Material requirements planning (MRP) is a tool designed to help in the planning and coordination of manufacturing activities, delivery schedules and purchasing activities. It is used to accurately calculate which materials are needed, in what quantity and when.

Manufacturing resource planning (MRP II) is an extension of material requirements planning. It is a comprehensive tool for the management of all resources – people, materials, machines and financials – needed to produce a product.

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software manages a manufacturer's core processes and systems from a single, integrated solution. It supports the company’s MRP and related software systems. Together, MRP and ERP software helps track supply chain operations and link that data into a central platform to produce financial data about the processes.