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Sometimes We Bring Home Chickens
My eight-year-old son found a chicken outside and brought her home. Not from a farm, not from a neighbour we knew, not from any situation where a chicken should reasonably be collected and relocated by a child. She was just outside, wandering with confidence, and apparently that was enough to begin the acquisition process. By the time I understood what was happening, the chicken had a name. Ginger. Water had been offered. Food was being discussed. My son had already moved from discovery to emotional ownership in about seven minutes, which, frankly, is faster than most deal teams move from […]
Do Things Right vs. Do the Right Things
Project success is still largely defined by delivery – on time, on budget, and in scope. That standard hasn’t changed, but it is no longer enough on its own. Organizations expect projects to produce measurable outcomes, not just completed work. This is where business acumen matters. It’s the ability to understand how a project connects to the broader business – financial impact, operational improvements, and strategic priorities then make decisions with that context in mind. Most project managers operate somewhere in the middle. Data shows that many have moderate business acumen, with fewer demonstrating strong capability. The difference is visible […]
Selecting the Right ERP Implementer
This is a critical step in the selection process. A successful implementation depends equally on the ERP system and the implementer of that system. In some cases, you have no choice as the developer of the system also does the implementation. But for many systems, there are lots of implementers and it’s not easy to pick the right one. This applies to companies doing their own selection work, but also to consultants like 180 Systems. Some of the vendors have resources to help in finding the right implementer. Although we have lots of experience with many of the implementers, we […]
Integration Debt Doesn’t Show Up in the Model
Everyone talks about technical debt, but almost no one talks about integration debt. Which is interesting, because if you have been through a few deals, you have definitely paid for it. Just not when you expected to. Integration debt is what you carry into Day 1 because you did not resolve it before close. It shows up as unvalidated assumptions, dependencies that were “understood” but never fully mapped, technology decisions that got pushed, and people risks that felt just uncomfortable enough to avoid. None of it feels critical in the moment. The deal is moving, the model holds, and nobody […]
We Know How to Integrate Companies. So Why Are We Still So Bad at It?
I’ve been living in two worlds lately. The first is research. Clean, structured, logical. It tells me exactly what organizations should be doing in integration. The second is operators. People who’ve done 30, 50, 150+ deals. Here’s the interesting part: They agree. Start integration early they say, align leadership, build the playbooks and don’t forget to capture lessons learned. Make sure to treat integration like a capability. So naturally, you’d expect consistent success, but no. Most integrations still underdeliver. Not dramatically, just quietly. Missed synergies, slow execution, talent walking out the door. So, what’s going on? We start too late… […]
Spring Cleaning Your ERP/CRM Implementation: Declutter, Optimize, Thrive
Spring is in the air. Windows open, playlists on, and suddenly you’re questioning why you own three versions of the same thing. It’s the season of fresh starts, and oddly enough, your ERP/CRM implementation could use one too. If you’ve ever managed a system rollout, you know this truth: over time, even the best-planned implementations collect “stuff.” Extra fields. Duplicate workflows. Reports no one opens but everyone is afraid to delete. Before long, your shiny system starts feeling like that mysterious junk drawer in the kitchen. So, let’s grab our metaphorical rubber gloves and do some spring cleaning, project manager […]
Does Automation Lead to Job Layoffs?
Andrew Coyne wrote an article in the Globe & Mail on February 12 entitled “The AI job apocalypse is coming. Or is it?” He acknowledges there will be layoffs but there will also be productivity gains, which has historically been a driving force in a growing economy. “AI’s technological advances may not cost workers their jobs, but enhance them, allowing each to produce more with the same effort.” I think they will also be able to focus on more value-added services, which could lead to new business and a growing company. It’s too early to know what will happen for […]
Looking back
180 Systems is having our best year with revenue growth of about 40% over last year. It’s ironic that we are growing so quickly now, when as some of you know, I have been doing this kind of work for a very long time. In fact, most of my colleagues, friends and even my spouse retired years ago. The reasons for growth have a lot to do with my partner, Alex Miles, who is young, smart and ambitious. We have also hired a great team – there are 8 of us now and hopefully you will have the opportunity to […]
From Shadows to Structure: The Canvas Behind the Field Service Showpiece
Field service looks simple from a distance. A customer calls, a technician arrives, the problem gets fixed, and everyone moves on with their day. In reality, it resembles a Rembrandt painting. What appears calm from across the room reveals far more depth and tension when you step closer. The surface may look tidy, but the truth lives in the low light. The most common field service problems rarely burst in like a spotlight. They behave more like the shadows Caravaggio and Da Vinci loved to paint, subtle and creeping in from the edges. They hide in small inefficiencies and only […]