“the growing tendency for new information technology to emerge first in the consumer market and then spread into business and government organisations. The emergence of consumer markets as the primary driver of information technology innovation is seen as a major IT industry shift…”.

Not only is the consumerization of technology having a considerable impact on the way we all operate in our personal lives (the Internet, social media, mobile), it is also having an impact on how businesses operate. It is therefore critical that any business software, such as ERP, as well as the businesses that are implementing these systems, understand how these new technology developments can work for them and how they can be effectively integrated into day-to-day business operations.

Consumerization of ERP for manufacturing and distribution environments

There are a number of areas of consumerization that are particularly relevant to the ERP market:

• The user interface (UI) has become more touch-oriented across a wide range of devices, and because touch requires larger icons, the graphics and image aspect of the UI is also changing. The growing requirement for the UI to be personalized by the user (without programming) means that people increasingly want to personalise the UI of standard applications to meet their specific requirements.
• Mobility – the growth of mobile platforms continues at an incredible rate, and with it the need to access information and communicate (via email and other platforms) whilst on-the-go. In the area of sales and distribution, one of our customers is already adopting the new technology – using their trucks as mobile warehouses because a significant percentage of their sales are coming from ad hoc sales on the road. In this case using SYSPRO’s mobile platform, Espresso, enables our customers to create, view and print invoices via a mobile device.
• Collaboration tools, e.g. ‘GoToMeeting,’ are enabling increased connectivity and communication across borders, truly enabling the idea of the ‘global village.’ Just yesterday I attended an on-line conference from side of the arena at the stables where my daughter rides, using both my laptop and cell phone. This enabled me to watch my daughter try out a new horse, but still attend my on-line conference.
• The increasing value of an enterprise App store – an online site, like iTunes, where all the applications for a business can be located and downloaded to any authorised users’ device. Mobile Business Intelligence (BI) apps will enable tools such as KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) to be more broadly applied to all users and operators, not just executives.
• Geolocation, the capability to identify the precise geographic location of an object using GPS, will allow people to use a GPS-enabled device in a warehouse to make locating specific inventory items easier to pick; this will also impact on activities like stock taking.
• Then there is remote visibility, where a production manager may have a full view of the state of manufacturing operations even when offsite.
• QR (Quick Response) codes: customers might be able to use QR codes to scan and track how objects they are purchasing have passed through the supply chain.
• The impact of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) – we all know one of the biggest impacts has come from the mobile explosion, and with people bringing their own devices to work, companies are now having to deal with the BYOD wave. Gartner reaffirms what we know in this space, it predicts that “by 2017, half of employers will require employees to supply their own device for work purposes.”

Some tips for companies to manage IT consumerization trends

BYOD simply cannot be ignored; it is happening and is here to stay. When people choose their own devices they are more likely to be comfortable using mobile applications. Companies therefore need to do three things:

1. Make sure that they have policies in place to manage the replacement of devices and licensing of mobile apps in the context of the organizations specific IT and operating environments.
2. With the multiplicity of models, devices and form factors, businesses need to ensure that the mobile apps they license and deploy are device- and platform-independent.
3. Evaluate the possible scenarios and develop a policy for BYOD to encourage staff to make use of enterprise apps on their own devices, and to avoid any unwanted surprises or situations for your organisation.
4. Remember BYOD is not all BAD (Bring Any Device) – an organization needs to be discerning about which models, devices, operating system and versions of OS they will allow staff to use, as keeping up with all required applications and software can be costly and cause unnecessary pressure on administrators.

When using mobile apps in your business:

1. Make sure your mobile apps will manage data integrity and security.
2. For the licensing of your mobile apps, license the user rather than the device. This allows employees to swop and migrate to new devices, but also allows companies to automatically switch off a licence when an employee leaves the company.

Looking Forward to the Future

I believe there will still be a place for desktop PCs in the future for operations like accounting. However in the manufacturing environment, where the factory floor has been a no-go zone for PCs, I believe that we will see increased usage of mobile devices leveraging Bluetooth and wireless capabilities, and throughout the distribution process. I also think that technology will be used more widely in the security and goods control processes. Part of this is the proliferation of identification standards, whether it is through personal identification via biometrics, or through identification of the actual products via Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technologies.

And perhaps we should be looking even further beyond the technology shown in the Minority Report – I know SYSPRO is!

