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5 Tips for Enterprise Resource Planning

2/23/2024

 
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Introduction to Enterprise Resource Planning at Stimler Advantage

As part of its services, Stimler Advantage supports organizations in aligning their business processes with technology to improve efficiency, collaboration, and profitability. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) work is informed by the Stimler Advantage 5 S’s Framework. 

An ERP acts as the central nervous system of your organization, integrating departments like finance, human resources, inventory management, and customer service. A well-implemented ERP can significantly enhance efficiency, collaboration, and profitability. Investing in ERP as a vital business system is often worth the money, time, and work.

5 Tips for Enterprise Resource Planning

  1. Define Your Requirements: Clearly defining your specific needs and goals is crucial before diving into ERP software options. Conduct a thorough business analysis to identify areas for improvement, potential pain points, and desired functionalities. Identify what specific departments or processes require the most support. Determine what data needs to be integrated. Ensure your selected ERP system meets your unique requirements and fosters long-term sustainability.
  2. Right Size Your Solution: Businesses are dynamic entities, and your ERP system should reflect that. Choose software that accommodates your needs today but can also scale up or down for tomorrow. Modular and add-on functionalities enable you to expand the system's capabilities as your business demands or integrate a key third-party application that ties into another important business system and process. Look for software where customization and modularity are effective and well-supported features, but the additional aspects are sustainable within the core application's context, especially considering export, migration, or updates. Ensure the system has good out-of-the-box features so you do not have to pay to build the system that should already come with the basics.
  3. Partner Up: Many ERP solutions are implemented through consultants and third-party resellers. ERP systems are serious commitments and critical business applications, so working with certified and verified partners can help you leverage industry expertise and maximize the solution's capabilities to the fullest extent. Many partners have also built customizations and integrations that tailor an application to your industry. Partners, working in collaboration with your information technology as well as business and application owners, can be valuable just-in-time team members to help you get an ERP implementation, migration, or upgrade over the finish line. 
  4. Invest in Custom User Training and Knowledge Resources: Even the most robust ERP system is only as effective as its users. Training and knowledge resources are essential to support users as they embrace an ERP system. The ERP solution provider should have detailed, easily navigable, and accessible training materials. In some cases, the default user manual or website from the solution provider may not suit the needs of your specific organization, so be prepared to create custom quick guides, technical manuals, and training resources that are applied directly to your organization and users. Ensure that training resources, like one-page documents, videos, frequently asked questions, and knowledge bases are easy to find, navigate, and use. Intranets can centralize information and consistently share needed information. Be certain the training and help resources you develop answer your users' questions and give them the support they need through as much self-service access as possible for efficiency and speed. 
  5. Leverage Data Analytics and Reporting: ERP systems empower data-informed decision-making. Look for software that offers robust data analytics and dynamic reporting capabilities. To extract valuable insights from your operational data, an ERP solution must help your organization surface trends, provide insight into resource allocation, support quality inventory management, and overall business strategy. It should have customizable dashboards and reports to track key metrics that help you discern your organization's well-being and feed into dynamic strategic planning. 
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Here are some further considerations for Enterprise Resource Planning:
  • Data Security and Privacy Regulations: Prioritize data security and ensure your ERP complies with relevant privacy regulations, including against cyber threats and user access controls.
  • Future-Ready Investment: Consider emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning and how they might impact your ERP needs in the future. Look for adaptable solutions that can integrate with these technologies as they evolve.
  • Total Cost of Ownership (TCO): While the initial software purchase of an ERP is significant, the long-term operational expenses can vary depending on implementation, training, and maintenance. Building your core business activities and operations on a robust ERP system can deliver a strategic advantage. With a solid foundation, your organization is better positioned to add other strategic components like content marketing, digital resources, and websites, streamlining operations and maximizing the return on your technology investments.
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Connect with me to discuss your executive management consulting needs.

5 Tips for Business Intelligence

2/22/2024

 
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Effective decision-making hinges on the ability to translate data into actionable insights.

