The little ERP that could

We’re going a bit out on a limb to claim that you should be thinking about Open mSupply more like an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system than just a LMIS (Logistics Management System).


Firstly, we can argue all day about definitions, and if you say Open mSupply isn’t an ERP by your definition, we’re OK that. What we’re trying to say is that if an ERP “is the integrated management of main business processes, often in real time and mediated by software and technology,”1 then that’s what Open mSupply is for a typical health supply chain system.

What’s missing?

We self-consciously don’t do the following:
  • Payroll or HR (apart from recording the contact details for both internal users and the people associated with each supplier or customer.
  • Full double-entry accounting. We do provide invoices and accounting standard payments and receipts modules that work on an open-item basis.

For many facilities these functions are handled centrally, so even if Open mSupply supported them, it wouldn’t be helpful. For facilities that do need accounting (such as a Central Medical Store), we provide integration with SAGE and any other accounting system that has an open API.

For Payroll, each country’s rules are so specific, it would be very hard to build a system that is usable in every country.

h3 What makes Open mSupply more than just a LMIS?

Open mSupply has a range of functionality that fills out the business processes of a typical medical store or health facility that you won’t get in an typical ERP system, such as:
  • Dispensing prescriptions to patients.
  • Specialist treatment modules for immunisation, family planning, HIV and more.
  • Cold chain management, supporting a range of WHO PQS qualified sensors
  • Interoperability with DHIS2
  • Cold chain equipment management. This is similar to an asset management module, but with a lot of functionality that
  • Demand planning tailored to the requirements of immunisation planning, such as taking into account population coverage rates and population growth

These are all things that aren’t essential in a “LMIS”, but are often “main business processes” for a health facility, hence our claim for the “ERP” moniker.

1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enterprise_resource_planning