So, what has SYSPRO done to keep up with a workforce that is demanding more mobility every day? Answer: Develop a ground-breaking platform for the mobile world, known as SYSPRO Espresso. Like SYSPRO, the SYSPRO Espresso mobile application is targeted specifically at mid-market manufacturing or distribution executives and employees who require immediate access to decision-making information and real-time data when not office bound. The SYSPRO Espresso architecture is revolutionary,  the first mobile platform of its kind focused at manufacturers and distributors and one of the first to use a single codebase  to create native applications for any mobile device. SYSPRO Espresso is device and platform agnostic; it works on iOS, Blackberry, Windows Phone and Android mobile devices. Espresso has built-in powerful customization capabilities both for the end-user and developers to engage.

SMB manufacturers and distributors can benefit immensely from adopting the SYSPRO Espresso mobile solution:

•  Increased productivity and better decisions – search and retrieve up-to-date information whenever you need
• Empowered employees – work and access secure information anywhere, anytime
• Improved customer engagement – provide real-time sales and service information
• Streamlined supply chain – supplier and inventory data at your fingertips
• Tailored experience – customize the look and experience of SYSPRO Espresso applications
• Always accessible – even when not connected, SYSPRO Espresso applications work offline (synchronize later when you have a connection)
• Library of applications available – SYSPRO Espresso applications will be available via the community platform of the SYSPRO App Store

SYSPRO is the first to market an all-inclusive, device-independent ERP mobile solution specifically for its customers. Not only does it support multiple mobile devices as well as the desktop, but the SYSPRO Espresso architecture enables full customization by both the user to adjust how the user interface (UI) behaves, as well as by the developer through the use of components (building blocks) to add business functionality on the server. The release of an application like SYSPRO Espresso seamlessly blends the relationship between an on-the-go worker and access to real time data.  In fact, they’re this generation’s version of the Three Musketeers!

Stay tuned for more information regarding SYSPRO Espresso in the next coming months.

The term for using different units is called Multiple Units of Measure, a feature that SYSPRO has supported for some time. A unit of measure (UOM) describes how the quantity of an item is tracked and managed; common units are ‘each’, ‘piece’, ‘pack’, ‘metre’, ‘gallon’, ‘pallet’. Providing this functionality allows customers in industries like food and pharmaceuticals to manage complex inventories. Typically, items can be bought, made, stored, costed, transported and sold in different UOMs, and a business needs to have a standard for converting one UOM to another.

In SYSPRO the standard unit is the stocking unit of measure, but other UOMs are available.

• Inventory unit of measure: for stocked items
• Cost unit of measure : used for the inventory cost of the item
• Manufacturing unit of measure: a unit used to handle manufactured item and component quantities in the production process
• There are also two alternative units of measure for sales and purchasing quantities

What are some of the use cases for multiple units of measure?

• The simplest use case is for food producers who have the product in different sized containers, e.g., beer sold in single bottles (each), pack of 6, case. Other manufacturing systems require that each different size is a different SKU (stock keeping unit), SYSPRO allows the inventory item to be the primary product, and packaging variations to be a secondary consideration.
• A second use case involves ‘catch weight’. This is where producers or distributors sell a product by weight and the individual product’s weight can vary – this is different to standard weight. SYSPRO allows you to sell by unit count and catch weight, so enabling a more accurate pricing of product. An example is a business selling chicken, where each chicken has to be sold by its actual weight rather than a fixed price.
• A third use case is for businesses that buy and sell in different units. For example, a steel company that buys steel in sheets, but cuts and delivers to customers as pieces of steel; the same product but sold differently to the way it was bought.

With multiple units of measure, an organization can use the unit of measure for each inventory item as the business wants it. The unit of measure may vary according to who uses it, e.g. in engineering, production may want to measure steel output in metres, but warehousing wants to count it in rolls, and accounting cost it by tonnes.

Being able to provide a customer with a product in the quantity and packaging they ordered is a measure of perfect order fulfilment, and being able to handle multiple units of measure enables that.

Have you heard of any unusual units of measure? Do you have a good story about using different units of measure to satisfy a customer order? We would love to hear about it.

At SYSPRO we are constantly thinking about product development strategies: do we write for our existing customers, or should we develop for a brand new market? These are quite different strategies; both have pros and cons, and both can have profoundly different effects on product direction. The trick, I believe, is to continue to listen to our existing customers but with an eye on market trends and to balance these two divergent views – and balance here is the key. The majority of our customers are not looking for leading-edge technology or unproven business solutions, but rather for sound and practical guidance when implementing business software. However, what is sound today might well have been considered radical just a few years ago.

Thus, it’s important to innovate and to listen to customers at the same time.

This balanced view of product development takes experience and a little nerve, both of which I think we have in abundance at SYSPRO. You only have to look at some of the technological improvements introduced in our latest version, SYSPRO 7, to see that balance in action.