Introduction to Business Intelligence at Stimler Advantage

As part of its services, Stimler Advantage supports organizations in transforming data into actionable insights to drive smarter decision-making and optimize performance with business intelligence. Business Intelligence (BI) work is informed by the Stimler Advantage 5 S’s Framework. 

Effective decision-making hinges on the ability to translate data into actionable insights. This is where BI comes in, empowering organizations to leverage data for strategic advantage. It empowers organizations better to understand their customers, markets, and operations, enabling them to make data-informed decisions that optimize performance and support sustainability.​

5 Tips for Business Intelligence

  1. Define Your Business Objectives: Start by aligning your BI strategy with your business goals. Clearly define the objectives and key results (OKRs), and key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure your success. Metrics should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). Focus on the questions you need answers to, not just the available data, to ensure your BI efforts are directed toward solving real business problems.
  2. Invest in Quality Data: The foundation of any successful BI initiative is high-quality, accurate, and consistent data. Implement robust data governance practices and workflows to ensure data integrity and prevent errors. Establish clear data ownership, define data standards, and implement data cleansing and quality control procedures. Regularly monitor and work to improve your data quality to ensure you are working with reliable information for informed decision-making.
  3. Develop a Data-Informed Mindset: Encourage a data-informed mindset across all levels of your organization. Equip your team with the necessary skills and training to effectively understand, interpret, and utilize BI tools, including technical certification. Build the use of BI tools and analysis into all facets of procedure and workflow. Data analysis through BI tools is not an add-on or bonus slide; it is core to your organization's business development, operations, and customer success. 
  4. Select Well-Suited BI Technologies: Carefully evaluate your needs and resources before selecting BI tools. Consult your risk management and information technology leaders and specialists within your organization. Start with the tools your organization may have already purchased and support before going farther afield for an additional or different tool, which may not harmonize with the core IT stack or other core business applications and tools. Determine whether the BI tool will scale well as data volume increases and changes over time. Consider your exit strategy when exporting or migrating to another platform. Develop relationships with software solution providers and consultants to help you develop an RFI or RFP during tool selection and when seeking to implement BI tools into your business technology environment. 
  5. Continuously Monitor and Refine: BI strategy needs to adapt continuously. Regularly monitor the effectiveness of your BI initiatives by tracking your OKRs and KPIs and measuring progress toward your goals. Refine your approach and adjust BI tools and processes based on the insights you gain and the dynamic business landscape. Be ready and willing to adapt to changing circumstances. 
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Here are some further considerations for Business Intelligence:
  • Data Security and Privacy: Ensure compliance with relevant data privacy regulations and implement robust security measures to protect sensitive information.
  • Data Visualization: Present insights clearly, concisely, and in a visually appealing way to facilitate understanding and decision-making across the organization.
  • Ethical Considerations: Be mindful of potential appropriateness, context, and errors in data and algorithms, and ensure responsible use of data for ethical and sustainable business practices.
  • Promote Data Access and Transparency: Empower non-technical users to access and utilize BI tools through self-service analytics platforms and user-friendly interfaces as approved and supported by managers and information technology leaders. 
  • Share What You Can: Use BI tools to publicly create and share appropriate and select data about your organization as part of dynamic strategic planning, to support marketing, as part of customer outreach, and to communicate social responsibility.

​Connect with me to discuss your executive management consulting needs.

5 Tips for Request for Information and Request for ProposalS Development

2/20/2024

 
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Introduction to Request for Information and Request for Proposal Development at Stimler Advantage

As part of its services, Stimler Advantage supports organizations through insightful Request for Information (RFI) and Request for Proposals (RFP) development to maximize outcomes. RFI and RFP work is informed by the Stimler Advantage 5 S’s Framework. 
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Navigating the search for an aligned solution provider can be challenging. Many organizations struggle to craft clear, detailed, and well-structured RFIs and RFPs. These crucial documents play important roles in soliciting qualified solution providers and ultimately selecting the aligned partner to propel your business forward with tactical and strategic applications or professional services.

