERP systems asMicrosoft Navision and Great Plains, that are focused on the segment of small- and medium- sizedenterprises, where included in the list of systems to be investigated. The paper presents data aboutspecific ERP systems, as well as provides summaries of all the analysed ERP systems where thespecific features of each ERP system are not reflected.The paper is organised as follows. The relationship between knowledge management andinformation systems is analysed, potential contribution of ERP systems to knowledge management isdiscussed, and the basic knowledge management oriented technologies offered by ERP systems areidentified in Section 2.The short overview of the area of quality management is presented and ERPsystems potential support for quality management is discussed in Section 3. These two sections set thebackground for the analysis of potential ERP systems support for quality management orientedknowledge management system that is presented in Section 4. Brief conclusions and directions ofintendedfutureworkaregiven in Section5.2ERPSystems SupportforKnowledgeManagementThis section is focused on the relationship between knowledge management and informationsystems, discusses potential contribution of ERP systems to knowledge management, and identifiesthe basic knowledge management oriented technologies offered by ERP systems.2.1KnowledgeManagementand Information SystemsThe resent trends in the organisational development have demonstrated the importance ofknowledge management. Knowledge management is systematic, precise, and deliberative process ofknowledge creation, retrieval and utilization, The aim of knowledge management is to maximize

maintenance of ERP systems, are extensively investigated, by authors knowledge, ERP systems in the context of their application to knowledge management have not been thoroughly analysed. Therefore, the goal of the paper is to analyse the ERP systems in order to identify the ERP modules and technologies that support knowledge management, as well as to determine whether it is possible to apply these solutions and technologies to quality management to enhance effectiveness of an organisation. The ERP systems are chosen as representatives of information system in general because of their wide application in organisations and their high competitive capacity within the information systems’ market. No specific criteria were used to choose particular ERP systems for analysis. However, principles of popularity and diversity were taken as bases for ERP systems selection. Therefore the most advanced and popular ERP systems (e.g. SAP, Baan, Oracle, and PeopleSoft) that are oriented to large organizations and international corporations, as well as such ERP systems as Microsoft Navision and Great Plains, that are focused on the segment of small- and medium- sized enterprises, where included in the list of systems to be investigated. The paper presents data about specific ERP systems, as well as provides summaries of all the analysed ERP systems where the specific features of each ERP system are not reflected. The paper is organised as follows. The relationship between knowledge management and information systems is analysed, potential contribution of ERP systems to knowledge management is discussed, and the basic knowledge management oriented technologies offered by ERP systems are identified in Section 2. The short overview of the area of quality management is presented and ERP systems potential support for quality management is discussed in Section 3. These two sections set the background for the analysis of potential ERP systems support for quality management oriented knowledge management system that is presented in Section 4. Brief conclusions and directions of intended future work are given in Section 5. 2 ERP Systems Support for Knowledge Management This section is focused on the relationship between knowledge management and information systems, discusses potential contribution of ERP systems to knowledge management, and identifies the basic knowledge management oriented technologies offered by ERP systems. 2.1 Knowledge Management and Information Systems The resent trends in the organisational development have demonstrated the importance of knowledge management. Knowledge management is systematic, precise, and deliberative process of knowledge creation, retrieval and utilization. The aim of knowledge management is to maximize

