Definition of Business Process Business Process is defined a collection of interrelated work tasks, initiated in response to an event that achieves a specific result for the customer of the process. A business process often spans departments – it could start with an event that occurs in sales and ends with shipment of goods. The customer may be an internal person. For example, when an employee requests supplies, the employee will be the customer. Objective The objective of the BPR will dictate the level of detail and information collected. For the purposes of this article, we have assumed that business […]
Top 10 System Implementation Mistakes
Top 10 implementation mistakes The software purchase process is riddled with pitfalls. But don’t expect implementation to be any easier. Here are the 10 top slip ups you can make. This article was published in the CAmagazine in February 2008. 1. Poor job in system selection process Companies that do a poor job at the selection stage whether in defining their scope, choosing the right product or gaining buy-in will find their mistakes come back to haunt them. 2. Lack of testing If you haven’t properly tested the system, the go-live process could turn into go-nowhere. A representative set of […]
Top 10 System Selection Mistakes
Top 10 Software Selection Mistakes For many companies, replacing a system is like going to the dentist: necessary, but potentially painful. Although published in 2007, this CAmagazine article highlights selection pitfalls that are timeless. 1. Requirements not defined properly You will run into nasty surprises if your requirements are not defined clearly. Prioritizing is key; otherwise, you could end up with more than you bargained for in terms of cost and complexity. You should ask vendors to tell you how well their system meets each requirement. Vendors will not usually mislead you if your requirements have been defined without ambiguity. […]
ERP Software Selection Methodology
This is a process that you are probably dreading partly because of the time it takes and partly because of the risks to your career. But it’s also an opportunity to learn new tricks and find ways to improve business process. The following is a brief description of our methodology for software selection. Requirements Analysis Start with an understanding of Critical Success Factors (CSFs) CSFs are defined as those things that you must do well in order to be successful. You can use CSFs as a way to determine whether a requirement is really critical. If a requirement can’t be […]
What is Best Practice?
This article was published in the CAmagazine in April 2009. Hype You will often hear business consultants claiming that they offer “best practices” — that they teach their clients the most efficient and effective way of accomplishing certain tasks based on proven, repeatable procedures. Sounds great but be careful. The so-called best practice may be good for one organization but a disaster for another. It’s not best practice if the costs outweigh the benefits. Reality Organizations often set up operational processes that differentiate them from the competition. If those processes help them achieve their critical success factors (i.e., what they […]
BI/CPM Comparison
A lot has changed since we last published the BI, CPM, and budgeting survey in 2015 now shortened to BI/CPM as CPM includes budgeting. Then the big trends were big data, mobility, cloud computing and in-memory processing. Although those technologies are still very much with us, the biggest trends today are AI (Artificial Intelligence) / Machine Learning, self-service and visualization. Just another reminder about what is meant by BI and CPM: Business intelligence (BI) is defined as transforming data into information to make decisions. It might include online analytical processing (OLAP), dashboards, scorecards, visualization (graphical representation), ad hoc query, a […]
CPM Whitepaper
Corporate Performance Management – It’s ready – Are You? Imagine driving a car without an instrument panel? Or the speedometer shows your speed from 5 minutes ago. You run the risk of getting a ticket, or much worse getting into an accident. Or maybe you will be late because you’re being overly cautious. Introduction Now imagine you’re the CEO of a company without an instrument panel – that’s one of the reasons for CPM. But you need more than an instrument panel; you also need a map especially if you’re trying to get somewhere you have not been before. To […]