business value proposition Archives - Page 2 of 4 - Innovate. Integrate. Transform. Run.

Customer Relationship Management or CRM
Customer Relationship Management or CRM

Customer Relationship Management or CRM

By MMyatt|June 13th, 2010|

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is a core business practice that almost everyone reading this post is familiar with at some level. You have likely read about CRM, attended workshops and seminars on the subject, and perhaps even believe you have implemented a CRM initiative. While customer relationship management is certainly not a new business practice, it is also not a practice that most executives understand or leverage to its maximum capabilities. In today’s post, I will provide an ov [...]

Outsourcing Your SAP Application Support
Outsourcing Your SAP Application Support

Outsourcing Your SAP Application Support

By Bill Wood|March 20th, 2010|

I believe it was Peter Drucker who opined about outsourcing and then wrote a book on the subject. The original premise was that low-level administrative functions that were not a key or core focus of the business (such as mail rooms) could be outsourced. Fast forward several years, and business has learned that virtually all non-value add functions can be outsourced. IT infrastructure was value add as long as something new or better could be developed to provide cost savings, efficienc [...]

Social Media Fads and the Risk to the Enterprise
Social Media Fads and the Risk to the Enterprise

Social Media Fads and the Risk to the Enterprise

By Bill Wood|March 17th, 2010|

Today's IT landscape is filled with hype around Web 2.0. While collaboration is a key forward-looking initiative for any organization, social media requires a specific purpose and goal. Without a clear direction and purpose for social media initiatives, they are at best a distracting fad, and at worst an enterprise disaster. When I look at today's social media applications, I see them as a fad. Popular today, and they will be around for a while, but like all social outlets they are waiting for [...]

Designing startup metrics to drive successful behavior
Designing startup metrics to drive successful behavior

Designing startup metrics to drive successful behavior

By Bill Wood|March 11th, 2010|

Great companies are almost always run by great management teams. And great management teams know that the only way to improve a process is to start by measuring it. Good metrics should also be actionable and drive successful behavior. In this post, I reveal how to figure out which metrics matter the most, and how to design them in such a way as to drive behavior that will lead to the results that you want. This post is applicable to any kind of business. In a follow-up post, I will use th [...]

Changing the Direction of SAP, ERP, and IT Applications to Focus on the Customer and Innovation
Changing the Direction of SAP, ERP, and IT Applications to Focus on the Customer and Innovation

Changing the Direction of SAP, ERP, and IT Applications to Focus on the Customer and Innovation

By Bill Wood|February 19th, 2010|

This is the third part of an ongoing series about where the application technology market is today, including ERP vendors such as SAP and Oracle, and where the market is headed. The series provides insight on how to get ahead of the current trends and ride the wave that is building rather than getting swept away with it. The current business trends and market forces for technology will reward the swift and adaptable who are able to address the key business areas that have been lacking in the te [...]

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

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

By Bill Wood|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 [...]