The software product that I very frequently use is Adobe Reader (of course in addition to Microsoft Products). I am most comfortable in using explorer based menus for going through the contents of the PDF.

But how do we implement this explore based menu feature in an ERP system? How do we load applications on the fly based on the menu item chosen by the end user? How do we not compromise on the performance of the system?

For designing the explorer based menu, do a detailed analysis of the menu options with the details of functionality that needs to be executed when an option is selected into a table.  This will provide the end user, access to the entire menu system without choosing any application menu’s option. This will enable the user to add customized menu options in the tree view. Painting the tree will be a resource intensive process affecting the performance of the ERP system. So care needs to be taken to ensure that there is minimum re-painting of the tree.

While it is easier said than done, this post would have at least given you an idea of where to start.

Happy Product Development!!!