We are born with the much-needed intuition of extracting complex information from our environments. We learn by developing hypothesis and testing them for truth, and if they hold truth, we accept them as fact, until they are debunked, and we…
Improved business agility is when large organisations make faster, more accurate, data driven decisions and improve the speed with which these decisions are implemented. Some examples of how IoT and Advanced Analytics will promote business agility are: 1. The collection of…
It is important to collect all data, for machine learning and stream analytics to produce the best possible insights. Even if you think it has no relevance to the question you are trying to find an answer for. Context is…
This is the second in a series of articles on predictive maintenance. In the introductory article (Available here), we discussed the 4 maintenance models: Reactive maintenance waits for parts to break before repairing them, often making matters worse and resulting…
These days, neither management nor operational personnel argue the merits of ongoing asset maintenance. In modern manufacturing or mining environments, 20% to 60% of operational costs relate to maintenance activities, excluding upgrades or improvements. Thus, making maintenance as efficient as…
ERP investments often fail because software selection gets more attention than business strategy formulation. Here’s how to avoid falling into that trap. Software that is designed to direct business operations – Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software – has earned a…
Legend has it that when Apple engineers demonstrated the first iPod prototype to Steve Jobs, he rejected it as being too big. When they argued that they couldn’t make it smaller, Jobs dropped it into his office aquarium and pointed…
Many organisations rely on standard or customised ERP software to run their operations more efficiently. But if a solution doesn’t operate correctly or meet the business requirements of the enterprise, it could mean lost customers, frustrated employees or even catastrophic…
Little has improved in change management practices since 2013 when a Gallup report announced that 70% of change initiatives fail. Yet, change management is more critical than ever as business models are subjected to constant disruption. According to Basetsana Magano,…
Don’t use the F-word with Hein Pretorius, founder and CEO of Onpro Consulting; he’s not impressed when you do. “We’re a more sophisticated society these days,” he says, “and it’s high time we stopped using that term.” This specific F-word…