As with most undertakings in life, personal or professional, planning is a key factor. Knowing what you want to achieve at particular key points in time and laying out an ambitious but achievable timeline is something I always aim to do first and foremost – I am a firm believer that if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. At the very start sit down and work out:
what you want to achieve;
when you want to achieve it;
and who will be involved.

• Establishing technical support
  As with any sporting challenge or training schedule, you will need support. Not the support of family and friends as I require, but colleagues, IT staff (whether internal or external), line management and possibly even executive level if the investment in time and effort is significant. Don’t underestimate support from online sources too – when getting to grips with VBScript, XML and any other technology new to you, sites and forums such as the CodeProject and StackOverflow have a wealth of articles, walkthroughs, ideas and forums to help you learn. All of the ‘experts’ on these sites started as beginners too! I also highly recommend gaining support and feedback from your SYSPRO Regional office or Reseller as they can advise on the best way to achieve a particular goal, and may well have implemented something similar before.There are also some useful resources about SYSPRO power tailoring on the SYSPRO Support Zone, which customers and resellers can access.
• Know the best software tools
  Be well equipped. As I start to organise a new chainset for my bike to ensure I have the best chance of completing this challenge, you too should be equipped with knowledge garnered from self-learning or even introductory courses in VBScript and/or XML. Know the best software tools available for your budget (there are some great, free VBScript and XML editors around for example), make sure you’re familiar with their features to best aid your power-tailoring and customization tests. Also ensure that your backups are equipped to take SYSPRO file/folder/database backups so that you have something to restore from should something go awry.
• Do a test run
  I recently changed to a new ‘cleat’ system for clipping my shoes to the pedals, and to prevent a public fall or two, tested these in the areas around my apartment before heading out on an official training ride. The same goes for trialling new SYSPRO power tailoring. Do this in a safe, secure environment. If you don’t already have one, arrange to have your live companies copied to test companies so that you can test the impact of the any customization before rolling out ‘live’. This way, you’ll find any issues in a ‘sandbox‘ environment and can correct these without causing any problems to your end users. I would even suggest having end users test new customizations in the sandbox, rather than testing yourself if possible – all too often you can be too close to something to be able to scrutinise it sufficiently. (Don’t worry if you still make the odd mistake rolling out ‘live’ – I still occasionally topple off my bike at traffic lights too!).

Be realistic, and patient. If you are new to the languages and technologies used by SYSPRO for power tailoring, then it will take time to become fully confident in these technologies. If the parties responsible for putting this together are new to VBScript and XML, and indeed SYSPRO’s customization features, then perhaps any roll-out plans could be designed to coincide with the learning curve. Each ‘block’ of learning is similar to one of the hills I tackle, and whilst it may not seem like much progress is being made day-by-day, week-by-week, rest-assured that the process is making headway. You’ll find me starting with smaller hills first and building from here. I don’t start my training by heading straight for Alpe d’Huez!

If you have started the process of learning how about power tailoring in SYSPRO, what do you think are appropriate plans and goals to the learning process? Do you have any comments or useful tips about software tools, forums etc?

All this preparation got me thinking about how well organisations prepare for ERP.

Throughout my career I have found myself in many companies that are part way through an ERP implementation, without a clear understanding of what ERP is and what it’s going to do for their business. Organisations embark upon the ERP journey because the board believe it’s the right thing to do, but rarely are the benefits explained to everyone. The result is a project team who have to deliver a system, without actually understanding the objectives.

The level of integration in an ERP system like SYSPRO often comes as a real culture shock to companies. Suddenly the transaction created by sales admin has a huge impact in production planning, the store man needs to make sure the purchase order is receipted correctly, otherwise the stock will be incorrect, and of course all transactions eventually make their way to the general ledger.

Underpinning all the transactions in the system is of course the data, but lack of knowledge and understanding leads to poor housekeeping and a system that can’t be relied upon to produce the correct results.

All too often the project team is focused on incidental processes that contribute little value to the organisation whilst losing sight of the bigger picture. Reporting is usually listed at the top of the key objective list by the board, but it is also the area of the project that is most often “parked up” when resources are limited.

Finally, I have known companies that have spent hours informing their teams about ERP, creating the right culture, understanding processes and cleaning data, only to embark upon their ERP implementation without the sufficient resources in place. You need a strong project team, you need to make sure they have the right knowledge, skills and sufficient time.

So ask yourself, are you ERP ready?

1. Does your whole organisation understand what ERP is and what it will do for your business?
2. Do people understand the concept of integration and the role data has to play?
3. Is there a focus on the key business processes and are those processes structured to give you the reporting you need?
4. Do the project team have the right skills and time to implement ERP?

