Shiny new things

As human beings we are all naturally drawn to the shiny new thing set before us. Throughout history, regardless of culture, social upbringing, economic conditions, peace or war we are drawn to that shiny new thing. In the not so distant past shiny new things came at us in manageable frequency. Even if we heard about some shiny new thing in a faraway land we could decide whether to pick up and move to where the shiny new thing was or stay put. Either way we had time. We could study it, think about it, discuss it with others and then decide on whether the shiny new thing was for our benefit or not. The challenge for us today is that shiny new things are coming at us in multiples we cannot begin to digest, discuss, weigh the benefits or breakdown and study. We simply do not have the time because the next hour will bring another wave of shiny new things. Now, I’m not against having shiny new things, but I am concerned about taking the necessary time to review, test and verify or to even evaluate unintended consequences. Will we take short cuts just to say look at my shiny new thing? Is there any real value? Is it beneficial?

Every shiny new thing is not beneficial

I deal in the business world. My customers and the people I serve are trying to improve their lives, improve the performance of the companies they work for and even enhance their relationships with co-workers. I believe that because I see it firsthand. Some do it better than others but that’s only natural. What isn’t natural, and I see this every day is the deluge of shiny new things set before them with the large promise and in most cases the poor performance to improve their business and even their lives. I heard a story not that long ago where a software vendor was showing a shiny new advanced planning and scheduling solution to a room full of manufacturing professionals. Optimization algorithms and black box LP lingo filled the air. Seeing eye’s glazing over the vendor rep stopped the meeting and asked the audience a simple question, “can anyone here in a sentence or two explain what an LP is and its benefit?” Now that could have been his last day of employment with that company, but the fact was he said, no one in that room could answer the question. They couldn’t digest it. The shiny new thing had no value!

Can’t completely ignore all shiny new things

So, should we shy away or stop investigating the shiny new thing set before us? Of course not! I’m drawn to a scene from the movie Remember the Titans, where coach Herman Boone explains that his offense is basically only a handful of plays but it’s the near perfect execution of those plays that’s the difference. So, it is with successful businesses. You’re running SAP. Your running the most powerful, scalable and functionally rich ERP available today. Commit yourself to near perfect execution in the functional areas of sales and distribution, materials management, production planning, financial accounting, controlling, and human capital management and there’s immense value and benefit in those things right there. So, go ahead review, dig deep, discuss, debate and digest the shiny new thing but don’t be distracted by it. Focus on the handful of plays that add value.

OMS+ is not just another shiny new thing – a fresh perspective on a proven technology

My company DataXstream is committed to helping companies that run SAP to near perfect execution in the functional area of sales and distribution. Our solution, OMS+ on SAP Cloud Platform like coach Boone’s playbook is one of those fundamental products that when executed on provides immense value and benefit. In the OMS+ playbook there are three plays. The first is increased sales. The second is reduced cost and the third is better sales agility. Let’s unpack that a bit more. Increased sales through a hike in your average transaction amount with cross and upsell pop ups. Easily look up customer history: previous orders, volume, discounts. Easily look up and recommend alternate material. Easily apply promotions & discounts. The second is reduced cost. OMS+ does this through a reduction in the complexity of sales processing. CSR oriented usability which does not require proprietary (SAP) experience and a reduction in change management cost. Lastly and perhaps most critical is better sales agility. Our solution enables onboarding of acquisitions or new sites quickly and efficiently. Quickly adapt to changing markets and demand as well as changing sales models. There’s proven value in proactive views vs. reactive reports

As the head line says OMS+ not just a shiny new thing but a fresh perspective on a proven technology.

You can find out more about our solution on the SAP App Center  https://www.sapappcenter.com/apps/6561#!overview

DataXstream will be exhibiting at the years Sapphire at booth #490

https://www.dataxstream.com/2018/04/sap-sapphirenow-asug-2018/