efficiency of activities related to knowledge as well as benefits acquired from this knowledgeKnowledge management is improving the ways the organizations are doing the business. Knowledgemanagement systems have been applied in different areas of organizational performance. There areknowledge management systems for strategic planning, marketing, manufacturing, finances andhumanresourcesmanagement.In order to transform knowledge into a valuable organizational asset, knowledge, experience, andexpertise must be formalised, distributed, shared, and applied. Effective management of knowledgerequires hybrid solutions involving both people and technology.Therefore it is very important todetermine the technology for storing the knowledge, persuade employees to contribute to therepository, create a structure for holding the knowledge.Past management information systems basically used the computer as a means of providinginformation to solve recurring operational problems. Today, there is a need for new types of systemsthat focuses on discovering knowledge that responds to the changing environment. By increasingcapabilities of decision makers, information systems that support knowledge management initiativesimprove the chances that an organization will achieve its goals.Past and current management information systems that influenced today's knowledgemanagement systems indirectly are integrated management information systems, real-timemanagement information systems, and distributed management information systems. Mostly thesesystems focus on processing a company's critical applications without which the business could notcontinue its operation. These systems are integral part in building company's knowledge managementsystem.Information systems that support information flow are one essential component in knowledgemanagement system.Information systems create good virtual environment for knowledgemanagement. One type of such information systems is ERP systems.2.2 Potential Contribution of ERP Systems to Knowledge ManagementSome academic research has been done in the area of ERP systems' application to knowledgemanagement within the organizations. However, important claims in this regard are emerging from thepractitioner literature. For example, articles debate the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of ERP systemsin extracting usable information from the underlying organizational data, the role of ERP systems asorganizational"knowledge libraries", or the addition of ERPmodules that incorporate groupware anddecision support systems. In order to find out how ERP systems can support knowledge management

efficiency of activities related to knowledge as well as benefits acquired from this knowledge. Knowledge management is improving the ways the organizations are doing the business. Knowledge management systems have been applied in different areas of organizational performance. There are knowledge management systems for strategic planning, marketing, manufacturing, finances and human resources management. In order to transform knowledge into a valuable organizational asset, knowledge, experience, and expertise must be formalised, distributed, shared, and applied. Effective management of knowledge requires hybrid solutions involving both people and technology. Therefore it is very important to determine the technology for storing the knowledge, persuade employees to contribute to the repository, create a structure for holding the knowledge. Past management information systems basically used the computer as a means of providing information to solve recurring operational problems. Today, there is a need for new types of systems that focuses on discovering knowledge that responds to the changing environment. By increasing capabilities of decision makers, information systems that support knowledge management initiatives improve the chances that an organization will achieve its goals. Past and current management information systems that influenced today’s knowledge management systems indirectly are integrated management information systems, real-time management information systems, and distributed management information systems. Mostly these systems focus on processing a company’s critical applications without which the business could not continue its operation. These systems are integral part in building company’s knowledge management system. Information systems that support information flow are one essential component in knowledge management system. Information systems create good virtual environment for knowledge management. One type of such information systems is ERP systems. 2.2 Potential Contribution of ERP Systems to Knowledge Management Some academic research has been done in the area of ERP systems’ application to knowledge management within the organizations. However, important claims in this regard are emerging from the practitioner literature. For example, articles debate the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of ERP systems in extracting usable information from the underlying organizational data, the role of ERP systems as organizational “knowledge libraries” , or the addition of ERP modules that incorporate groupware and decision support systems. In order to find out how ERP systems can support knowledge management

such ERP systems as SAP,Baan,Oracle,PeopleSoft,Microsoft Navision,and Great Plains areanalysed.ERP purports to support all business functions of an enterprise. High functionality is one of themain differentiators of ERP.The main features of ERP are provided business solutions, which supportthe core processes of the business and administrative functionality. In addition to these generalbusiness functions,ERP often supports industry specific functions like student administration atuniversities or high volume warehousing transactions for retailers etc,However, further in this sectiononly those ERP solutions that supportknowledge management will be discussed.The results of the detailed analysis of ERP systems with respect to ERP systemspotential support to knowledge management are identified and summarized in Table 1.The firstcolumn of the table presents ERP solutions that support knowledge management. The second columndescribes potential contribution of ERP systems to knowledge management.Table 1.Potential contribution of ERP systems to knowledge managementPotential contribution of ERP systems toERPsolutionsknowledgemanagement?Enable users to:Accessanytypeofcontentviafunctionality,intelligentsearchpublish-and-subscribe methods,orsimple browsing,Efficiently manage,classify,andsearch content,Control the publishing cycle, usingEnterprise Portal (EP)online collaboration andeditorialworkflow capabilities,with.Integrateinformationtransactions,Search internal and external sourcesand identify subject-matter experts.In addition, offers:?Web-based authoring that simplifies

