After several years as a successful architectural firm in Southern California, Green Design decided to expand by adding two new business ventures: a civil engineering projects group, and a group for commercial building projects. As a senior systems analyst, you have been asked to study the situation and make recommendations. Required:
a. Should Green Design adopt ERP? Why or why not? Provide specific reasons.
b. Is the experience of other companies relevant? Use the Internet to locate a software platform that may be useful to Green Design. Give a summary of ERP solutions you find for architectural and engineering firms.
c. Should Green Design use separate portals for employees, customers, and suppliers?
d. Before selecting software and hardware for the new system, how should Green Design evaluate initial cost and total cost of ownership? What would be the main components?