In some enterprise software selection projects, clients are tempted to skip the Request for Information (RFI) stage and go straight to a Request for Proposal (RFP). This is a mistake and often the result of not fully understanding the value of a well-written RFI. This post discusses the difference between an RFI and an RFP and the benefits of developing a simple RFI early in the vendor selection process.
When implementing new enterprise systems, business process improvement should be done in parallel. Doing all of one before the other—whether process improvement first, or system implementation first—will result in failure. This post explains why.
Although a requirements template may appear to be a time-saving way to get to a requirements specification, this approach can actually make the project longer and cost more than it should. Moreover, they can actually lead to the wrong ERP system being selected. In this post, we identify the problems with the the use ERP requirements templates and outline a better way for specifying requirements for new ERP systems.
With all the talk about smart devices as a new trend, there is one industry where smart devices are very old news: manufacturing. Production machinery has been computerized, not for months, not for years, but for decades. Yet, for the most part, today’s ERP systems do not leverage those smart devices on the factory floor. This post traces the history of connected factory machinery and how they offer a solution to untimely and incorrect transaction data entry in manufacturing systems.
Applications for social networking are easy to see in the business-to-consumer space for functions such as sales, marketing, and customer service. But is there also a role for social tools in heavy back-office B2B processes? This post outlines ways in which principles of social business can be, and are being, applied to supply chain management systems.