Project Overview

The project “The Race for the Best ERP System Selection Platform” aimed to systematically analyze German-language ERP system selection platforms and compare them based on defined quality criteria.

The main areas of focus were:

evaluation of the platforms based on aesthetics, usability and content
development of a structured evaluation framework
analysis of ten existing selection platforms
creation of a comparative ranking

Initial Situation

ERP systems are essential for growing companies to efficiently integrate and manage their business processes.

At the same time, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in particular face the challenge of:

identifying the most suitable ERP system
avoiding high consulting costs
keeping track of the large number of available providers
making informed decisions based on transparent information

ERP system selection platforms promise to provide support in this process. However, their quality and objectivity had previously received little systematic investigation.

Approach & Methodology

The project was carried out as part of a Business Informatics project at the University of Potsdam.

A three-part evaluation framework was developed to assess the platforms:

Aesthetics (20%) – visual design and first impression, including the VisAWI model
Usability (30%) – technical performance, information structure and navigation
Content (50%) – suitability of the recommended ERP systems

Ten ERP selection platforms were examined using:

ten realistic company scenarios
standardized evaluation forms
statistical analysis of the results
comparison of filtering functionalities

Key Findings

The analysis showed:

significant differences in quality between the platforms
“Content” as the most heavily weighted, yet often weakest, criterion among many providers
in some cases, insufficient transparency regarding ranking mechanisms
inconsistent filtering functionalities
platforms that failed to provide any results despite users entering relevant data

Some providers stood out due to:

comparison options between ERP systems
budget and platform filters
clear structures and good usability

Target Concept & Results

The result of the project is a structured ranking of the platforms examined.

In addition:

the strengths and weaknesses of individual providers were identified
practical recommendations for companies were developed
implications for operators of ERP selection platforms were derived

The analysis shows that selection platforms can generally provide valuable support, but only when their transparency and filtering mechanisms are critically assessed.

Added Value & Knowledge Transfer

The project demonstrates the application of business informatics methods to a practically relevant digitalization challenge.

It combines:

web usability analysis
development of an evaluation framework
scenario-based analysis
statistical evaluation
practice-oriented recommendations