Difference between configuration/design and development

Ashika

Hi Can anyone tell me...
What is the difference between configuration/design and development and customization.
How are they different?
If they are all same then why use different terminologies?
Thanks,
Ashly

mohana_cse06

Configuration

Configuring an ERP system is largely a matter of balancing the way the customer wants the system to work with the way it was designed to work. ERP systems typically build many changeable parameters that modify system operation. For example, an organization can select the type of inventory accounting—FIFO or LIFO—to employ, whether to recognize revenue by geographical unit, product line, or distribution channel and whether to pay for shipping costs when a customer returns a purchase



Customization

ERP vendors do offer customers configuration options that allow organizations to incorporate their own business rules but there are often functionality gaps remaining even after the configuration is complete. ERP customers have several options to reconcile functionality gaps, each with their own pros/cons. Technical solutions include rewriting part of the delivered functionality, writing a homegrown bolt-on/add-on module within the ERP system, or interfacing to an external system. All three of these options are varying degrees of system customization, with the first being the most invasive and costly to maintain



Key differences between customization and configuration include:

Customization is always optional, whereas the software must always be configured before use (e.g., setting up cost/profit center structures, organisational trees, purchase approval rules, etc.)

kine

There is my view:

design/development - done by designer/developer (code changes, page changes....)
customization - a) additional changes for specific customer (e.g. configuring actions and fields on page for specific role, without using the development tool, just by "customizing" the view)
b) development done for specific customer (but I preffer a)
setup/configuration - done by end-user (could be together with consultant) - setting the app to work as needed - no code changes, no "customizations". Just set the data inside system...