5 Tips for Request for Information and Request for Proposals Development

  1. Build Your Project Team: Assemble the essential internal and external qualified stakeholders with the professional capabilities, expertise, and organizational roles relevant to your project before publishing the RFI or RFP. Clearly define roles and responsibilities for each team member to foster appropriate action and accountability throughout the project lifecycle. Establish open communication channels, such as project wikis, project plan dashboards, and shared document creation with collaborative authoring and editing to promote integrity and transparency and facilitate pragmatic problem-solving.
  2. Proactively Identify Internal and External Budgets and Resources: Conduct a thorough internal assessment to identify existing resources and budget constraints to determine the feasibility of your initiative before publishing an RFI or RFP. The core funding for your endeavor should come from earned revenue, research and development, and, most importantly, operational capacities for sustainability. Explore potential external funding sources, such as grants or partnerships, to augment your efforts, but do not rely on these funding sources to undertake or sustain your core initiative. Develop a realistic and sustainable budget that aligns with your project scope and timeline to ensure responsible financial management and avoid potential setbacks. Be explicit and transparent about your budget and funding status to potential solution providers in your documents so responses can be tailored to realistic budget requirements. Be prepared to spend money and pay for what you need and want. An underfunded budget for an RFI and RFP tells potential respondents that your project is not serious nor is it likely to succeed because your lack of investment means the initiative is clearly not a priority for the organization. 
  3. Provide Up-Front Detail in Objectives and Questions: Clearly articulate your project goals and desired outcomes to provide context for potential solution providers to help them tailor their proposals accordingly. Ask specific, targeted questions addressing your unique needs and challenges to avoid generic and boilerplate responses. Provide contextual and detailed background information or data that could inform solution provider understanding, more information is often better than less while maintaining security around proprietary and sensitive information.
  4. Develop Precise Evaluation Criteria and Matrices: Define clear and measurable criteria against which you will assess proposals and link these to your organization's objectives and key results (OKRs) and key performance indicators (KPIs) to ensure criteria that meet your organization's quarterly and dynamic strategic planning requirements. Weigh each criterion based on its importance to your project to prioritize critical factors and guide your decision-making. Develop a scoring matrix to facilitate consistent and transparent evaluation of each proposal.
  5. Set Aggressive and Determined Timelines: Establish realistic yet ambitious deadlines for each project stage. Communicate deadlines clearly to all stakeholders and hold them accountable for adherence. Push a sense of urgency and ensure efficient progress through robust digital project management task tracking and analytics. Strive to maintain a sense of momentum and avoid unnecessary delays. Be agile and open to reasonable points of flexibility while focusing on achieving your goals.

Here are some further considerations for RFI and RFP development:
  • Compliance Requirements: Ensure your RFI and RFP comply with relevant requirements and work with your licensed legal counsel to avoid complications and delays.
  • Demonstration and Test Environments: Be prepared to work with solution providers to develop demonstration and test environments to preview your data, content, and processes in their prospective platforms, tools, and workflows. Have assets and resources ready to go before your RFI and RFP development process to maximize efficiency and speed in your evaluation.
  • Market Research: Do your own market research internally to understand the competitive landscape and identify potential solution providers best aligned with your initiative and organization to reach qualified suppliers.
  • Negotiation Strategy: Before engaging with shortlisted solution providers, develop a clear negotiation strategy to empower your organization to secure the most favorable conditions, pricing, and terms.
  • Standardize Document and Procurement Processes: Develop standardized agreements, documents, and procurement processes for RFI and RPI initiatives, for consistency, to mitigate error and risk, and to streamline efforts.

Connect with me to discuss your executive management consulting needs.

5 Tips for Content Management

2/19/2024

 
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Robust content management is mission-critical.

Introduction to Content Management at Stimler Advantage 

As part of its services, Stimler Advantage guides organizations in developing policies, systems, and workflows that support robust content management to streamline content creation, storage, and delivery to deliver the right message to the right audience at the right time. Content management work is informed by the Stimler Advantage 5 S’s Framework. ​

5 Tips for Content Management

Robust content management is mission-critical. Managing your organization’s unique assets and intellectual property is vital. Finding and deploying your assets in the right context and timeframe are keys to engagement and revenue generation. It can also help to build awareness and social capital for an organization’s brand. Content management encompasses document, digital asset, and information management approaches. 

