Have You Done Your Homework to Prepare for Your Digital Transformation?
By Stuart Robb, Maddison Ward Limited Shall I tell you a secret? A big digital transformation trade secret… Whilst all the consultancy firms will bombard you with their papers on the top 6, the top 10, the top 15, and the top 61 reasons why ERP programs fail, the truth is that there is only […]
Top ERP Systems for 2019
Disclaimer: Third Stage Consulting is an independent ERP consulting firm. Third Stage has no financial ties to ERP vendors, either directly or through parent companies or affiliates. Accordingly, the below analysis is completely technology-agnostic and 100% free of vendor bias. As we enter the home stretch of the year, many of our clients are knee-deep […]
Why Every CIO and ERP Project Team Should Attend the Digital Stratosphere Conference
It seems that it is impossible to learn everything there is to know about digital transformation success. Although I have been an ERP consultant for over 20 years and recently published lessons from over 1,000 ERP implementations that I’ve been involved with, I am still constantly learning. Other cases in point: recent SAP failures at […]
Independent Comparison of SAP S/4HANA vs. Microsoft Dynamics 365
In years past, most of our larger clients would hone in on SAP vs. Oracle as their primary focus during their ERP selection processes. In more recent years, we saw an uptick in organizations considering SAP S/4HANA vs. Oracle Cloud ERP vs. Microsoft Dynamics 365 as more evaluated the three industry leaders. Even more lately, […]
What is Digital Transformation?
When I first heard the term “digital transformation” a few years ago, I didn’t like it. The buzzword reminded me of a throwback to the 1980s when digital watches and first-generation digital computers were first hitting the scene. The term didn’t resonate as a description of modern enterprise technology. It also begs the question: what […]
Why Cloud ERP Has Finally Reached the Tipping Point
I’m a skeptic of buzzwords, broad over-generalizations, and biased opinions. But it’s time for me to finally admit it: cloud ERP has finally reached the tipping point of adoption. Over the last several years, I have blogged about how cloud systems are overrated. I wrote about how on-premise still had its place for the foreseeable […]
Negotiating ERP Implementation Failure
I had two conversations with prospective clients in the last few days seeking help with their ERP implementation failures. With recent news of the SAP failure at Lidl and the SAP failure at National Grid, these conversations caught my attention. Overview of the ERP Implementation Failures The first was reaching out for help with ERP […]
How to Define the Best Change Management Process for your Digital Transformation
Organizational change management is one of the most misunderstood – and undervalued – aspects of complex ERP implementations and digital transformations. It seems that executives and project teams are constantly trying to figure out how to define the best change management process for their organizations. Each organizational change management engagement that we help our clients […]
Tier I ERP Software: Are You Really That Complex?
In talking with business leaders, we hear quite often how “complex” their businesses are, thinking they absolutely need a Tier I ERP software solution (such as SAP or Oracle) to handle their unique qualifications. So how complex do you really need to be to require a system such as SAP S/4HANA vs. Oracle Cloud ERP? […]
Digital Transformation and ERP Case Studies
Every time we work with a new client, I learn something new. To me, there is nothing more valuable than real-life digital transformation and ERP case studies. There are two recent clients in particular that I have found intriguing. Both are in very different stages of their digital transformation and ERP journeys, but this leads […]
Organizational Change Management: The #1 Key to Digital Transformation Success
Over the last few weeks, I have met in person with about a dozen CIOs in different parts of the world. During my discussions with each of them, I conducted an informal survey to find out what was keeping them up at night. The number one response? By far, it was organizational change management. Some […]
Digital Transformation 101: The Cost of Doing Nothing
Investment in digital transformation is a necessity for any business today. However, it is seen as a necessary evil for many organizations rather than an opportunity for competitive advantage. Because of this, companies face delays in the decision process to acquire new technologies. Budgets and focus move to immediate, more tangible investments, such as new […]