The Best ERP Books Your Company Should be Reading

The editors at Solutions Review have compiled the best ERP books worth reading based on relevance, ratings, publish date, and ability to add value to a business. Solutions Review participates in affiliate programs. We may make a small commission from products purchased through this resource.

There is no shortage of ERP resources and learning tools available online (including the buyer’s guides and best practice articles here on Solutions Review). But if your team is looking for something more substantial, a good, old-fashioned book might be one of the best options available to you. To help you find the right one for your needs, our editors have identified some of the best ERP books you and your team can read together.

Each of the ERP books listed below has at least three or more stars on Amazon and is written by various leaders, educators, and professionals in the ERP and manufacturing resource planning fields. These books cover everything from the basics of ERP to higher-level methodologies. This list is organized alphabetically by title.

The Best ERP Books You Should Be Reading

Concepts in Enterprise Resource Planning

OUR TAKE: Ellen Monk, an Assistant Professor of Management Information Systems, and Bret Wagner, who has been integrating ERP software into curriculum for over 20 years, have written a book for anyone looking to maximize their ERP expertise.

Description: Concepts in Enterprise Resource Planning will help new and professional users learn how to master and maximize their enterprise resource planning software effectiveness. The book teaches its readers how integrated information systems can help organizations improve their business processes, provide managers with accurate data, and empower them to make the most informed strategic decisions for their company. This 4th edition updates the material to cover relevant trends and the latest updates in the ERP market.

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Control Your ERP Destiny: Reduce Project Costs, Mitigate Risks, and Design Better Business Solutions

OUR TAKE: In this book, Steven Scott Phillips presents readers with comprehensive strategies and techniques to help organizations take charge of their ERP projects.

Description: Writer Steven Scott Phillips is an ERP professional with 30+ years of experience as a consultant and practitioner. Readers of his book can expect to learn what it means to become less dependent on outside consultants, reduce the costs associated with ERP implementation and support, mitigate project risks, and ultimately design solutions to meet your company’s needs. The book also includes hundreds of ERP tips on internal project ownership, software selection, managing service providers, developing implementation strategies, establishing realistic budgets, streamlining internal processes, and much more.

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Critical Success Factors in Enterprise Resource Planning Implementation in U.S. Manufacturing

OUR TAKE: Manufacturing companies looking to improve their ERP implementation will benefit from the insights and best practices Dr. Justin Lee Goldston outlines in his book.

Description: In this book, Dr. Justin Lee Goldston outlines critical success factors, and best practices that can help small-to-mid-size manufacturing organizations increase their success before, during, and after implementing an ERP system into their company processes. This book is geared toward organizations and ERP consultants in the manufacturing industry who are curious about the ERP implementation process or want to expand their industry intelligence with insights from an industry professional. It also contains relevant insights and tips for companies outside the manufacturing markets.

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Directing the ERP Implementation: A Best Practice Guide to Avoiding Program Failure Traps While Tuning System Performance

OUR TAKE: Michael W. Pelphrey has over 30 years of experience in the ERP marketplace. In this book, he applies everything he’s learned to help leaders select and integrate the right ERP system into their company’s processes.

Description: Combining best practices with a proven roadmap for ERP implementations, writer Michael W. Pelphrey’s book provides readers with the framework, methods, and principles they need to ensure they get the highest ROI from their ERP system. The book also covers essential topics like information quality standards, conference room piloting, project monitoring, software deployment, employee education, risk management tips, proven methods for ensuring product quality, positive ROI, and more.

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Enterprise Resource Planning: A Complete Guide

OUR TAKE: Readers of Gerard Blokdyk’s book can expect to learn many of the ERP-centric fundamentals required to prepare their enterprises for whatever challenges the future may hold.

Description: With this textbook, best-selling author Gerard Blokdyk thoroughly covers ERP essentials and practices to ensure his readers can achieve their goals. The book contains information and criteria grounded in the experiences of old and new ERP practitioners. Purchasing the book means receiving access and details to a downloadable enterprise resource planning dashboard with a project-ready tool alongside in-depth checklists, project management templates, and tools to help streamline the overall ERP implementation process.

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Enterprise Resource Planning Systems: 12 Frequently Asked Questions About Enterprise Resource Planning Systems

OUR TAKE: With 50+ years of experience between them, Brian Iinuma and Eric Klauss have written a book for business leaders who want to become comfortable with enterprise resource planning software.

Description: The book is geared toward business owners, CEOs, CFOs, IT executives, and anyone in sales, operations, or finance who wants to learn about software selection and planning, the ERP implementation process, possible post-implementation issues, manufacturing applications for IoT and AI, and more. It might be several years old, but the examples and insights from Brian Iinuma and Eric Klauss’ years of experience in ERP, CRM, sales, marketing consulting, and other markets are as close to timeless as they come. Pick up this title if you need tips for ensuring a successful implementation that helps your organization run smoothly, profitably, and reliably.

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ERP Systems for Manufacturing Supply Chains: Applications, Configuration, and Performance

OUR TAKE: Sagegg and Alfnes’ book is filled with insights into an ERP system’s core models and functions and will show readers how to use ERP to support a supply chain in small and large manufacturing organizations.

Description: The book covers ERP system setup types, types of data found in different ERP software models, how companies can use ERP technologies in a manufacturing environment, and the strategies you can use to support a supply chain across facilities and companies. Odd Jøran Sagegg and Erlend Alfnes have decades of experience with ERP implementation, consultation, education, and research projects. Their book is primarily written for anyone looking to improve their familiarity with ERP software and how it integrates with their manufacturing company’s internal processes and systems.

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Lean MRP: Establishing a Manufacturing Pull System for Shop Floor Execution Using ERP or APS

OUR TAKE: David Altemir’s book is designed to teach manufacturing managers to establish stable, effective ERP production schedules.

Description: In Lean MRP, David Altemir examines the production schedules in shop floor work, manufacturing completion predictions, and factory capacity examinations. The book targets business leaders and managers in high-mix manufacturing industries like contract manufacturing, aerospace, and industrial equipment. Altemir has developed his book to assist readers in transforming their operations and better managing scheduling, performance, inventory, lead time, and other common challenges.

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Modern ERP: Select, Implement, and Use Today’s Advanced Business Systems

OUR TAKE: Dr. Marianne Bradford’s book is written to be vendor-agnostic and help students and professionals learn the basics of enterprise resource planning software.

Description: This book overviews ERP systems, best practices, and related technologies relevant to readers interested in enterprise resource planning fundamentals. Topics covered include ERP planning, implementation, security, analytics, and more. Dr. Marianne Bradford’s writing is vendor-agnostic and has been updated in this edition to reflect new advances in the ERP market. It also comes with high-quality graphics and screenshots from ERP, CRM, and business analytics software tools and platforms.

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The 14 Deadly Sins of ERP Implementation

OUR TAKE: This compact handbook is specifically written to help CEOs and decision-makers ensure their ERP implementation goes as smoothly as possible.

Description: In most cases, the secret to ERP success is not tied to the technology but rather the processes involved in its implementation and operation. At a compact seventy-two pages, this handbook is designed to help busy CEOs ensure their ERP implementation doesn’t fall into the traps and roadblocks of countless companies across industries. The book comes from David Ogilvie, who has years of experience as an ERP and business consultant specializing in the manufacturing, distribution, and warehousing markets in New Zealand, Australia, and the United States.

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Now Read: The Best SAP ERP Training and Online Courses to Consider or The Top Enterprise Resource Planning Courses You Need to Take