CIS3009 Enterprise Systems in Practice Assignment 3 – SAP ERP Case Study Analysis and Reflective Essay (2026) Unit details Course code / title: CIS3009 Enterprise Systems in Practice Study period: Semester 2, 2026 Assignment number: Assignment 3 Weighting: 25% of final grade Due date: 20 October 2026, 11:55 pm (AEST) Submission mode: Online via StudyDesk (Turnitin + EASE) Assessment overview Assignment 3 consolidates your learning about enterprise systems by asking you to evaluate a well-known SAP ERP implementation case and to reflect critically on your own SAP end-user experience. You will apply concepts from the prescribed text and current research to analyse the NIBCO SAP “big bang” implementation, then connect theory to practice through a reflective essay informed by your SAP GBI tutorials and personal learning journal. Together, Section A and Section B assess your ability to reason about ERP strategy, implementation and user experience in a way that is relevant to both management and practice.
Assessment structure Total marks: 50 Section A – Case Study Report: 35 marks Section B – SAP Practical Exercise, Journal & Reflective Essay: 15 marks Indicative workload: Approximately 25–30 hours across the semester Submission requirements File 1 – Case Study Report + Reflective Essay & Journal One integrated document containing: Section A: Case Study Evaluation Report Section B: SAP Reflective Essay Appendix: SAP Learning Journal File type: .doc, .docx, or .rtf (PDF accepted only if formatting is preserved). Length: Section A: 2,500–3,000 words (excluding reference list) Section B: 800–1,200 words (excluding references and appendix) File 2 – SAP Practical Exercise Outputs Collate all outputs from SAP Practical Exercise 2 (tutorials 7–9) into a single file. Include key screenshots or exported reports that clearly show your SAP User ID and transaction activity. File type: .doc, .docx, .rtf, or .pdf. Turnitin requirement Submit File 1 to Turnitin via StudyDesk before final submission. Revise if the similarity score is above 10% or if there are significant matches with another student or source. Do not upload the Turnitin report itself; staff will access it directly. Technical constraints Each file must be < 5MB. Retain a personal backup of all submitted work. Academic integrity You must adhere to the University’s Academic Integrity Policy. Any use of generative AI tools must be disclosed as per current university guidelines and cannot replace your own critical analysis or reflection. Failure to acknowledge sources, including AI-generated text, may result in academic misconduct processes. Paraphrasing must be genuine and supported by proper citation in Harvard or APA style, according to the School convention.
Section A – Case Study Evaluation Report (35 marks) Case study Brown, V & Vessey, I 2001, ‘NIBCO’s “Big Bang”: An SAP Implementation’, Communications of the Association for Information Systems, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 1–42. The NIBCO case describes a medium-sized US manufacturer’s decision to implement SAP R/3 using a “big bang” strategy across multiple plants and distribution centres, with significant commitment from the executive team and internal managers. You will use this case to identify lessons for a competing firm, OCBIN, that is planning its own SAP ERP implementation.
Scenario You are an external consultant engaged by OCBIN, a competitor to NIBCO in the industrial manufacturing sector. The CEO, Mr F. Brown, has asked you to evaluate NIBCO’s SAP implementation and to advise on how OCBIN can achieve a better outcome. Your report must be written in a professional consulting style addressed to the CEO and senior leadership team.
Task Drawing on the NIBCO case, the Motiwalla & Thompson textbook (chapters 5–9 or equivalent content on ERP life cycle, implementation and change management), and at least four recent peer-reviewed sources, you must critically analyse how NIBCO structured and executed its SAP implementation and propose well-justified alternatives for OCBIN.
Focus topics You must restrict your analysis to the following six topics, each clearly signposted with subheadings in your report: