This text was conceived as both an enlightening filter for our prospective clients and an instructive appeal to our implementing partners.
Successful implementation of an ERP system hinges on three necessary components:
- a good product;
- an adequate implementer; and
- a responsible customer.
Everything is clear about the first two; but let us take a closer look at the last one.
On the customer’s side, the biggest success (or failure) factor of a project is the so-called administrative resource, or political will. Our own influence on the said factor is quite limited (‘we’ hereinafter collectively refers to Ultima and our implementing partner).
Switching to another software platform, necessarily accompanied by innovations in business processes and, consequently, in individual employees’ and units’ work style, is a huge stress on employees who have been working in a certain manner for years – to say nothing of an inevitable unstable period at the time of the transition and for some adaptation period to follow, until things settle down.
Rank-and-file personnel and middle management usually are the last to benefit from these sweeping changes (to the point of some being declared spongers that must be laid off) – while their constructive engagement is essential.
At such crisis moments (and software platform change is nothing but the result of an infrastructure crisis that necessitated it), the senior executives’ and shareholders’ political will comes to the fore.
Their task is to convince their employees of the project’s importance and crucial role for the future of their company.
Their role is to efficiently repeal the onslaught of the collective accounting office lady wailing, ‘Why do all those people… disrupt all my work!’.
Generally speaking, the top management’s and shareholders’ task is to stamp out the sprouts of internal opposition that will later grow into tall weeds of sabotage and bury all good intentions.
In addressing this task, we can play just an auxiliary role.
So, we DO NOT need customer companies whose top management lack concentrated political will to implement the project. Situations where e.g. the IT director is appointed to be responsible for the project while the company’s decision-makers take an occasional interest in its progress, just to increase their general awareness, mean a 95% probability of the project being dragged out for a period hard to predict, if not thwarted altogether.
Also of concern are potential clients with their business processes built back-rectum-wards (indeed, this
swampy chaos can hardly be called a business process at all) but a totally unfounded Heffalumpian conviction that they are perfectly flexible and ultimately competent in all matters concerning business process architecture. For example, which signs exactly to use for stages on the process flow chart - a practical example.
Here is a typical dialogue with a Comrade like this:
— You ’ve got utter rectum here, here and here; you can have it arranged normally and save/gain a lot of money.
— Why the … do you lecture me? It’s MY business. Just do [this nonsense] and we’re done.
And here is a variation of the latter:
— You don’t understand, it’s our business specifics. Our competitors are totally alles Kaputt!
As is well known, no one has seen as much porn as Internet Explorer has. An outsider can hardly imagine how many crazy business ideas and absolutely delusional characters an implementation consultant comes across.
Gogol, Saltykov-Shchedrin, and Ilf and Petrov have missed a lot as they never worked as business analysts. It would have unveiled new brilliant edges of their satirical talent to their admiring readership.
— Are you really sure you need a powerful online store with deliveries to the CIS countries to sell your sunflower seeds? Anything for your money, but we are sure it will be just a waste of resources.
— What do you mean? i’ve been making and selling sunflower seeds for many years. I have unique sunflower seeds, the best in Europe. No one else knows as much as me about sunflower seeds. And to boost my sales, I’ll also need a bonus system with MLM effect. Exactly what I need to conquer the CIS sunflower seed market!
Is it a hyperbole? — It’s facts of life. For ethical considerations, we replaced goods that are in similar demand online with sunflower seeds.
For it was said before us: many people complain about poor health, but no one has ever complained about his poor wits.
With Russia constantly lagging behind the leading edge of modern economy (and regularly held back by wise decisions of our Communist Party and Government), references to even sillier competitors allude to the saying about the one-eyed man’s advantage in the kingdom of the blind.
Or here is a case concerning website design.
If we deal specifically with e-commerce, then, despite the supercritical importance of well-designed and well-implemented business processes based on Ultimate IEM solutions, a good dress is a card of invitation. To put it differently, a potential client will get his first (and largely decisive) impressions of your business from your website. Even if built on the robust eStore or b2b platform – but designed for each case individually.
And here certain Messrs. and Mmes. de Pompadour, destined to play the role of your customer’s decision-makers, may turn in a brilliant performance hard to describe.
— I don’t like this jigamy! Not enough bells and whistles, you dig, man? It should look rich and leave no one cold!
Comrades decision-makers! The task of any b2-whatever-you-want website is NOT to please you. Its task is to sell. It is your customers that should like it. And, most strictly speaking, even if it makes them spit BUT your goods sell well, then the task is fulfilled. They’d better spit rather than overlook it, and pecunia non olet anyway, © Vespasian.
‘Business specifics’? - There is no such thing.
Not only are all happy families alike (thanks to Leo Tolstoy for this adage), but leading companies’ techniques are essentially similar, too. Distance from being ideal determines the speed of losing leader status. And losers - current and future ones - draw consolation from their ‘business specifics’. Each one in its own way, but always as the classic has predicted.
Although, theoretically, Ultima can be implemented in such companies, it will hardly create much added value: a piece of software is a tool and nothing else.
A man who sucks at driving a car is unlikely to be a good driver despite his car’s steering feedback, comfortable air suspension or xenon lights. A mess with the best ERP system attached on top of it will remain a mess, albeit with a greater entropy generation capacity.
High quality tools - whether a machine tool, conveyer line, camion tractor, diesel locomotive, hammer or pair of compasses - cannot be cheap.
Ultima products are no exception.
Complicated equipment needs competent service. Especially if it requires re-adjustment or redesign for greater functionality.
Ultima products are no exception.
You buy complicated and expensive equipment in the expectation that the extra profit to be derived from it will exceed the total costs of its purchase and keeping it operational for its service life. If you do not have enough resources or if you are not sure of return, then it will not be the best idea. Ultima products... well, you’ve got it.
So, if our solutions seem too expensive to you, this does not mean that you need a discount. It means you need more money.
Yep, nor do we like those who expect kickbacks.
Firstly, because we give no kickbacks. Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes!
Secondly, in a situation where a customer’s project owner is largely motivated by a kickback, it is pretty naïve to expect a good project (by our own standards) in the end.
Why do we give no kickbacks?
- because it is not cool – complicity in cheating our customer company. We are building a good business, one whose karma is incompatible with outright fraud and abuse of trust.
- we have no money for that. Our transparent pricing policy and open price-list, along with the operating conditions that we’ve chosen to work in a competitive market, let us earn our bread and butter but not too many barrels of caviar.
- Article 204 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation;
- we must differ from our colleagues who got rotten on the stalk, right?
In the light of the foregoing it is only logical that we don’t work with State and parapublic enterprises and will not, in the foreseeable future.
Summing up:
Before embarking on the incredible endeavour of migrating to Ultimate IEM solutions, a potential Ultima client needs to clearly decide what they really want - a checkered cab or a ride.
In other words, whether they want the result of a) more profit or b) greater amusement for their unwarranted self-importance.
There are now more than enough companies in the market that can inflate your feeling of self-importance –for your money – to galactic dimensions, BUT: we aren’t one of them. Sorry, guys.
And even if you have decided to work for the right result but expect someone to come along with a magic wand and make your life all better – while you endlessly watch flames burning, water flowing and other people working enjoy the process from aside, then we’d prefer to avoid dealing with you; for top managers’ active involvement in a project is essential, as shown above.
And otherwise, you are welcome. Everyone’s invited.