Make sure you check out the new book, Why New Systems Fail: Theory and Practice Collide, by my friend and fellow independent consultant Phil Simon. The book includes an interview with me on reporting.
Entries categorized as ‘IT’
Phil Simon’s New Book: Why New Systems Fail
February 12, 2009 · 1 Comment
Categories: Consulting · ERP · IT · Thoughts
Are You Recession-Proof?
January 28, 2009 · 2 Comments
The economy is on practically everyone’s mind these days. We know we’re in for a bumpy ride over the next several months, and perhaps even years. Everywhere we turn, organizations are “battening down the hatches”, learning to do more with less. One way to do that is to evaluate our tools as well as our approaches to some of the routine tasks that we perform.
Categories: Consulting · ERP · IT · LBI · ProcessFlow · Thoughts
Oh, so now you’re an expert, huh?
June 23, 2008 · 2 Comments
Can’t you just envision this as being a perfect line of Alice Kramden dialogue from an episode of The Honeymooners? Ralph is contriving some plan with Norton, purporting to be “the expert” on whatever scheme is being cooked up. And in steps clear-headed Alice, to utter the deflating question that brings it all back into perspective, “Oh, so now you’re an expert, huh?”
Categories: Consulting · IT · Rants
One Of My Hats: "Application Architect"?
June 7, 2008 · Leave a Comment
A recent CIO magazine article (http://www.cio.com/article/187350/Hot_Jobs_Applications_Architect/1) made me think about some of the roles I fill for my clients.
Categories: IT
Are You Aligned?
January 7, 2008 · Leave a Comment
We always hear a lot about IT alignment. That is, how aligned your IT goals are with goals of your business? Usually, these are addressed in a macro view, but rarely in micro. But what about within the IT organization itself? Are its goals aligned internally within IT?
More Bandwidth ≠ Greater Productivity
November 21, 2007 · 2 Comments
Business Week published an article, “Ten Penny-Pinching Ideas for 2008″ (http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/nov2007/tc20071120_184990.htm) which got my attention. No, it wasn’t the sarcastic reference to “the best ways to soak your overpriced tech consultants for free advice” in the opening teaser. (more…)
Will Lawson Survive the ERP Shakeout?
July 1, 2003 · Leave a Comment
OK, I’m neither a financial whiz nor a stock prognosticator, so I’m the wrong person to ask! But I’ve been asked for my thoughts on the Peoplesoft, J.D.Edwards, Oracle takeover shakeout.
I think the Oracle bid for Peoplesoft is still WAY TOO LOW, and Oracle will have to go up to $25-30/share to convince the shareholders. Assuming Oracle does end up buying Peoplesoft, I’m sure they’ll nix the JDE deal. Which demotes JDE to the second tier of ERP vendors–well under SAP and Oracle/PSFT. In the long run, this may be good news for Lawson and JDE in some respects.
Should Oracle buy Peoplesoft, they’ll likely kill the Peoplesoft brand, and force the clients to migrate to Oracle or perhaps buy other ERPs. Nothing kills a client relationship faster than an acquisition by an obnoxious vendor! And, without PeopleSoft, who better to go to for a trusted HR solution than Lawson?
And, if JDE is left limping alone, how about a merger with Lawson? I don’t think either has the cash to acquire the other, so a stock swap may be a possibility. Both companies operate in some distinctly different vertical markets, and complement each other in that way. However, their technologies are so different, they’d probably never be able to truly merge.
Where Integrity Shops
December 1, 2002 · Leave a Comment
In the DC area, there used to be a department store whose slogan was “Where Integrity Shops”. As a kid, I never really understood what that slogan meant.