To understand fully the issues of implementing an ERP system read ‘Thinking about ERP’

In the debate someone suggested that when they hear the word ‘customizable’, it conjures up all sorts of negative thoughts, the primary one being…“now I have to do the work to make the system fit my business,” followed by “we don’t have the resources or the training to be able to do this,” and finally, “why can’t I just buy a system that works out-of-the-box?”

A work colleague used the metaphor of a car…if you replace the exhaust to a free-flow system you customize. If you set the odometer to show kilometres and not miles then you configure. If you paint it white then you personalize. The effect of all of these is what we in SYSPRO refer to as power tailoring (http://www.syspro.com/Product/Tailoring_SYSPRO).

So, after much debate I thought I would put forward my own ERP glossary of words used to describe the perfect fit ERP solution:

• Customization – is to alter to suit individual requirements or specifications. This is what is done by consultants when implementing SYSPRO.
• Personalization – is the capability to dynamically change content so that it is relevant to the individual user.
• Tailoring – is the SYSPRO term for the software’s ability to make changes to a user’s experience of SYSPRO, from simply re-arranging fields to completely changing the application interface.
• Configuration – refers to how an organization arranges and structures its software and infrastructure.

According to one source, these days customers are prepared to accept one of two propositions for solutions; these propositions are at either end of the spectrum.

1. Offer cheap and convenient solutions, but don’t expect extras
2. Offer expertise to bring insights, solve problems and help create specific solutions, for which a premium will be charged

Because of the nature of the software, and how organizations operate, SYSPRO’s offer falls into the item 2 range.

What are your thoughts? – do you agree with my glossary of terms or will you contribute to the debate?

Let’s take a look at some of what Generation Y and Z want in terms of their learning experience and how education can meet those needs.

A need for speed
You have most likely heard of or played the ‘Need for Speed’ series of PC, Xbox and Play Station games. This encapsulates the lack of patience Generations Y and Z have – they want something and they want it now! When it comes to slow network connections or computers, there is no exception. Any e-learning media elements must be optimized for fast network and Internet delivery and ideally should be bandwidth light.

Easy access
In addition to wanting what they need now, Generation Y and Z don’t want learning material they already know. They want to get what they need and sidestep what they don’t need. This means that e-learning needs to be structured using hyperlinks and Next buttons so that learners can easily navigate the content and skip ahead in the content of what they already know.

Providing instant gratification
Whether they answer questions incorrectly or correctly, learners need to get immediate qualitative feedback so they can work through only the relevant material if they answer incorrectly. By providing assessment simulations, you can empower learners to test their ability to perform tasks without having to first complete training or demonstration simulations. If they don’t achieve a pass result, they can work through the training and/or demonstration simulations and then attempt the assessment simulation again.

Keep it relevant
Generation Y and Z don’t want to be bombarded with too much or irrelevant information – they want it in a concise format that allows them to use it to do what they need to do. They also want a balance between the amount of content you push to them in the learning material and their own pulling of further information about topics that interest them. Your e-learning needs to strike this balance by providing only the most important concepts and principles in the learning material, keeping it content light. This allows the learner to pull information in the form of additional reading or more advanced courses where they feel they require it. Once learners have ‘got’ the concepts, they can swiftly move on to the practical application – performing functions on their ERP system, using the training database and the tasks and/or the simulations. In this way, their learning environment is a reflection of the environment in which they have to perform competently – keeping learning relevant.

Collaborative learning
Generation Y and Z are the social media generations. They are in constant connection with friends, colleagues, classmates and even strangers, through Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other platforms. Learning collaboration through social media networks motivates learners and promotes a sense of accountability and ownership for their learning. Some ideas for collaborative study methods enabled by social media include learning groups on Facebook, chat sessions on Learning Management Systems, collaborating on blogs, Wikis or using Google Docs,  even using a course code or description as a hash tag on Twitter.

Providing learning at the point of need
Finally, Gen Y and Gen Z are used to getting information almost anytime and anywhere. They want their learning experience to reflect that too, so providing learning at the point of need is critical. This means enabling learners to access learning material anytime and anywhere, even if there is no network or Internet connection.

In summary, by building e-learning courses that appeal to Generation Y and Generation Z’s learning styles and preferences, and adapting traditional teaching methods, we can make significant progress in improving the learner experience, get through the material quicker, encourage the retention of relevant information for longer and promote ownership and accountability in learning.

What SYSPRO is doing
Amongst other e-Learning initiatives (http://syspro.com/SYSPRO-ERP-Vendor/Services/Education), SYSPRO’s Education department has a closed Education group on LinkedIn (http://linkd.in/10yrtHF), enabling its members to start or participate in discussions or share something with the group.

