small and medium enterprises (SME)

The increasing digitalization of the working environment has significantly influenced the dynamics of almost all sectors. It is responsible for fundamental changes of surrounding conditions and poses new challenges to organizations. New knowledge and new competencies have to be accumulated in ever shorter intervals. The directed selection, utilization and development of relevant knowledge and required competencies have to be planned and realized systematically. Within a research project, funded by the Federal Ministry for Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS), a self-assessment tool has been developed that is meant to support organizations in dealing with the critical success factors knowledge and competencies. The presentation of this tool is objective of the article at hand.

In building their IT environment, manufacturing companies usually confine themselves to the selection of isolated systems, for example an ERP system, neglecting the fact that the interaction of multiple IT systems is required to achieve an optimal IT organization. Especially small- and medium-sized enterprises (SME) often lack up-to-date knowledge in designing an IT environment aligned with the needs of the order fulfillment process. The European research project „SIMCET-TailorICT“, managed by the Fraunhofer IPA, has developed a reference model aimed at supporting SMEs in the design of a tailored system landscape in a systematic and standardized way. The objective is to strengthen the SMEs’ competitiveness.