Many companies misguidedly waste valuable resources trying to make their new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems fit their old way of operating, instead of restructuring their operations so they can take advantage of the new capabilities the new systems offer, said Peter Wolfe, business development manager for Computer Science Corporation`s South African operation. In a presentation that won the award for the most innovative at the South African Oracle User Group Conference held on the East Rand, Wolfe said that ERP system users often try to adapt their systems to support the way the company operated before it implemented ERP, and don`t take full advantage of the capabilities the new platform provides.
"Many companies are investing time and money in the wrong place," said Wolfe. "They should adapt their operations to take advantage of the Best Demonstrated Practices (BDPs) these packages offer. If they do, they can focus on moving up the intelligence value chain achieve real-time insight into their business and measure progress to their goals."
Wolfe stressed that a business` competitive advantage comes from having a goal and strategies to achieve that goal, supported by its people, processes and technology. Appropriate standards and methodologies need to be embraced, designed and deployed to best support this.
"Competitive advantage doesn`t only come from the businesses process, such as implementing BDPs. It also comes having customized presentations of information where executives can gain insight by accessing the best intelligence they can get out of the new system combined with industry experience.
"This customised presentation of information is only possible if a company takes an enterprise approach to managing its business process once the information has been gathered, processed and analysed. These presentations give management business intelligence and, ultimately, the wisdom to better guide their actions."
Wolfe adds that business users all too often have functional gaps between the way in which they currently run their systems and the way in which the new, or upgraded, systems have been designed with BDPs.
"Once a business has aligned its operations with its new ERP system, it has more time to focus on successfully delivering the critical information management needs to address daily issues and deliver it in the format in which this knowledge is needed by each category of management.
"This also enables management to gain business insight by having a system that gives them the information they need to have a wise outlook and plan, and set an informed and intelligent course of action. "
Share
CSC offers the South African market a wide range of services, including systems integration, application and infrastructure outsourcing, and business process outsourcing, as well as financial services solutions. In South Africa, CSC also provides Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) services to manage policy processing and administration for US and UK financial services companies, which include banking, short-term insurance, and life and pensions providers. A leading information technology (IT) services provider, CSC adds value through its collaborative approach to delivering fast, reliable and flexible solutions. CSC opened its doors in South Africa in November 1999 and today has offices in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Richards Bay. For more information, contact 021 529 6500 or 011 612 5400.
CSC
Founded in 1959, Computer Sciences Corporation is a leading global IT services company. CSC`s mission is to provide customers in industry and government with solutions crafted to meet their specific challenges and enable them to profit from the advanced use of technology. With approximately 78 000 employees, CSC provides innovative solutions for customers around the world by applying leading technologies and CSC`s own advanced capabilities. These include systems design and integration; IT and business process outsourcing; applications software development; Web and application hosting; and management consulting. Headquartered in El Segundo, Calif., CSC reported revenue of $14.3 billion for the 12 months ended 1 July 2005. For more information, visit the company`s Web site at www.csc.com.
Editorial contacts