such ERP systems as SAP, Baan, Oracle, PeopleSoft, Microsoft Navision, and Great Plains are analysed. ERP purports to support all business functions of an enterprise. High functionality is one of the main differentiators of ERP. The main features of ERP are provided business solutions, which support the core processes of the business and administrative functionality. In addition to these general business functions, ERP often supports industry specific functions like student administration at universities or high volume warehousing transactions for retailers etc . However, further in this section only those ERP solutions that support knowledge management will be discussed. The results of the detailed analysis of ERP systems with respect to ERP systems potential support to knowledge management are identified and summarized in Table 1. The first column of the table presents ERP solutions that support knowledge management. The second column describes potential contribution of ERP systems to knowledge management. Table 1. Potential contribution of ERP systems to knowledge management ERP solutions Potential contribution of ERP systems to knowledge management Enterprise Portal (EP)  Enable users to:  Access any type of content via intelligent search functionality, publish-and-subscribe methods, or simple browsing,  Efficiently manage, classify, and search content,  Control the publishing cycle, using online collaboration and editorial workflow capabilities,  Integrate information with transactions,  Search internal and external sources and identify subject-matter experts. In addition, offers:  Web-based authoring that simplifies

publishing processes with onlineediting.discussion forums, andautomatic document version control,Feedback, discussion, and annotationfunctions that make it easy to interactwith content owners, experts, andotherresourcescontributionofERPPotentialERPsolutionssystems to knowledge managementSeamlessly integrate data from6various sourcestohelppublic sectororganizations to understand better theinterrelationships of tactical activitiesand strategic goals,Solution forPublic Sector福Createsknowledgelibrariestohandle structured and unstructuredinformation in a wide variety offormatsandsupportse-learningscenariosHelps:Deliver actionable information tomanagement at all levels,Business Intelligence Suite (BIS)Managers make the right decisions,orCAnalyticsclose the gap between intent andexecution,?Transform data into meaningful,valuable information.Anenterpriselearningmanagementsystem, that:E-LearningProvides a complete infrastructurefor organizations to manage, deliver

publishing processes with online editing, discussion forums, and automatic document version control,  Feedback, discussion, and annotation functions that make it easy to interact with content owners, experts, and other resources. ERP solutions Potential contribution of ERP systems to knowledge management Solution for Public Sector  Seamlessly integrate data from various sources to help public sector organizations to understand better the interrelationships of tactical activities and strategic goals,  Creates knowledge libraries to handle structured and unstructured information in a wide variety of formats and supports e-learning scenarios. Business Intelligence Suite (BIS) or Analytics Helps:  Deliver actionable information to management at all levels,  Managers make the right decisions, close the gap between intent and execution,  Transform data into meaningful, valuable information. E-Learning An enterprise learning management system, that:  Provides a complete infrastructure for organizations to manage, deliver

and track training participation ofemployees, customers, an partners inbothe-learningand classroombasedenvironments,Ensures quicker time-to-market forproduct training and consistentdelivery of information, knowledgeand training across the enterpriseHelps an organization acquire, store,Workflow Management System (WMS)andcatalogueofcontentorganizational knowledge...Leverages a relationaldatabasetooffer a secure, reliable and scalablesimplifybusinesstowayandconsolidatecommunicationsCollaboration Suiteinformation,Provideswithto8usersaccessemail,integratedvoicemail,file sharing,searchcalendaring,capabilities and web conferencing.Enables individuals and groups tomeet on-linetocollaborate,shareWeb Conferencingpresentations, applications or theirentire desktop.Offers seamless integration betweene-commerce solution and businessmanagementsystem,E-commerceSeriesEnsuring accuracy of informationacross all systems, helping companybetter,andserveitscustomers