A 6 on the Richter scale will mean that some buildings collapse and the quake can be felt hundreds of meters from the epicenter. Major damage to all buildings would be experienced by 7, and 8 would bring about total destruction of all buildings. The strongest earthquake ever recorded had a magnitude of 8.9.

The ripple effect of social media

In the world of social media, although most organizations have policies and processes in place governing who may say what on which official blogs, Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn, anyone employed by a company is perceived as representing that company. What they say can have a ripple effect on the company reputation, much like the shockwaves radiating out from the epicenter of an earthquake.

If the comment is unsavory, it’s like it has a high magnitude on the social Richter scale, and the ripple effect will be far more devastating and widespread.

Someone at a high-profile company will probably be followed by competitors and members of the media. If he or she were to speak inappropriately about their company, the dissemination of that message would be rapid and make huge shockwaves, doing a lot of damage to the organization and its reputation.

And of course, there will be aftershocks.

The Richter scale of social media and data dissemination

0 – 2: General social media commentary, garnering no particular negative interest from the industry and media.
2: A throwaway negative comment about a work situation. Some followers or blog readers may notice it, but the situation isn’t newsworthy and the comment isn’t passed on.
4: A negative comment is made on a situation of public interest. It is passed on and raises some eyebrows but does no permanent damage to the company’s reputation.
5: An ill-considered comment about a sensitive issue by an involved party is circulated and re-tweeted. It is picked up by some media, and some aspects of the businesses reputation and ethics are called into question.
6: There is widespread fall-out from a negative comment that impacts on the fundamentals of the way a company does business. The coverage is widespread. The share price dips.
7: Major damage is done to the company. People are fired, the overall reputation is permanently damaged and the share price drops through the floor.
8: Total destruction of the business.

Protecting your company from devastation

It’s because of the increasing openness and rapid transmission of the digital age, that all organizations need to consider the implications of their staff’s activities in social media and on the corporate network – ensuring that they have iron-clad policies and procedures in place to prevent earthquakes before they happen.

SYSPRO Quantum Architecture aligns business strategy with business activities, the technology you use in your business and the internal and external people and processes in your business.

SYSPRO Quantum Architecture incorporates four revolutionary innovations:

1. Data Collaboration Modeling and a multi-source, Single Repository Architectural Map: A single source of truth to define, innovate and manage your business processes. This is a visual multi- level representation of all your business processes as they interact with SYSPRO ERP and any outside processes and technology. What is amazing is that as you change your choices within the business process mapping, the setup options in the SYSPRO ERP product are automatically changed. The system outputs a formatted MS Word file that is a living documented truth of the system at any time. The result is that all your processes are defined and managed for perpetuity. As processes change, the SYSPRO ERP product falls in line with the documented changes creating this live ‘Single Source of Truth’.
2. Pre-Configured System and Process Models:
   Best practice business processes, as they relate and align with the SYSPRO product, are available out-of-the-box. Therefore, all data structures are modeled, all SYSPRO set-up options are presented, and all menus, submenus, screens and panes relate 1-to-1 to SYSPRO. The Process Models are multi-level from the top level right down to the granular detail of SYSPRO as required.
3. Embedded Role based EPM, Metrics, Reporting and Measurement:
   The SYSPRO Fluid Interface Design and Role-Based Interface link into the data collaboration modeling to ensure that KPI’s, metrics and reporting required for measurement are addressed. Menus, processes and functions are defined by Role, not only delivering a system uniquely designed for the individual roles, but also fully documented. Security is comprehensively and completely addressed. SYSPRO provides security by role or user right down to the field level.
4. Modeling of application integration:
   During the modeling process, areas of integration to third party or custom-developed applications are identified and defined with full visibility into the available business objects.

Finally, there is a system that brings together the strategy of an organization and choreographs the leadership, processes, people and resources to ensure that material, cost and cash are managed to ensure efficiencies and maximize profitability.

‘Quantum Architecting,’ as SYSPRO calls it, addresses every aspect of Enterprise technology and architecture, including decisions around mobile and cloud deployment, ensuring a 360-degree approach to managing all the critical business components. SYSPRO Quantum Architecture aligns strategy with business activities, the SYSPRO ERP system and people (internal and external) in a perfectly choreographed dance.  Your result? Improved efficiency, stimulated profitability and the effective management of material, costs and cash.

Whether you are a SYSPRO customer or not, have you tried a Quantum Architecture implementation approach in your approach?

Keep an eye on SYSPRO, a company that continues to innovate and ‘Simplify your Success.’