Here are five tips for content management:
  1. Define Clear Governance and Operations: Define who creates, edits, approves, and publishes content to ensure accountability and prevent confusion. Build consistency in format, quality, and voice across all content. Create a framework to create, ingest, and manage content in a regular and timely manner to meet demand. Leverage mobile and integrated applications to make it easy for content contributors to publish and manage content in the system.
  2. Organize and Manage Your Content Assets: Centralize your content in a dedicated platform, a content management system (CMS), for appropriate access, editing, and organization. Implement a precise categorization system with metadata fields, controlled vocabularies, licensing and rights data, and permissions. Data and digital assets are codependent and equally important components of the content management environment. Leverage version control within a system to track changes made to content over time and identify active, feature, or retired content. Importantly, always have an exit and migration plan for the day you want to or must leave a particular system because of policy, price, technology, or other changes. Be resilient and not be vulnerable to changes from disasters, the market, solution providers, and more. 
  3. Contextualize Content for Engagement and Revenue: Align content with your business goals and ensure that your content supports your overall marketing and revenue objectives. Content not on brand, mission, or revenue targets has no place in the CMS or your organization. Optimize content for search engines (SEO) by using relevant keywords and descriptions to improve content accessibility and discoverability. 
  4. Measure and Analyze Content Performance: Leverage analytics within the CMS, and third-party platforms, to gain insights into content performance. Ask your stakeholders for feedback on your content's impact to understand its impact and relevance through embedded and regular surveys. Continuously learn and adapt your content strategy based on data-driven insights. Commit to changing your content creation, development, and management strategies, informed by engagement metrics, feedback, and the hard truth of what works and what does not. Do not be complacent. 
  5. Leverage Partnerships and Third-Party Distribution Channels: Content rarely performs well in isolation on your own hosted channels and platforms. Different audiences and users will come into contact with it based on their own interests and terms. Make it easy for your audience to find and engage with your content on the platforms and with partners who understand and advocate for your organization and its brand. Build the technology infrastructure to automatically deploy content efficiently, securely and at scale. Partners and platforms require ongoing measurement and monitoring to be successful. Be ready to adapt partnerships aligned with brand awareness and engagement changes. 

By following these tips, you can build a robust approach to content management that supports your organization’s mission-critical needs and operational sustainability.

Here are some further considerations for content management:
  • Accessibility: Ensure content is accessible to users with disabilities and meets regulatory guidelines. 
  • Legal: Proactively audit, manage, and track relevant copyright and intellectual property matters within the content management system in consultation with licensed legal counsel. 
  • Security: Implement robust security measures to protect content from unauthorized access, modification, theft, or ransom.
  • Training: Content management systems do not operate or use themselves; develop user training guides, knowledge bases, frequently asked questions, and videos to help internal and external users be self-empowered to utilize the system best. 
  • Work with Risk Management and IT: Develop a content management program and system within the policies, procedures, and requirements of your organization’s risk management and information technology environments and teams to support compliance and continuity. 
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You can build a dynamic, resilient, and sustainable organization with the five content management tips and additional considerations. 

Connect with Stimler Advantage to discuss your executive management consulting needs.

How I Know What I Know and Do What I Do

2/19/2024

 

Introduction

I am often asked about my knowledge and skills as an executive management and information technology consultant. I have acquired my expertise through a variety of sources, including formal education, informal education, hands-on experience, professional forums, publications, and technology testing. I have unique and valuable skills and twenty years of work experience that can benefit you and your organization.

Formal Education

My formal education provided a solid foundation for my professional career. Throughout my high school and undergraduate academic career, I was a motivated and high-achieving student. I earned multiple merit-based scholarships, achieved perfect marks on occasion, and received top achievement awards in recognition of my academic work and intellectual leadership.

I excelled in several areas during my formal education, including critical and speed reading, public speaking, research, teaching, and writing. I served as a teaching assistant, supporting my fellow students through their coursework and delivering exams and lectures.

