It too often happens that an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) or Digital Transformation project is delivered at great expense and effort, only for the improvements in the business to be nominal or even non-existent at go-live. Hein Pretorius
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One of the most common causes for ineffective ERP or Digital Transformation projects is a reduction of the initial scope to accommodate time and budget constraints. Hein Pretorius
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Ineffective ERP or Digital Transformation projects often reach a point of no return – where rolling back the project will be more painful and expensive than adding budget and pushing through. Hein Pretorius
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In my experience the client of ERP or Digital Transformation projects are often a major impediment to effective project delivery. Silos, internal conflict, consensus-based decision making. Hein Pretorius
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Innovation does not need to be something that somebody else does. You don’t need to be some large tech company to innovate. It begins with the deep-seated belief that there must be a better way. Then, it requires action, you must start. Hein Pretorius
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Innovation starts with purpose. If your purpose is to make money, then stop. Your innovation will never be believable, and your focus will always be on adoption and not solving the problem. Hein Pretorius
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Too many system configuration driven projects out there where software selection and software implementation are deemed more important than serving the business purpose. Hein Pretorius
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Innovation requires leadership. It requires active and trusted collaboration between a change agent and the person who experiences the problem. It requires the absence of the fear of the unknown. It requires you to embrace the art of the possible. Hein Pretorius
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The challenge with Data Science. During the project sales cycle, you need to position the art of the possible before knowing what your client’s data looks like. Then, when you start to look at the data, you need to explain to your client how much data wrangling work lies ahead without making the client or your team despondent. Hein Pretorius
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The promise of Data Science. In my 30 years of consulting in ERP and on various integrated enterprise software projects, I have never truly seen the business benefit as I do now with Data Science – if done correctly. Hein Pretorius
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It seems the industry is hell bent on pushing technology as a Digital Transformation strategy. The more time I spend with senior executives, the more I reach the conclusion that the 4IR will never reach its full potential if we leave it to corporate consultancies and system integrators. Hein Pretorius
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Your Digital Transformation journey provides a platform for the re-invention of your business. If that is not your purpose, then you are missing a golden opportunity to tear yourself away from legacy thinking and technologies. Hein Pretorius
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Of all the enterprise software driven projects that I have participated in over the past 30 years, Digital Transformation and the Fourth Industrial Revolution has by far highest risk of not adding value it you persist in following a technology driven strategy. Hein Pretorius
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Robotic business process automation is one of the cornerstones of any Digital Transformation endeavour. BUT, if you are not using the opportunity to re-engineer your business processes first, you are missing out on the reinvention opportunity presented by the 4th Industrial Revolution. It is not called a REVOLUTION for nothing! Hein Pretorius
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The traditional RPA approach is to get a “bot” to simulate a human employee on e.g. the ERP system. The correct approach is to conduct Business Process Re-engineering first and to identify those business patterns and activities that do not require a human designed role and process. Then you redesign those business patterns as automated outcomes-based activities. Hein Pretorius
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By redesigning business patterns as automated outcomes-based activities before pursuing Robotic Process Automation, you improve the effectiveness of your business, you release staff to focus on customer value added activities AND you reduce the compliance burden and overhead because you have less human designed roles and processes. Hein Pretorius
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Re-engineering human designed roles and processes prior to embarking on RPA results in a reduction in compliance burden and overhead. As an example, Segregation of Duties will not be needed in an automated environment. Hein Pretorius
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