Many of the ERP systems that have been successfully implemented to date have featured what I am going to call a traditional UI (user interface) in the sense that they have a familiar menu style hierarchical navigational design which allows for a strict set of tasks to be completed. This style of ERP Software is a very popular solution and many ERP systems providers have adopted this method such as SAP, Microsoft and Epicor with positive results. However, some of these vendors have reported that they are working towards a new, innovative solution since while this design definitely has its merits; it is a design that vastly restricts the amount customisation that the user can make to the system which ultimately means that the user can only carry out one task at a time.

If you read the article within the Harvard Business review you will be aware that within the “Decoding the DNA of the Toyota Production  System” article talks about how Toyota are using Lean manufacturing principals as well as making an interesting point that no one else has been able to successfully copy Toyota’s way of working. Toyota has a strict process of completing tasks within the manufacturing line and each small detail needs to be carried out in a certain way. For example before carrying out the seemingly simple task of adding 4 blots to a car seat when it is installed into the car, the assembly line worker must know exactly which order the bolts are to be inserted into the car seat, how many turns need to be made, the amount of torque to use and even the amount of time that needs to be spent in completing this process. This is where a new, refreshing UI can help the manufacturing line.

After considering the above example, it is clear that the ideal ERP solution would be one that supports a fixed process of completing tasks but is also flexible enough to allow for changes to be made when required since this would allow for blots to be added in any order within the example given above. This will help manufacturers to be become much more agile and will help them to identify exactly which processes are improving or reducing efficiency. A new UI would need to give manufacturers the power to implement several processors whilst also giving them the power to swiftly make changes to their existing processors as and when required. 

A partial solution to this may lie in the smartphone and portable device market which is working towards a completely touchscreen like user interface. It should be possible to transfer this technology onto ERP systems in order to create a UI that is much simpler to use as well as one that allows for a more flexible ERP system. Consider adding or removing new processes onto your ERP system just like how you would add a new app on your touchscreen smartphone and how much this would simplify your ERP system whilst greatly adding to its flexibility.

Going back to Toyota and their lean manufacturing process, this is where a number of other manufacturers aspire to be at but cannot afford to spend millions, if not billions on creating a fully customised system and this is where a fully packaged ERP system may provide the answer. A number of ERP systems manufacturers offer lean manufacturing systems as standard but this is no longer enough and a complete rethink of the UI is needed. For example smaller manufacturing lines can often make do with basic software or with an extremely talented manager who is able to effectively identify (without exact measurements) the areas which need to be improved but as the manufacturing department becomes more successful and expands, it becomes increasingly difficult to track all areas within the manufacturing line.

In the future, I believe that the UI will be one of the main things that ERP specialists work on and midsized companies who are in the process of expanding their business will benefit from these new UIs the most as it will make it simpler for them to expand their business without compromising on the agility of the manufacturing line. No doubt one of the challenges that ERP specialists will face is to ensure that the system is easy to use and that it can complete all tasks which the business requires from it.