The acronym ERP stands for enterprise resource planning which, in short, is the process of integrated management across a business’ primary processes. It is often achieved through software systems and as such the acronym usually refers to the technologies that facilitate it. ERP software, which usually consists of several integrated systems, does the task of collecting and interpreting data from throughout a company’s departments in order to provide an accurate view of core processes and ensure the whole operation is running smoothly. In essence, ERP is a means by which different departments communicate with each other in order to monitor and conduct business.