Insights & Impact

No doubt, information overload has become a big problem. No company is immune to it. And no company can avoid a future of exponential increases in the amount of data created and collected. Therefore, it's no longer a matter of if, but when, a serious plan to manage it all should be developed.

As an advisor to manufacturers, it is frustrating to see so many companies still getting caught in “traps” that certain ERP vendors set. Here is what we believe the traps are and how to avoid them.

A company’s ERP system typically represents years of development and investment. Its original focus was efficiently processing orders and data entry, which many of the older packages still do adequately. Where they aren’t strong is in important areas like data extraction, data analysis, generating reports, and user interfaces that match with a company’s unique processes. The end result? Lots of frustration and people coming up with workarounds like Excel Hell in order to get their jobs done.

Why can’t companies do better managing their data? One reason is “data” is deflected by many executives to the IT department to manage along with cyber-security. Executives should first focus on job descriptions and role definitions, since this is where the problem starts.

Remote work and telecommuting are by no means new mediums. However, amid the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the sheer volume of people and organizations forced and herded into digital productivity and Internet-based communications solutions in recent months is staggering. Especially for those that weren’t prepared for the urgency of government-mandated stay-home orders.

In normal business cycles, businesses and organizations see a fairly predictable level of personnel turnover and client/customer shifts. However, when large shifts in our operations occur quickly (whether by choice or not) we can use the situation to consider whether our systems are truly agile.