If you did not get the chance to read the article about the 2009 APICS Conference, I thought I should share with you some of the things we (Khudsiya and I) did or learned there.

I thought I would start by imagining a conversation about imaginary analysts, between two imaginary people, in an imaginary kitchen of an imaginary company: Read the rest of this entry »

The last day of the conference is different in three ways: there is no general session today; we have plant tours in the afternoon; and the exhibitors are gone (which is too bad, because for IBM only you could spend hours talking with all the vendors in their booth). Read the rest of this entry »

How many different systems does a bank employee use when changing a customer’s contact information? The last time I moved and had to change my address, the bank employee used two systems, asked three or four of her co-workers for help, and took about 15 minutes to do it because the information from one system did not transfer right away to the other system. It goes without saying that this was not my best experience dealing with banks, but not the worst either. Actually, having implemented business solutions in the past, I find it quite amusing when it happens because it reminds me of the “good old days” when I used to get blamed for faulty systems. Read the rest of this entry »

The 2009 APICS International Conference and Expo is starting next week in Toronto (Canada). One of the educational tracks is focusing on how to manage inventory in a changing economy. As inventory is a challenging issue for all types of manufacturing organizations, regardless of industry. If an organization can manage its inventory without losing focus on demand and where its dollars are being spent, it may achieve its inventory objectives. Gary Gossard (president of IQR International) gave a preview presentation in a webinar in which he pointed out a technique that can be used by organizations to manage inventory and reduce waste during changing economic times. Read the rest of this entry »

We’re seeking an additional HR software-focused research analyst to join our team at our Montreal headquarters. Please contact us if the following job description interests you. Read the rest of this entry »

We recently certified Deacom Integrated Accounting and ERP Software v 10.4. Before sharing my impressions of Deacom’s product, I would like to briefly describe the certification process so you can better understand how it works. Read the rest of this entry »

TEC analyst, Kurt Chen, recently completed work on a new research segment covering product lifecycle management (PLM) selection criteria for the fashion industry.

Soon we’ll announce the launch of fashion and retail industry-specific models in our online PLM Evaluation Center. However, I’d like to point out that as of today you can purchase a template of the functional criteria companies in textile and fashion industries frequently need in order to develop an RFP for a PLM system. Read the rest of this entry »

To achieve success in today’s retail industry, retailers that are small to midsize businesses (SMBs) need to effectively meet their customers’ needs on time, with the right price, in the right quantity—and at the right place, with the right promotions. All of these things can be very overwhelming for a retailer. To get them, retailers require tools that support effective and precise operations. In this volatile global economy, every retailer is trying to beat the competition and win over the customer base. The winners in this race are the retailers that can provide customers the supreme (winning) combination of product, price, and customer service, and do it without affecting profitability. Read the rest of this entry »

Here at TEC, we spend a lot of time talking about how easily software selection projects can go wrong. One mistake we see over and over is that companies fail to properly define their functional and technical requirements—the things that their new software must do and support.

That’s a big problem—because accurate, well-defined requirements are a critical part of any selection project. Get them right and you’re on the road to success. Get them wrong, or take shortcuts, and you risk making a bad choice. Worse still, you may not even know how bad a choice it is until after the implementation—when it’s too late.

But putting your requirements first isn’t always easy. Software selection is a juggling act, and your requirements aren’t the only ball you need to keep in the air. You’ve also got to analyze reams of data from vendors (some of it fact, some of it marketing hype) to find out if their products actually meet your requirements. And you need to make sure that you’re analyzing those data the right way—using the right tools and a proven methodology.

That’s where TEC’s Evaluation Centers come in—helping you stay focused on your requirements without dropping anything else.

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We’ve begun publishing a new type of report (free download) called a Product Certification Report. These have been in the works for a while so I’m very happy to announce the first two are now available. I’ll post the links below and then explain what these reports are.

• Meridian Global LMS (an enterprise learning management system [LMS] as certified by Sherry Fox)
• Pronto Software’s Pronto Xi (an ERP system available for a variety of industries as certified by Aleksey Osintsev)

We actually develop two reports for every software system we certify. One report (examples published at the links above) is written for potential buyers of the product, it’s relevant to someone researching or comparing various software systems for their own selection projects. It should be a useful, independent and unbiased addition to an in-depth evaluation process. Vendors also receive their own copies of the report, with insights that pertain to their product development and competitive landscape.  Read the rest of this entry »

Two Brains—or Three or Four or More—Make Better Decisions than One…
Anyone working in today’s office or business environment has no doubt participated at least once in the ubiquitous group brainstorming session. Some may enjoy these sessions as a respite from cheerless, lonely cubicle life. Others, however, may just as soon remain ensconced in front of their monitors and keyboards, solitary workaday soldiers trudging through without distraction until five o’clock.

Unfortunately for the latter category of office worker, the results of a study about group decision making may be cause for more than the usual number of sighs. Summarized back in April 2009 on both the BNET1 blog and The British Psychological Society’s Research Digest blog, the study (conducted by Jessica Mesmer-Magnus and Leslie DeChurch) found that group decision making “will nearly always outperform the ability of any one of its members working on their [sic] own. This is especially the case if the group is formed of diverse members.” However, the caveat: group decision making is rarely efficient.

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A friendly colleague reminded me today that it’s been a while since I’ve posted news about our ongoing product rating updates. So here goes, continue reading if you’re evaluating software for any of the following types of systems.

• CRM
• ERP (manufacturing for discrete or process industries, ETO, distribution, and services industries)
• Financial systems
• PLM

Read the rest of this entry »

If you’ve been to the TEC Vendor Showcase recently, you’ve probably seen this symbol.

If you wondered what it means, you might have clicked it, and read this:

“TEC Certified Vendors have met the stringent requirements set forth by our analysts. Associate vendors have taken the first step toward their TEC certification by completing our extensive request for information (RFI).”

Concise, yes. But maybe a little light on detail. So here, to shed some light on the nature of RFIs, stringent requirements, and “associate vendors,” is a short explanation of what TEC certification is all about.

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Upon his inauguration, President Obama reiterated his campaign pledge that improving the US health care system is among the top issues to be addressed during his first term in office (and beyond). In response, many people are expressing support, as well as some degree of skepticism. At the forefront of Obama’s promise is that technology will play a key role in bringing about improvement: he initially vowed that $10 billion per year over the next five years would be invested toward creating electronic health records (EHRs) for every US citizen.

The majority of voices have seemed to be strongly in favor of spending whatever it takes to update health records, citing cost-savings, better delivery of health care (resulting in improved health and more saved lives), and job creation as some of the major benefits of making the transition from old handwritten records to standardized electronic records.

There does, however, seem to be some grumbling about the projected cost of and difficulty involved in creating electronic records. Several deterrents have been noted, including an ongoing shortage of sufficiently skilled IT professionals available to help with nation-wide implementation; privacy issues, such as identity theft; and, the fact that few hospitals and doctors have already started using “computerized record-keeping systems” (presumably suggesting that not only implementation, but also user training will need to be addressed for any benefits to be realized).

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“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead

Many years have passed since corporate social responsibility (CSR) made its entrance as a major issue for companies. Performance on social and environmental levels has also become important for organizations to consider. Since CSR’s inception, many initiatives have arisen.

Businesses around the world have sought to take account of sustainable development to conform to the general trend across industries toward better management of global regulatory requirements and a reduction of environmental impact. On the other hand, since globalization has become a crucial aspect of organizations economically, organizationally, politically, technologically, and culturally, it has pushed them towards making adjustments in order to incorporate these new requirements into existing processes.

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