and track training participation of employees, customers, an partners in both e-learning and classroom based environments,  Ensures quicker time-to-market for product training and consistent delivery of information, knowledge and training across the enterprise. Workflow Management System (WMS)  Helps an organization acquire, store, and catalogue content of organizational knowledge. Collaboration Suite  Leverages a relational database to offer a secure, reliable and scalable way to simplify business communications and consolidate information,  Provides users with access to integrated email, voicemail, calendaring, file sharing, search capabilities and web conferencing. Web Conferencing  Enables individuals and groups to meet on-line to collaborate, share presentations, applications or their entire desktop. E-commerce Series Offers seamless integration between e-commerce solution and business management system,  Ensuring accuracy of information across all systems, helping company serve its customers better, and

improving decision making at alllevels:Provides a collaborative framework forstreamlining help desk operations. Itdelivers:?Powerful tools that automate thesupport of information technologysystems and8Facilitiestosustaincompany'sglobal enterprise infrastructuresmoothly and cost-effectivelyWith Help Desk, company can?Achieve a complete view of theemployee, allowing the agent todetermine quickly and easily thecorrect solution to the employee'sHelp Deskquery or issue,Determine the best resolution to aproblem with a robust search enginedeliveringsolutionsweighted,ranked, or scored by accuracy,Recognize the most appropriatesolution to a case with visual iconidentification,?Access a central repository ofdiagnostic tools such as troubleshootingscripts, problem-solvingandtechniques,agent-recommended solutions, andself-serviceallowLeverageetoworkers to create cases and search

improving decision making at all levels. Help Desk Provides a collaborative framework for streamlining help desk operations. It delivers:  Powerful tools that automate the support of information technology systems and  Facilities to sustain company’s global enterprise infrastructure smoothly and cost-effectively. With Help Desk, company can:  Achieve a complete view of the employee, allowing the agent to determine quickly and easily the correct solution to the employee’s query or issue,  Determine the best resolution to a problem with a robust search engine delivering solutions weighted, ranked, or scored by accuracy,  Recognize the most appropriate solution to a case with visual icon identification,  Access a central repository of diagnostic tools such as trouble shooting scripts, problem-solving techniques, and agent-recommended solutions, and  Leverage self-service to allow workers to create cases and search

theknowledgebaseforefficientproblem resolution, etc.Thorough analysis of the ERP systems shows that ERP systems support many knowledgemanagement functions and encourage knowledge management initiative in an organization.According to R. Maier's system-centric classification of knowledge management systems functions,ERP systems at least in some extent support the following knowledge management functions:Knowledge search,Knowledge presentation,OKnowledge publication, structuring and linkingOKnowledge acquisition,Knowledgecommunicationandcooperation,Computer-based training.2.3Basic Knowledge ManagementOriented Technologies Offered byERP SystemsDuring the analysis of the ERP systems the ERP built-in technologies that suppor knowledgemanagement were also identified. The following knowledge managementoriented technologies were identified in ERP systems:. Intranet technologies. Intranets and Extranets are technologies that can be used tobuild a knowledge management system. The unified surface and access to varioussources of information make this technology perfect for acquiring and sharingknowledge throughout a company.:Groupware. Groupware is a substantial technology that is used for knowledgemanagement. Groupware offers a platform for communication, collaboration, andcoordination.Itallows users to interact with bothpeople and databases.. Information retrieval tools. Information retrieval offers a solution to tasks fromtext searches to the automatic categorization and summation of documents.. Data warehousing. Data warehousing is the assembling of selected, filtered, andstructured data from a variety of sources into one coherent assembly for the pur-pose of being able to find meaningful relationships within the data.Connections that are not readily apparent can be uncovered with the use of datamining and on-line analytical processing (OLAP). These techniques are part of

