Today at 11 AM EST I will be on the Haut Tech Podcast:
UPDATEThe podcast was great! Thanks to everyone who listened in, and a huge thanks to all of the other panelists! I had a really fun time.
You can read more about it, and listen to the recording, here: http://blog.sciodev.com/
I read an article on ERP systems, cloud computing, and a whole lot of other systems stuff earlier today. The one point that really stuck out in my mind – consistently – is that it’s just now becoming a good idea to ERP vendors that simplicity is a good thing.
Sure, the article makes a number of other points and provides a good, insightful high-level analysis of all things ERP – but I just have to say it.
WTF?
ERP solutions, by definition, are meant to be used by a breadth of people and business units. People and business units are all different. People and business units are concerned with so much aside from the systems they use, since the systems they use should enhance and streamline the primary business unit objectives. I think you can see where I’m going with this…
Jason Averbook has been tweeting recently about CIOs and how HR fits into the ERP. CIOs, like many executives, I’m convinced just don’t “get” HR (as many don’t), and in those organizations HR doesn’t have “a seat at the table.” So HR gets a solution stuffed down its throat that doesn’t work for them, all in the name of streamlining and one-systemhood. Unfortunately, this really just ends up reflecting ignorance on the CIO’s part, weakness on HR’s part, and those two parts come together to make for a system disaster.
CIOs have to take into account the needs of HR and then evaluate those needs against what their ERP provides. If the ERP can’t hack it, don’t try and make the square fit into the round hole. Instead, find another point solution that can integrate and pass information the ERP needs from the point solution. HR will be happy, the CIO will be happy, and harmony will reign as the data from the two systems meld together to form information goodness.
Easier said than done, I know, but really… simplicity – and relevancy – should always be two of the top factors in the solutions you use.
