ERP Consultants: Is the Promise of Knowledge Transfer just part of the Sales Pitch?

By |February 10th, 2010|

Most ERP projects promise to transfer software knowledge from the consultants to the client. Once a project is over however, the client is often clueless about how to make software configuration changes, and may even struggle with performing basic transactions in the system. So what gives? Even though many aspire for successful knowledge transfer, most businesses lack a real strategy to make it more than just a dream. Secondly, when push comes to shove, we often set learning to the side and thi [...]

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SAP CEO Leo Apotheker’s Departure – What is SAP’s Future?

By |February 8th, 2010|

Even though the timing of Apotheker's departure was unusual, I cannot say that I am surprised. If I look over the landscape of a CEO's job responsibilities (sales, strategy, etc.) and compare that to Leo's short tenure at SAP, I do not see any direction coming from the top. Leo Apotheker came in at a difficult time, but even in the midst of a global economic downturn, it is still possible to succeed. Setting aside SAP's maintenance few missteps, SAP lacked at forward-looking vision in 2010. SAP [...]

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What Is the Proper Relationship for the CIO, CEO, and CFO?

By |February 8th, 2010|

The CIO role in business has been changing almost as quickly as technology itself. In the past focusing on business processes and automation was enough to satisfy the business needs for operational excellence. As long as they did so successfully, the CIO received carte blanche, often having large budgets and significant latitude in applying them. However, those days are quickly fading. Today, many IT departments and IT organizations are becoming internal vendors to internal customers with “char [...]

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Business and IT Alignment – Integrating Technology and IT Spend with Business

By |February 5th, 2010|

Aligning technology to business requirements is based on a few underlying assumptions that are often lacking from SAP projects. Those assumptions are 1) the business actually knows what their requirements are, 2) the project scope includes those requirements, 3) the right management and internal employees are committed and engaged, and 4) the system integrator you select has consultants with the required experience. Often, I see businesses fail to look beyond operational excellence areas of the [...]

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Why Indexed KPIs are Critical for Business Performance and Success

By |January 21st, 2010|

As I have written in previous articles, not every metric for business or processes is a KPI. Too many IT systems and too many companies define a departmental goal as a Key Performance Indicator, creating unnecessary friction among other departments or areas of the company. By using a weighted index, you significantly reduce, and in some cases eliminate, the competing requirements. As part of a continuing effort on using key performance indicators for building a strategy focused organization, I [...]

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