Carrying out the "approach to choosing an ERP-system through come and show us what you’ve got" review we have written about incapacity of a typical receiving team for such "presentations":
The audience bending an ear to such "presentations" generally consists of random people. Primarily, there are IT-"professionals". Secondarily, there are accounting clerks (or wider - bookkeepers from financial department).
Comrades! ERP-system like any other automated segment of the same cost is a business tool. For achieving bloody business goals. That in their turn are stated by shareholders (or by their agents - either a board of directors or a general manager).
If you, starting a restaurant, hand the question of specifying a menu card over to trio consisting of a washing-up, a waiter (well, they kinda have to work with it!) and a bookkeeper auntie Lucy (we should make a well-considered responsible decision!), then what will you obtain as a result?
Maybe it is wiser to deal with a problem of investments in business-tools in keeping with up to snuff business resultats and projects risks?
And not on the ground of listening to advice of "a positively cosmic nature with positively cosmic stupidity" (Dr. Preobrazhensky) about how you introduce and operate the most complex hardware and software package from "administrators" and "IT-managers", whose competence is inversely proportional to the capacity of pronounced loud abbreviations, fancy scientese terms (about their true meaning they keep only a blind line of sight) and kinda captious questions, derived from an article "how do not sound like a newb during an interview for a post of sysop" from journal "Hacker".
Within this framework we should say that attitude of umbrella bookkeeper antie Lucy is much more constructive - generally she is easy to admit that she understands nothing in it...
It would seem, what else can you say here?
Life however is as it happens more multi-layered than our vision of it (yet again!).
A brief introduction.
As lately as 2nd December 2014 we have received an email:
Name: Nikita
From: nikitХХХ@gmail.com
Company: ХХХХ2000
Time: 02.12.2014 09:13
Afternoon. I’m really interested in your product complex, but I have a few questions, I mean, about a platform, on the ground of which everything you’ve got is working (OS). And what is system architecture generally like, because on your website there is nothing constructive except smearing other systems. And of course I want a provision of a fully functional test-version. Thanks.
Typically, this request was sent with a contact form of that particular website which contains exhaustive answers to all raised questions.
Well, apparently the design is a bit crooked.
With our return letter curious Nikita has received links to that information website sections, that he could not find himself on the first try.
Then perhaps according to examination of the links’ contents Nikita gives next portion of questions:
2nd December 2014 13:48 from user Nikita ХХХХХХХХХ:
>> >>
>> >> Afternoon. I have not yet seen system requirements for an app
>> >> server. And system requirements for a customer facing app. As well as
>> >> presence Web interface.
>> >>
>> >> And if there is any posibility of demo installation.
2nd December 2014 13:48 from user Nikita ХХХХХХХХХ:
>> >>
>> >> Afternoon. I have not yet seen system requirements for an app
>> >> server. And system requirements for a customer facing app. As well as
>> >> presence Web interface.
>> >>
>> >> And if there is any posibility of demo installation.
With another answer curious Nikita receives:
- a list as long as your arm of system requirements. Absolutely banal, that is why they were not posted on the website - actually, it is the first question of its kind during all our practice.
- yet another links concerning utility of demo installations and fullness of software and hardware of system
- and, the main thing, a glaring enough reference to something like posed questions make absolutely no common sense for the purposes of choice of ERP-system in view of concrete business demands (in this case - ХХХХ2000).
The next question of curious Nikita is not to say puzzled (it is simple, the question), but ... Anyway, read it yourself.
How fairly noted comrade Nietzsche "He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you".
So, curious Nikita inquires:
"As far as I understood a server-based and a client-based parts of your SW are not cross-platform?"
"As far as I understood a server-based and a client-based parts of your SW are not cross-platform?"
O, sancta simplicitas!
Nevertheless, vox populi - vox Dei. Exactlly this question of unsophisticated wiseman Nikita inspired us to carry out a review on cross-platform software in applications to ERP-system.
Epic dialogue partner for our part briefly answers, that application server can work under Windows as well as under Linux (under Windows it’s faster), and desktop client only under Windows. And here - tantara! - with a melancholic statement Nikita without thinking destroys cupola of dialogue partners for our part:
4th December 2014, 15:29 from user Nikita Zhukauskas:
Sadly, this is the main disadvantage and refusal cause to choose MS production as ERP.
4th December 2014, 15:29 from user Nikita Zh.:
Sadly, this is the main disadvantage and refusal cause to choose MS production as ERP.
Guys, have you understood all beaty of the moment?
"Refusal cause" is
- NOT a discrepancy of software functionality with business demands
- NOT an outrageous price
- NOT the extremely protracted time of introduction
- NOT a doubt about competency of a performer and consequently about regular completion of a project
- NOT pain in the ass like technical support
- NOT a doubt about reality of up to snuff business profits
- and OVER 9000 more NOT
This does not even refer to such insignificant nonsense, Nikita’s mind boiling in a vacuum concerns about other questions: "refusal cause" is a noncross-platform desktop client! Curiously, what would management/shareholders of ХХХХ2000 company think of such "refusal cause". Who, it’s a safe bet, have no idea that there is something else for computers but Windows.
Eventually, we on the one hand wished luck with finding an efficient cross-platform ERP, on the other - offered to explain in layman’s terms, why even his company needs no cross-platform in general by any stretch of the imagination. And to begin with, these are the words of big boys and kids should not say that, before they grow up. And now - question to the audience. Try to guess a position/an application area of Nikita’s efforts in ХХХХ2000 company.
Yep. Exactly.
Generally speaking, regardless of devotion level of curious Nikita to holy principle of cross-platform at shareholders’ costs, we would not get involved with such client.
However, Nikita is no phenomenon. He is just a representative (though a little bit grotesque) of a large admins-IT guys-IT managers tribe.
95% of them except for fondness for beer, porn and excuses to get out of any work that includes getting off their duff are knit together by unbelievable incompetency when it comes to choose any business tool, whatever it is: technologies of carry financing, of packing line or ERP-system.
Well, dear shareholders/CEO, are you still ready to put the choice of ERP-system into Nikita’s hands for your own company?
P.S. To comrades admins, whose disturbed mind is boiling with angry discussions (and blame) of this stuff on the admins-oriented discussion boards.
Comrades admins! The above is referred to INadequate UNfair admins. Adequate, fair admins, certainly do not take it personally!
Without further pretty good admins taking a fling in Ultima send their fiery communists regards to the soul mates.