Page 110 -

86 Chapter 3 • Enterprise Systems Architecture

MBH SOLUTIONS
MBH Solutions 12 acknowledges the need for self-service as a function of HR and has
broken down self-service as both a separate entity and a layer of a much larger ERP
solution. They have outlined various aspects of self-service that they feel companies
should take into consideration prior to implementing a Web-based self-service solution.
First, MBH recognizes that implementing a self-service architecture must be a gradual
step-by-step process versus a big bang scenario. A company realistically must integrate
their existing architecture and information into a self-service design. MBH identifies
these as two vastly different aspects to consider. Self-service is primarily focused on
information and data workflow, whereas the existing architecture, information, and data,
which MBH labels “back office processing,” is tailored for a different purpose: data
gathering and processing with little focus on the ease of use or workflow. Companies
currently use new self-service concepts with their existing architecture in an attempt to
increase information flow without losing their original capabilities or back-office
processing.
With the implementation of Web-based self-service architecture, MBH identifies
many challenges inherent to this transition: (1) Real-time access to back office through the
Web-based self-service architecture is subject to the time constraints of the current back-
office server. (2) Complex modifications to the existing data can be costly. (3) Back office
may have unique patterns or habits that may be projected to the user interface on the Web,
thereby decreasing user satisfaction. (4) Each company has its own back-office processing
technology that is extremely difficult to duplicate at another site. This can cause one self-ser-
vice solution to be completely different from another from the same company. (5) Last,
upgrades are needed to the back office in order to integrate into the Web application.
This upgrade may constrain priority objectives from previous upgrades. There are numerous
challenges facing the implementation of any new ERP architecture. Self-service is extremely
challenging because success depends on many factors, with the largest factor being user
satisfaction.
MBH identifies the need for upgrades in the future as the biggest concern for
companies implementing self-service architecture. Vendors can release upgrades annually
or biannually, with a long implementation process that pulls many resources from the com-
pany. In an attempt to establish a stable baseline after each upgrade implementation, a
company can run into a bottleneck with their back-office data processing driving the
schedule. There is an irony here: A company may be put in a situation of taking its
resources from doing business, potentially decreasing user satisfaction, to focus on main-
taining and upgrading its self-service architecture, which is designed to increase user
satisfaction. So what is MBH’s solution? They proposed decoupling the self-service
architecture from the back-office data processing and gathering. In short, unlink the
Web-based self-service tool from the back office and provide a methodical schedule for
the back-office and self-service tool to share information. Whereas this cuts down on
real-time data, it can prevent many of the problems associated with integration and
implementation of a self-service architecture onto an existing system.

12 MBH Solutions, Inc. (2006). Considerations for Deploying ERP Self-Service Technology. www.mbhsolutions.com/
peoplesoft.htm (accessed October 23, 2006).