Abendroth, Adrian

Operationalizing the Missing Link: A Methodology for Integrating Low-Code Process Libraries into ERP Ecosystem

Abstract

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems are the backbone of digital organizations, yet their inherent rigidity remains a significant barrier for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) that require rapid process adaptation to remain competitive (Gronau, 2026).While the democratization of software development through Low-Code Platforms (LCP) promises to empower Citizen Developers (CDs), the transition from visual modeling to executable ERP logic remains a black box (Abendroth & Bender, 2025). Current highend solutions like SAP Signavio or ARIS are often financially and technically out of reach for SMEs, leaving a critical gap in the market for accessible, model-driven customization. Furthermore, the synchronization between evolving process models and their technical adaptation within the ERP remains a labor-intensive, manual endeavor. SMEs therefore lack a structured implementation methodology for managing Business Process Libraries (BPL) and enabling their automatic integration into ERP systems for CD. As a result, development remains decentralized, often lacking architectural alignment and failing to demonstrate a clear return on investment (ROI). This talk addresses these barriers by proposing a methodology for implementing BPLs LCPs, transforming them from static documentation into executable processes within ERP systems, tailored to the resource constraints of SMEs. To bridge the gap between theoretical modeling and practical execution, a prototype is presented that demonstrates how BPLs can be integrated with ERP logic through an LCPbased integration architecture. Beyond technical feasibility, the session also introduces a framework for assessing the economic value of this approach, including metrics to justify low-code investments through ROI analysis. References Abendroth, A., & Bender, B. (2025). Bridging the Gap: Low-Code Platforms and the Future of ERP Customization. AMCIS 2025 Proceedings, 28. https://aisel.aisnet.org/amcis2025/intelfuture/intelfuture/28/ Gronau, N. (2026). ERP-Systeme: Architektur, Management und Funktionen des Enterprise Resource Planning: 5.th edition. De Gruyter Oldenbourg.