Rating: 
Summary: Good only for the uninitiated
Review: CAUTION: This book (actually a novel) is good only for those who do not know anything about ERP. Finish this quickly and move on to more detailed stuff like MISSION CRITICAL by Thomas Davenport.
Rating: 
Summary: Why ask why?
Review: I picked up this little jewel hoping to learn something about SAP's R/3 product and believe me, it took some serious effort to plow my way through this loathsome tale. The Goal has been done to death by everyone, including Goldratt, and this book is a pale imitation of that classic novel. If you know absolutely nothing about MRP or ERP, then this book might be helpful. It does motivate the need for such systems and production controls in general. The book also has some screen shots of SAP's product, so at least you'll have some basic familiarity with that system before you see it on a workstation. I think I'd rather read the User's Guide to R/3 (or to my VCR) than read this book.
Rating:
Summary: Very disappointed!
Review: I should believe other readers on this book. However, I bought this book because it's a required book for my class. Otherwise, I wouldn't spend time to read it after the 1st chapter. This book is a replication of "The Goal" -but uncomparable. "The Goal" is now the major reference -but not for relicated. I think the authors could do better than they did on this book; just only they don't think too much about "The Goal" and tried to do original work.
Rating:
Summary: Very disappointed!
Review: I should believe other readers on this book. However, I bought this book because it's a required book for my class. Otherwise, I wouldn't spend time to read it after the 1st chapter. This book is a replication of "The Goal" -but uncomparable. "The Goal" is now the major reference -but not for relicated. I think the authors could do better than they did on this book; just only they don't think too much about "The Goal" and tried to do original work.
Rating:
Summary: Poorly written, poorly edited, very light on content
Review: I was excited to find this book, an introduction to ERP in one slim volume.Unfortunately, the authors do not use their pages well. The book meanders (even more than one might expect from a "novel"), the writing includes a definite Southeastern U.S. regional tone, and the editing is very poor (I spotted a number of grammatical errors and several instances where a sentence had been cut in editing and not repaired). Overall, this is a sloppy piece of work. One might expect better from a major publisher, but... I cannot recommend this book to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: Why ERP? No, really, why ERP?
Review: I wouldn't even make paper airplanes with this book - because they would suck too. When millions of books were burned in WWII, why did they miss this one? Not a good read, pick up The Goal or Better Together instead.
Rating: 
Summary: Why ERP? well written....but boring!
Review: Overall, the book Why Erp? gave a good description on implementing SAP R/3 in a complicated manufacturing business. It provided a solid and concise understanding of the process of installing a SAP system to the average novice reader. This book emphasizes that it's not that simple to implement and integrate resources of an entire manufacturing process into one system. It involves lots of planning, patience, and asking the right questions on whether if SAP is right for your firm. Although I think this book was detailed enough to understand the outlying mechanics of ERP, I think that my ability to comprehend was delayed due to some of the technical jargon. This book would be helpful for experienced information systems administrators, but not for the average everyday Joe. It's like reading Japanese backwards!!! I would suggest to the authors of this book for it to be simplified even further to explain the details of ERP in way for the average reader to understand and absorb the basics of the system. In conclusion, if you're a manufacturing/operations geek...you will love this book!!!! =)
Rating:
Summary: A poor copy
Review: Shame on you all for writing and publishing this book. Why can't you come up with an original idea instead of trying to copy Goldratt's THE GOAL? Mr. Jacobs your no Eli Goldratt. And as for McGraw-Hill-What kind of bottom feeding is this for a company of your stature. The reason THE GOAL works is that it presents new ideas. It's the content stupid!
Rating:
Summary: A good objective case study
Review: This actually is a good read. It kept my interest for a full 2 hours, which is what is took to read it. The case study is real and on the mark. It illustrates that even if SAP is being widely adopted in your industry (in this case furniture), it may not be the right solution for you. In this instance, SAP (or the SAP implementation approach) was wrong because the company, whose business model was "make to order", tried to cut time and costs by directly implementing a configuration which worked well for a company that has a very limited (few part numbers with minimal change) product line. The author also did a realistic job in presenting the politics of the situation. The company president wanted an easy integration under a tight deadline. The IT geek wasn't interested in the business model and wanted a showcase quick installation. The marketing guy wasn't interested in the details and wanted to showcase the installation. The book's hero is a healthy skeptic, who is trying to understand ERP, its benefits, and how it fit his company's business. Based the book's title, I thought I was picking up another SAP marketing book. But it is not that at all. It's objective and deals with business issues. No ABAP, idocs, and organization elements here.
Rating:
Summary: Useful introductory tutorial disguised as a novel
Review: This book is presented as the ERP version of "The Goal", and it is true that it takes the form of a novel. However, it is not clear that the weakly developed fictional elements add or detract from the message. The case study, however, is useful, and overall this is a palatable way to get an introduction to the implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning. Like most writing on ERP, it focuses on one software product, in this case, SAP R/3. However, it is not a disguised advertisement and should be useful for managers contemplating adopting any such system in their companies.
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