Practical course: ERP systems in Public Administration

During March 19-22, 2018, the Academy of Public Administration (AAP) in Chisinau hosted an applied professional development course on Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systems in public administration. The course aimed to bring the European experience of using ERP systems to potential beneficiaries in Moldova and demonstrate the many advantages of these systems. The lectures were delivered by dr. Igor Cojocaru, director of the Information Society Development Institute and prof. Alexander Prosser, from the University of Business and Economics in Vienna, Austria.

The training is part of the project "ERP4PA: Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) for Public Administration". ERP systems are integrated information systems that encompass most business activities, linking external and internal information across the business from Finance, Manufacturing, Sales, Distribution, Project Management, Human Resources and Customer Relationships. These facilitate the flow of information between the various business functions, utilising a common database with modern technology that gives the end user not only a consistent interface, but automates processes in real time.

Among the course participants were civil servants, AAP master students, mayors of localities. The course had a strong applied character, as the participants modeled and implemented in the ERP system a service provided by the public administration, acquiring not only theoretical knowledge, but also important practical skills. Students who have completed the course and implemented the case study will receive SAP certificates.

Public sector organisations have a unique culture and they are encountering multiple challenges due to their social responsibilities, complex legislative and higher public expectations. ERP has been increasingly used by the government globally due to the efforts to use ICT to enhance the services to citizens, to have a smoother workflow and to provide a better governance and transparency.

The ERP system used in the course was SAP, one of the world leaders in enterprise resource planning systems. SAP is used by more than 1,500 companies worldwide such as HP, Airbus, Lufthansa, Bosch, Siemens, Audi, BMW, Deutsche Bank, Sony, KPMG, etc.