HOUSTON – April 2010 – Departing from the conventional wisdom surrounding SAP planning and implementation, Concentric3 President Jonathan Winfiele told participants in a recent webinar that focusing on technology at the expense of business processes can have unintended – and undesired – consequences.
In his “Technology Is Just A Tool” presentation for the Supply Chain Council, Winfiele argued that an understanding of business processes is the real imperative for operational improvement, and that technology is simply a tool to help get there.
He explained that assuming technology is a “magic fix” – which he conceded was a common mistake in SAP implementation – can lead to costly missteps, missed objectives, and project failure.
To support his points, Winfiele cited a case study in which Concentric3 was called in to rescue a failing SAP ERP upgrade and centralization project.
By deepening the focus on specific businesses processes and proven change management practices – and not concentrating solely on technology – the company got the implementation back on track. The project went live as originally scheduled, and the Concentric3 strategy delivered increased operational efficiencies and dramatically reduced IT support and management costs.
About Concentric3: Houston-based Concentric3 is a leading provider of IT–related services designed to transform technology problems into business assets®. The company’s unique approach – putting business processes first, then technology (process then technology™) – enables Concentric3 to help clients save money, generate revenues, better manage projects, and achieve strategic and operational innovation.