ERP Domain Knowledge Skill

Purpose

Provide comprehensive ERP domain knowledge for analyzing requirements in enterprise resource planning systems across core business functions.

ERP Core Modules

1. Finance & Accounting

General Ledger (GL):

• Chart of Accounts (COA) structure

• Journal entries and posting

• Period close and year-end close

• Financial reporting (P&L, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow)

• Multi-company and consolidation

• Inter-company transactions

Accounts Payable (AP):

• Vendor master data

• Invoice processing

• 3-way matching (PO, Receipt, Invoice)

• Payment processing (check, EFT, wire)

• Vendor aging reports

• 1099 reporting (US)

Accounts Receivable (AR):

• Customer master data

• Invoice generation

• Credit management

• Payment application

• Collections management

• Customer aging reports

Fixed Assets:

• Asset acquisition and capitalization

• Depreciation calculation (straight-line, declining balance)

• Asset transfers and disposals

• Asset reporting

Key Metrics: Days Payable Outstanding (DPO), Days Sales Outstanding (DSO), Cash Conversion Cycle

2. Human Resources (HR)

Core HR:

• Employee master data

• Organizational structure

• Position management

• Employee lifecycle (hire, transfer, terminate)

• Compliance and reporting

Payroll:

• Pay calculation

• Tax withholding

• Deductions (benefits, garnishments)

• Paycheck/direct deposit

• Tax reporting (W-2, 1099)

Time & Attendance:

• Time entry and tracking

• Overtime calculation

• Leave management (PTO, sick, FMLA)

• Shift scheduling

Benefits Administration:

• Benefit plans and enrollment

• Open enrollment

• Life events processing

• COBRA administration

Recruitment:

• Job requisitions

• Applicant tracking

• Interview scheduling

• Offer management

• Onboarding

Key Metrics: Turnover rate, Time-to-hire, Cost-per-hire, Absence rate

3. Supply Chain Management (SCM)

Procurement:

• Purchase requisitions

• Request for Quote (RFQ)

• Purchase orders

• Vendor selection and management

• Contract management

• Procurement analytics

Inventory Management:

• Inventory tracking (lot, serial, location)

• Stock counts and adjustments

• Inventory valuation (FIFO, LIFO, weighted average)

• Min/max and reorder points

• ABC analysis

• Multi-warehouse management

Warehouse Management:

• Receiving and put-away

• Picking and packing

• Shipping and delivery

• Bin/location management

• Wave planning

Order Management:

• Sales order entry

• Order promising (ATP)

• Order fulfillment

• Backorder management

• Returns and credits

Key Metrics: Inventory turnover, Order fill rate, Perfect order rate, Supplier lead time

4. Manufacturing

Bill of Materials (BOM):

• Product structure

• Component quantities

• Phantom assemblies

• Engineering change management

Work Orders:

• Production scheduling

• Work order creation

• Shop floor control

• Material consumption

• Labor tracking

• Work order completion

Routing:

• Operations sequence

• Work centers

• Standard times

• Setup and run times

Production Planning:

• Master Production Schedule (MPS)

• Material Requirements Planning (MRP)

• Capacity planning

• Demand forecasting

Quality Management:

• Inspection plans

• Quality checks

• Non-conformance reporting

• Corrective actions

Key Metrics: OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness), Cycle time, Yield rate, Scrap rate

5. Project Management

Project Accounting:

• Project setup and budgeting

• Time and expense tracking

• Revenue recognition

• Project billing

• Work breakdown structure (WBS)

Resource Management:

• Resource allocation

• Utilization tracking

• Skill matching

Key Metrics: Project profitability, Utilization rate, Budget variance

ERP Integration Points

Common Integrations

• Banking: Payment files, bank reconciliation

• E-commerce: Orders, inventory sync

• CRM: Customer data, quotes, orders

• EDI: Trading partner transactions

• Tax software: Tax calculation, filing

• BI/Analytics: Reporting, dashboards

• Payroll services: ADP, Paychex

Integration Patterns

• Real-time API: Order entry, inventory checks

• Batch files: Daily/weekly data sync

• EDI/XML: Standard formats (EDIFACT, X12)

• iPaaS: Integration platforms (MuleSoft, Boomi)

ERP Business Processes

Procure-to-Pay (P2P)

Requisition → Approval → PO → Receipt → Invoice → 3-Way Match → Payment

Order-to-Cash (O2C)

Sales Order → Credit Check → Fulfillment → Shipping → Invoice → Collection

Record-to-Report (R2R)

Transactions → Journal Entries → Period Close → Reconciliation → Reporting

Hire-to-Retire (H2R)

Requisition → Recruitment → Hire → Onboard → Develop → Retire/Term

Plan-to-Produce

Forecast → MRP → Production Schedule → Work Order → Production → Completion

Multi-Company Considerations

• Separate legal entities

• Inter-company transactions

• Transfer pricing

• Consolidation reporting

• Chart of accounts mapping

• Multi-currency handling

Compliance & Security

Financial Compliance

• SOX (Sarbanes-Oxley) - US public companies

• GAAP/IFRS accounting standards

• Audit trails and documentation

• Segregation of duties

Data Security

• Role-based access control

• Field-level security

• Data encryption

• Audit logging

Industry Compliance

• HIPAA (healthcare)

• FDA (pharma, food)

• SOC 2 (service organizations)

• GDPR (data privacy)

Questions for Stakeholders

Scope

• Which modules are in scope?

• Multi-company requirements?

• Multi-currency requirements?

• Integration points?

Processes

• What are current pain points?

• What processes need redesign?

• What approvals are required?

• What reports are critical?

Data

• Data migration scope?

• Data quality issues?

• Historical data requirements?

Compliance

• Regulatory requirements?

• Audit requirements?

• Security requirements?

Popular ERP Systems

• SAP S/4HANA: Large enterprise, comprehensive

• Oracle Cloud ERP: Cloud-native, global

• Microsoft Dynamics 365: Mid-market, Microsoft ecosystem

• NetSuite: Cloud SMB/mid-market

• Odoo: Open-source, modular

• Infor: Industry-specific solutions

References

• ERP Implementation Best Practices

• APICS/ASCM Body of Knowledge

• Industry-specific ERP guides