My Name Is Eric, and I Am a Recovering Big 5 SAP Consultant
My first job when I graduated with my master’s degree was with one of the big system integrators. I was a Big 5 SAP consultant focused primarily on organizational change management at some very large, multi-national organizations. Though colleagues and I have written about being Accentured and the dark side of the digital transformation, I […]
Selecting your SAP S/4HANA, Oracle Cloud, or Microsoft Dynamics 365 Implementation Partner
There are plenty of articles and blogs circling the internet, providing tips and best practices for selecting the appropriate ERP software, and with good reason. Choosing the wrong system can be devastating for a business. What is not so highly covered, however, is the importance of selecting the right SAP S/4HANA, Oracle Cloud ERP, or […]
ERP Request for Proposal (RFP): What Do You Want Your New Software to Achieve?
By Sam Graham Perhaps more frequently known as a Request for Proposal (RFP), an Invitation to Tender (ITT) or a Statement of User Requirements (SOUR), a written statement of what a new system is required to deliver is essential to achievement of a successful project but is one of the hardest things to do. The […]
How to Negotiate an SAP S/4HANA Contract
It’s not every day that most of us negotiate multi-million-dollar contracts with significant cost implications for the future. When we do, it’s important to get it right. Before embarking on an SAP transformation or bringing SAP S/4HANA consultants on to your team, it is important to understand how to negotiate an SAP S/4HANA contract. We […]
How to Get Your SAP, Oracle, or Microsoft Dynamics System Integrator Under Control!
We recently posted an article about the many companies we have seen get “Accentured” over the years. The article created quite a stir, a slew of comments, and great discussion. What it Means to be “Accentured” The premise of the article is that big system integrators are masters of selling, keeping an army of consultants […]
Have You Ever Been “Accentured”?
What does “Accentured” mean? Very different than being “delighted,” this term has become increasingly popular among boutique consulting firms and independents. More importantly, it is a term we have heard clients use to refer to their experiences with the large SAP, Oracle, and ERP system integrators. To be clear on a couple of points: First, […]
How to Define Your Global Digital Transformation Strategy
Every organization has a lot of decisions to make regarding its digital strategy. But, companies with international operations have an entirely different set of decisions to make and challenges to address. This can make it difficult to define your global digital transformation strategy. We work with a number of organizations like this every day. For […]
Lessons from the 2019 Digital Transformation, HCM, and ERP Report
One of my favorite aspects of being in the digital transformation space for over 20 years is not just the experience we get working with clients each day, but the ability to study and analyze a broad sample of initiatives each year. Our latest 2019 Digital Transformation, HCM, and ERP Report reveals some invaluable lessons […]
Why Your HR Department is the Key to Your Digital Transformation Success
Chief Information Officers and Directors of IT are often on the hot seats to make their digital transformations and ERP implementations successful. But it is more likely that your Vice President or leader of your HR department may be the real key to digital transformation success. Many people think that HR leaders are important only […]
Nessie, Sasquatch and the ERP System Integrator who Effectively Manages Change
So, which one sounds more elusive? I had a friend in college who had all the necessary documentation that Bigfoot exists… grainy photos, heat maps, testimonials, etc. There was simply no changing his mind. We all believe that we are right in our own minds, and in many cases trying to convince someone otherwise will […]
Is It Time to Fire Your SAP, Oracle, or Microsoft Dynamics System Integrator?
In my 12 years as an ERP expert witness and digital transformation specialist, I’ve seen more transformation failures than I’d like to admit. With the news of recent failures (the SAP failure at Lidle, SAP problems at Haribo, National vs. Wipro lawsuit, etc.), it seems that the industry is becoming numb to the realities of […]
How to Save $5M On Your ERP Implementation Costs
ERP implementations and digital transformations more often than not cost more money than expected. However, there is a secret recipe to save a ton of money on your ERP implementation costs. The Hidden $5M Costs of an SAP ERP Implementation To set the stage for this common-sense solution, below is an excerpt from a manufacturing […]