the knowledge base for efficient problem resolution, etc. Thorough analysis of the ERP systems shows that ERP systems support many knowledge management functions and encourage knowledge management initiative in an organization. According to R. Maier’s system-centric classification of knowledge management systems functions, ERP systems at least in some extent support the following knowledge management functions: Knowledge search, Knowledge presentation, Knowledge publication, structuring and linking, Knowledge acquisition, Knowledge communication and cooperation, Computer-based training. 2.3 Basic Knowledge Management Oriented Technologies Offered by ERP Systems During the analysis of the ERP systems the ERP built-in technologies that suppor knowledge management were also identified. The following knowledge management oriented technologies were identified in ERP systems: • Intranet technologies. Intranets and Extranets are technologies that can be used to build a knowledge management system. The unified surface and access to various sources of information make this technology perfect for acquiring and sharing knowledge throughout a company . • Groupware. Groupware is a substantial technology that is used for knowledge management. Groupware offers a platform for communication, collaboration, and coordination. It allows users to interact with both people and databases . • Information retrieval tools. Information retrieval offers a solution to tasks from text searches to the automatic categorization and summation of documents. • Data warehousing. Data warehousing is the assembling of selected, filtered, and structured data from a variety of sources into one coherent assembly for the pur￾pose of being able to find meaningful relationships within the data. Connections that are not readily apparent can be uncovered with the use of data mining and on-line analytical processing (OLAP). These techniques are part of

dataanalysis. Data analysis. Pattern recognition and classification and forecasting are the techniques used for data analysis. Data analysis is a possible method for generatingnewknowledge:Agenttechnologies.Softwareagents based on theessentialsofartificial intelli-gence enable the user to search independently for information according to a per-sonal profileandtousevarious sources andotheragents.Computer based training.It is interactive instructional experiencebetween a com-puter and a learner in which the computer provides the majority of the stimulus andthe learner responds, resulting in progress toward increased skills or knowledge. This technology is also used to pass on knowledge to colleagues.The results of the ERP systems analysis with respect to utilized technologies aresummarized in Table 2. The first column of the table presents the basic ERP built-intechnologies that support knowledge management. The other columns encompass theanalysed ERP systems. The notation"X"identifies the ERP systems that supportparticular knowledge management technologiesTable2.Thebasicknowledgemanagement oriented technologies offeredbyERP systemsKMSAPIBaanOraclePeopleSoftMicrosoftMicrosoftE-BusinessSolutionProductGreattechnologiesNavisionoffered bySuitebusinessPortfolioLinesPlainsERPSuitexXXXXxIntranet tech-nologiesXXXXXXGroupware+xXXXXInformationretrieval toolsDataXware-xXXXXhousing+XData analysisXXXXXAgenttechnologies'ComputerXXXbased training3ERPSystems'SupportforQualityManagementThis section presents a short overview of the area of quality management and discusses how ERPsystemscan supportqualitymanagement.3.1QualityManagement

data analysis. • Data analysis. Pattern recognition and classification and forecasting are the tech￾niques used for data analysis. Data analysis is a possible method for generating new knowledge. • Agent technologies. Software agents based on the essentials of artificial intelli￾gence enable the user to search independently for information according to a per￾sonal profile and to use various sources and other agents. • Computer based training. It is interactive instructional experience between a com￾puter and a learner in which the computer provides the majority of the stimulus and the learner responds, resulting in progress toward increased skills or knowledge . This technology is also used to pass on knowledge to colleagues. The results of the ERP systems analysis with respect to utilized technologies are summarized in Table 2. The first column of the table presents the basic ERP built-in technologies that support knowledge management. The other columns encompass the analysed ERP systems. The notation ”X” identifies the ERP systems that support particular knowledge management technologies. Table 2. The basic knowledge management oriented technologies offered by ERP systems KM technologies offered by ERP SAP Business Suite Oracle E- business Suite IBaan Solution Portfolio PeopleSoft Product Lines Microsoft Navision Microsoft Great Plains Intranet tech￾nologies X X X X X X Groupware X X X X X X Information retrieval tools X X X X X X Data ware￾housing X X X X X X Data analysis X X X X X Agent techno- 1 logies X X Computer based training X X X 3 ERP Systems’ Support for Quality Management This section presents a short overview of the area of quality management and discusses how ERP systems can support quality management. 3.1 Quality Management