In formal learning environments, I was an innovator in cultivating my own learning. I took the initiative to learn the skills I needed and wanted, such as creating a thesis program in my university department. This experience also gave me the opportunity to develop my critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

My formal education at the university level was cross and interdisciplinary, spanning the arts, humanities, social sciences, and business. This provided me with a lifelong toolkit of skills that I continue to use in professional practice.

​Informal Education

In addition to my formal education, I have also gained a great deal of knowledge from informal sources, such as articles, audiovisual media, books, certifications, courses, training, site visits, and workshops. I am constantly engaged in developing my knowledge and skills, both hard and soft (e.g., domain and technical skills, and interpersonal and intrapersonal skills) on a wide range of topics that allow me to better serve my clients and constituents.

Some of my reading interests include: aesthetics, art history, business management, American and world history, military history, philosophy, poetry, and technology. I am a self-directed, habitual, and lifelong learner who challenges myself by learning holistically about a topic in order to gain a better understanding of it. I regularly earn industry certifications to demonstrate my achievement and proficiency in a particular topic or technology.

As the methods, techniques, and tools of informal learning continue to evolve, with even greater access and speed made possible by digital technologies, I strive to learn and apply as much as I can, and at a steady pace, in order to have a nimble and prepared mind.

In my professional career, I have also benefited from the support and guidance of mentors. I have also learned a great deal from my colleagues through peer-to-peer learning. I am able to identify and appreciate exceptional teams and colleagues. I am also familiar with the professional qualities I look for in clients and collaborators.

Throughout my career, I have taken a hands-on approach to learning. This has included site visits, secret shopper visits, training, workshops, and activities with experienced practitioners. While much of my work can be done most efficiently and effectively through digital means, I am willing to immerse myself in an environment to better understand the conditions and consider work goals. I am always looking for ways to improve my skills and knowledge so that I can be ready, relevant, and resonant. I am committed to lifelong learning and self-actualization.

Hands-On Experience

I have acquired a great deal of knowledge through hands-on experience. This has taught me how to build my abilities and apply my knowledge to real-world circumstances. I began working in office administrative support roles during my school years and had internships in my then-chosen field of art history and museums. These early experiences gave me insights into organizational operations and vocation-specific activities.  

I have learned the importance of clear, decisive, and visionary leadership, as well as the importance of an established chain of command to run an organization efficiently and effectively. This includes clearly defining roles and responsibilities. I continued to work part-time in museums throughout my college years while completing my studies, which was supplemented by international study and professional internships.

My formative years of professional experience took place at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, one of the world's great art and culture institutions. I began my career with two internships, which led to temporary and then full-time positions. I held seven different roles during my time at the museum.

As a then recent graduate, I was eager to learn and get involved. I took a hands-on approach to my work, learning by doing and improving my skills as I went. I was also open to new challenges and willing to do what was needed to support my colleagues and constituents. This experience helped me to understand the importance of earnest and forthright service, while also maintaining my own considered approaches and vision for achieving successful outcomes.

I used my adaptability and foresight to design processes and technological solutions that made my previous roles obsolete. This brought greater efficiency and reduced operational costs, and also enabled me to develop capabilities to support the institution in a changing, challenging, and dynamic environment impacted by difficult economic conditions and digital transformation.

In my roles, I often had to solve problems with limited resources, people, and time across the organization and with national and international partners. Therefore, working across different work approaches and contexts and resolutely harmonizing those to achieve successful outcomes was always a major priority. I learned how to solve tactical obstacles, while developing and building overall strategic capabilities.

After working for over a decade at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, my career expanded as a fellow and consultant. I have guided and supported organizations beyond the arts and culture sector, including a variety of educational, non-profit, for-profit, and government organizations.

My hands-on experience working with executive leaders and teams in these organizations has given me an in-depth understanding of working with tactical and strategic challenges, especially under difficult conditions of economic instability and multi-year public health, safety, and security crises. I focus on themes of digital transformation, fiscal management, relevance, resilience, sustainability, and visionary leadership.

Throughout my career, I have experienced human behavior in the face of the certain need for change that at times has been inspiring and refreshing when taking on my expert recommendations and having the courage, determination, and vision to move forward, face the day, and advance. 

