19 Most Interesting Articles and Interviews of 2015

It was a busy year for ERP experts, with more developments and challenges, and with more companies implementing ERP software and looking for a pain-free process. In this post, you can find the best insights, news and interview in the field, which I carefully collected, and will best help you prepare for the upcoming year. Enjoy!

1. 8 Enterprise Software Predictions for 2015

What better way to start this roundup than with a look back at a wisely made prediction from Jennifer Lonoff Schiff. Without giving away too much, I’ll just mention that she predicted that the Hybrid Cloud would go mainstream, and that Mobile CRM, like other enterprise mobile apps, would take off…

 

2. Get Your Employees To Work ‘Like Nobody’s Watching’

We all love prediction- but this one, presented by Forbes expert Louis Columbus gives us another look. His main points take a look at the predicted reasons for the acceleration of the Cloud ERP solutions growth. There are five catalysts affecting the decline of traditional ERP systems, which are predicted to decline by 30% in 2016.

 

3. Don’t Let Your ERP Project Fail

In this article, Darren Quilty warns the reader: “Don’t let your ERP project fail.” He talks about the reasons for an ERP project to become an astonishing success or a misfortune failure, and does his best to ensure that you will come out with the desired results if you follow the steps he lays out.

 

4. ERP: Lessons from the Field

How do you choose the right ERP system for your organization? Let’s ask some senior finance executives. In this article, Chris Schmidt talks about some of the lessons he learned “from the field,” and he shows readers how to navigate the world of selecting an ERP. I believe it’s a great article, and a must read for ERP users.

 

5. Warehouse/DC Management: Advanced WMS meets mid-market ERP

This fantastic article by Roberto Michel makes a brilliant comparison between the “mid-market ERP” and the more “advanced” WMS. He playfully called it the comparison between the “warehouse” and the DC management. You can agree or disagree with his insights – but you’ve got to admit they are fascinating and intriguing.

 

6. Why it’s a Good Idea to Switch to Cloud Financial Management Software

Another great article posted this year explores the different perks of switching to cloud financial management software.  John Hoebler’s well-written article explains how Cloud financial management applications are changing the way we upgrade our ERPs. No more spending countless hours and dollars on your system upgrade!

 

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7. A Practical Guide to Planning and Executing the Right ERP Implementation

In this article, Miranda Marquit offers direction in the form of an ERP implementation guide. According to a recent study, 25% of ERP implementations fail, while up to 80% are over-priced and require too much development time. Executing a perfect ERP implementation calls for proper planning, creation of a scalable solutions, shopping around and finding the right tools. It’s also important to involve all the stakeholders in the decision-making including the IT section and other executives.

 

8. Will Popular Add-Ons Work for Dynamics GP in the Cloud?

This article discusses Microsoft’s decision to attract more organizations to invest in the Dynamics GP, thus to ease their workflow and improve their agility and reliability. According to Microsoft, Dynamics GP in the cloud gives their customers enhanced security and greater remote access. The article offers different experts’ opinions on the changes in Dynamics GP, discussing the possibilities ahead.

 

9. 3 Ways Cloud is Changing ERP Forever

A somewhat different take on the dramatic changes and the interesting ways the cloud is changing the ERP. In this article, Erik Tiden argues that the cloud goes far beyond its basic purposes, and also changes the way we see applications, organizations and business models. Tiden goes even further, offering that the key to improving your experience of workplace enterprise applications is the ongoing growth of cloud and its widespread acceptance as a key component of corporate IT strategies.

 

10. How to Find an ERP System That’s Easy to Use: 5 Tips

This article from Business2Community outlines five tips to successfully find an ERP solution that works for you. The tips vary from simplifying the business process to clearly setting your goals. The highlight of this article, in my opinion, is that each tip uses direct quotes and references from other consultants, experts and researches, making each theory more valid and practical.

 

11. Supply Chain and Logistics Technology: ERP Has Arrived

Here you can read about the expansion of ERP solutions. Now, beyond running organizations’ finance, human resource, distribution, manufacturing, sales and service functions, ERP have been expanding to include more supply chain management functions. Bridget McCrea goes over the possibilities and advancements ahead, combining experts’ intake.

 

12. Scrapping Your ERP Maintenance Contract

Vincent Ryan took a close look at the ERP vendor’s maintenance agreement that had been considered a mandatory line item.  He follows a Gartner research, according to which even though the number of customers that have cancelled their ERP vendor’s maintenance agreement is low as a proportion of the vendors’ total installed base (an estimated 5% to 10%), the analyst firm is seeing a steady increase in the number of inquiries from clients who are seriously considering it. He then examines all the factors driving this trend, including low value-to-cost ratio and noncurrent software release.

 

13. Software Entrepreneur’s Playbook: Big Data Meets HR

One of the biggest missed opportunities in the use of Big Data is for HR. This piece by Roger Lee highlights the best use of analytics and data-driven tactics in hiring the right people for your company. Learn how to systemize the hiring process with analytics and metrics collected from your data.

 

14. How to Implement ERP 20% Faster

One of the common mistakes SaaS businesses fall into is the belief that ERP is too costly to implement, due to its implementation process duration. Many believe that cost overruns “will” happen regardless of good budgeting efforts, and how there is never anything truly “off the shelf” no matter what salespeople say otherwise. This article from ERP SoftwareBlog gives four tips on how to implement ERP up to 20% faster. Remember – ERP implementations often go slow because of people decisions, not the technology.

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15. To ERP or Not to ERP: Should SMB’s Invest In Enterprise Resource Planning?

Another well written and straightforward article, presenting more reasons to why you should get an ERP solution for your company. Orgad Gratch presents the questions that many face when considering using an ERP system, and shows the benefits small business can gain from choosing to go for it.  Orgad puts a necessary emphasis on the process of choosing the right ERP system for you, the kind that suits you best, and not just randomly pick something out- a common mistake many do.

 

16. From Mainframe to the Cloud: The History of ERP Software

This article from CIO provides an interesting retrospective of the history of ERP software. In the beginning over 50 years ago, it has been noted that tiny changes in technology ripple outward into massive shifts. Some of these shifts include decreased costs in hardware and increased flexibility, many of which come from the transition into cloud technology.

 

17. Paths to Success Using ERP

In this article, we analyze an infographic from SAP and Algorithm about the paths to success using ERP. The infographic itself follows an intuitive path, starting with a reason why one would be apprehensive about ERP software. The path continues by answering these questions with strong answers, backed up with data that supports ERP as a successful platform.

 

18. Case study: ERP implementations at Curver & Story Homes

I think this article by Richard Crump is worth sharing, mainly because provides a real-life example of a process we should all master. It covers a case study about the ERP implementation at the Curver & Story Homes, in a Q&A format with their financing chiefs.  Case studies really open a window for us, who deal with ERP implementation on a daily basis, to the different challenges people face in the process.

 

19. 7 ERP Implementation Tips

Drew Robb shares with us 7 tips from ERP experts, to make the odds ever in our favor in this useful article. Because there are plenty of do’s, don’ts, gotchas, pitfalls and minefields “waiting for the naive or unsuspecting when it comes to implementing ERP,” Robb is dedicated into making things as simple as possible. So keep your head in The Cloud, and read this great article.

 

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Marissa Hart is the Lead Author & Editor of ERPeople. ERPeople is a blog focused on all Enterprise Resource Planning business management platforms. ERP can be used by a company to collect, store, manage, and interpret data from many business activities, including: Product planning, cost, manufacturing or service delivery, marketing, and sales.