Having improved many of its functionality features, Bizagi recently released version 9.1.6 of its business process management (BPM) software. I’m pleased to announce that the Bizagi BPM Suite 9.1.6 is a TEC Certified system for BPM functionality.
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When it comes to finding the right talent, today’s organizations have plenty of options. With the increasing popularity of social networking, however, companies are moving away from traditional hiring processes and opting for more technologically driven methods.

Here are four of the more popular recruiting trends and some of the vendors that offer solutions, apps, or services in each of these spaces.

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Part 1 of this blog series articulated the acute need to bring supply chain planning and execution together so that enterprises can react quickly in an informed and confident fashion. The Boston Red Sox‘ September 2011 collapse was used as a poignant example of how even the best long-term planning can be rendered useless if there is no responsiveness during crunch time.

In general, if we know that our plans are inherently wrong to start with – because we can’t forecast and predict accurately – why do we still insist on religiously executing that plan? On the other hand, if you need to make a change, shouldn’t you be able to evaluate the holistic consequences of your decision, especially in these days of scarce credit and working capital?

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I am pleased to announce the launch of TEC’s final software buyer’s guide of the year: Innovations in CRM. Download your copy now.

This buyer’s guide provides in-depth insight from Gabriel Gheorghiu, TEC’s analyst specializing in CRM, about the state of the CRM market, and includes solution overviews, links to CRM resources, customer success stories, and a directory of hundreds of CRM software vendors. The guide aims to educate readers about the CRM space and what vendors are doing to differentiate themselves from the competition through innovations such as cloud computing, social media, and mobile, to name a few. Read the rest of this entry »

Part 1 of this blog series talked about my very first attendance of BigIdeas, BigMachines’ annual user conference that takes place in the fall in Chicago. I wasn’t the only one that attended BigIdeas 2011 for the first time, as in May 2011 the company’s financial backers brought in David Bonnette, a seasoned Oracle executive in the customer relationship management (CRM) realm, as the new president. Mr. Bonnette has since gradually replaced the company’s founder and former CEO Godard Abel.

The highlights of Bonnette’s keynote presentation were that BigMachines has recently moved towards acting as an established company with more structured processes rather than as a slightly disorganized rapidly growing startup. Predictable results for both the vendor and its customers should come from more simplified and prepackaged offerings, and the upcoming BigMachines 12 release was previewed.

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My attendance of Siemens’ two-day product lifecycle management (PLM) analyst summit in the late summer of 2011 was like trying to drink from a fire hose. Even without the plant automation and manufacturing execution system (MES) discussion (which was also included in the 2010 event), there was an abundance of products and related information, and I am still trying to wrap my mind around the main messages of the event. Look for a separate article on my impressions from the summit, eventually.

In any case, the event ended with a question and answer (Q&A) session between the analysts/bloggers and Siemens PLM top executives. One question was whether, in light of Dassault Systemes recently acquiring Intercim’s MES and Enginuity for process PLM capabilities, and PTC acquiring MKS Inc. in the application lifecycle management (ALM) space, Siemens will also make any acquisitions in the near future. The diplomatic answer by Siemens was to look for some acquisitions down the track, both for technology and functional scope expansion.

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The latest addition to Technology Evaluation Centers’ (TEC’s) Web-based software evaluation system, TEC Advisor, is the new Express Software Comparison Report. This report allows you to compare the strengths and weaknesses of enterprise software solutions on a functional module-by-module basis. If you’re an organization in the early stages of your software evaluation process, the “express” report is a good starting point. You’ll get the online report comparing your selected solutions free of charge in just a few minutes.

Here’s how to generate your custom software comparison report in 5 easy steps: Read the rest of this entry »

That membrane between your business and the online world—your Web site—is expected to be so permeable and malleable these days that web content management (WCM) systems have to manage a lot more than just the content on your site. Now web experience management (WEM) has emerged to address the way people access and interact with your site. WEM also illuminates more of these interactions for your own business’s marketing edification. In this blog post, I’ll look into what WEM means and how it fits within the backdrop of WCM functionality. Read the rest of this entry »

The fall of 2011 marked Theo Epstein’s move from Boston Red Sox to Chicago Cubs, whose fans have been yearning for a championship ring for well over 100 years and are fervently hoping that Theo’s curse-breaking success as the general manager in Boston will be repeated in the desolate Cubs nation. Well, 2011 also marked a much less important detail: after having to regretfully decline a few previous times, I was finally able to clear my calendar and attend BigMachines’ annual user conference dubbed BigIdeas, also in Chicago as the company’s base.

I have to confess that the attendance has changed my perceptions of the upbeat cloud software vendor somewhat. Namely, every time when we would meet in the past (most often at past salesforce.com’s Dreamforce and Oracle Open World events) the company’s staff struck me as too formal and somewhat standoffish. My earlier opinions on the vendor can be seen in this blog post from 2010 here.

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When I first wrote about the upcoming TEC CRM Buyer’s Guide focusing on innovation, I stated that customer relationship management (CRM) vendors can differentiate themselves from their competitors through innovation. But I also mentioned that innovative technology should not be embraced just because it’s new or cool, or  seems to bring the answers to your problems.

Innovation is great, but remember that innovative products can also bring challenges that your company might not be ready to deal with. So after all the excitement settles, here are a few things you should consider before adopting innovative technology. Read the rest of this entry »

A software selection project requires a well thought out plan that details what you need from a new or updated solution. The process often begins with careful research and determining and prioritizing your functional and technical software requirements. While doing your homework, you’ll no doubt come in contact with a plethora of vendor white papers and marketing collateral to help you grasp the capabilities of their solutions. However, if you’re looking for impartial, original research about solutions in the marketplace, you will find TEC Certification Reports helpful in narrowing down your search. Read the rest of this entry »

My recent attendance at Progress Revolution 2011, Kinexions 2011, and several Boston APICS Chapter professional development meetings, where a plethora of companies talked about their operational experiences of late, made me realize that “business as usual” practices no longer work.

For one thing, while long-term planning remains an important exercise for senior executives’ strategic and visionary purposes (evaluating what-if scenario options and making long-term decisions), many recent events have caused serious paradigm shifts.

Trying to make rocket science-based optimized long-term plans has nearly become a fool’s errand. For example, the recent Japanese earthquake and the still ongoing floods in Thailand had quite the impact on high-tech brand owners worldwide, given that some finished goods (gadgets) manufacturers source 30 percent or even more of their critical electronic components from these regions.

At Kinexions 2011 we all heard the following sad supply chain stats: 48 percent of weekly demand plans have errors, with only 5 to 10 percent average net promoter scores (NPS), as the measure of customer loyalty, and measly 0.06 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) on return on capital (ROC) as results.

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