I just want to point to Ross’ response to my last post and Adam’s: Asking the right questions.

My nomination for the right questions (or some of them):
“What kind of ERP would help us make the right decisions?” (this does not only include Business Intelligence tools, but also almost everything that an ERP does)
…my answer to that, if you believe it, leads to…
“What kind of IT structure (people and equipment and software) would allow those collecting (or making) data and those making decisions to have a shorter chain (of people and processes) between them?”
“What kind of IT structure would enable for easier/more rapid modification to accommodate more rapid changes in the objectives of decision makers (e.g. switch from other objectives to budget cuts)?”

All good questions, although I’ll add that from the perspective of his job Ross focuses more on decision making than I would. Beyond decision making, our ERP needs to make sure certain things (like payroll) get done correctly and on time.