My work products include internal documents, project plans, and technology systems implementations. I have also facilitated dynamic strategic planning listening sessions, budgets, collaboratively authored documents, objectives and key results, policies, and staffing and team plans. These efforts have helped organizations consider their current situation and chart a course for the future.

I continue to grow each day by learning and working with colleagues and clients. I am committed to empowering them and supporting their organizations to achieve redefined possibilities.

Professional Forums

From my time as a university student, I have participated in professional forums that align with my career goals. In these organizations, I have served in various capacities, including advisor, board member, communicator, juror, organizer, presenter, secretary, and reviewer.

Through my work with these forums, locally, nationally and internationally, I have gained exposure to a variety of perspectives on professional practice in the arts, business, culture, education, and technology. In my work hosting and facilitating professional forums, I have sought to advance professional practice by promoting proactive and forward-thinking approaches to supporting colleagues and peers, leaving them better equipped to adapt to change and overcome challenges.

My interest and engagement in professional forums is very much tied to their ability to support members business, economic, and professional skills interests. I am open and eager to participate in professional forums who are fiscally sound, delivering clear value, and fostering new business development opportunities for members online and on site.

Publications

Throughout my career, I have produced a variety of publications in different formats and media. These include articles, blog posts, book chapters, conference presentations, lectures, podcasts, reports, social media posts, videos, whitepapers, and websites. My work has been published in peer-reviewed scholarly journals, as well as collaborative and self-published projects. I have also contributed articles and posts to organization blogs, publications, and reports when the topic and audience are aligned with my professional practice.

The research, writing, and editing process of my publications has helped me to develop my critical thinking and communication skills. It has also given me the knowledge and perspectives I need to effectively support my clients and constituents. My goal with each publication project is to provide readers with direct, thoughtful, and valuable insights. I do this by reflecting on my research and considering the needs of my potential audience.

I am proud to see that my past writings have been cited in other publications over time. This indicates that my work has had an impact on the professional discourse in my field. I am always looking for new ways to share my knowledge and experience with others. I am excited to continue exploring new formats, mediums, and topics of publication that reflect my professional interests and that I believe will be of value to others.

Technology Reviewing and Testing

Technology reviewing and testing has been a valuable learning experience for me. I have served as an official beta tester for several notable digital technologies from leading global companies, as well as start-ups and crowdfunded projects. Over the years, I have developed an expertise in identifying threshold changes in technology that have the potential to spawn new innovations or create long-term impacts when integrated into business and culture. I am always testing new technology environments, software, and tools, and looking for ways to use technology to improve my work and support my constituents.

As a consultant, I regularly provide expert analysis and review of technology environments, hardware, and software for my clients. I help them identify the best tools to meet their needs, taking into account their budgets, processes, workflows, and most importantly, customer success. I approach the use of technology strategically, not just for the sake of technology. Sometimes, a less-is-more approach or a streamlined and adapted technology stack is preferable to adding a new application for every use case or developing a custom solution.

I review existing and new technology as a professional service to help existing and new players in the market place situate themselves and make needed enhancements and improvements. This has helped me to become more efficient and effective, and it has also allowed me to provide my clients with better service. By being a selective early and prudent adopter of certain technologies and technology environments, I have a technical knowledge that complements my business acumen and interdisciplinary expertise, thereby providing my constituents with multifaceted guidance. I also co-author and write publications about technology environments and products to share my experience and insights with the public.

Conclusion

I believe the best way to learn and perform work is through a combination of formal education, informal education, hands-on experience, professional forums, and technology testing. By drawing on all of these sources, I have developed a deep understanding of management and information technology consulting and the skills necessary to be successful in supporting my clients to achieve their goals.

This introduction provides an overview of my approaches and methodologies for how I acquire and apply my knowledge and skills. Choosing a contractor, consultant, or employee requires careful consideration. Understanding my approaches and skills in the pursuit of achievement and excellence for organizational outcomes can help you make the decision to work with me.

Please connect we me on the Stimler Advantage website and follow me and my company, Stimler Advantage, on LinkedIn. 

    Author

    Neal Stimler is President of Stimler Advantage.

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