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December 22, 2008

Is this the right time to go aggressive with online Retail Sales ?

Economy is still in the midst of a financial credit crisis, consumer spending is slowing and every stock market move up is followed by a corresponding move downwards. Are these tough times really the time to aggressive to go online with Sales? I think so, isnt that what the ERP packages were supposed to be ready to deliver?

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December 18, 2008

R12 Upgrade - What's in it for Retailers?

Most Product companies flourish by rolling out newer versions every now and then. Most versions are mere bug fixes, is there a difference then in the fusion enabled Oracle R12 version, especially for Retailers who have been long waiting to get an integrated suite of applications to run their business!

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August 13, 2008

Improving Package Implementations Estimates using Package Points

Today, ERP is used more to drive business improvements & operational efficiencies and hence, any delays or budget over-runs could impact the business. However, most independent surveys and studies indicate that about 55 percent of ERP Implementation projects incur budget overruns. According to Standish Group, a research firm, the average IT project runs over budget by about 43 percent. Among the litany of reasons quoted (such as excessive focus on technology at the expense of business processes, communication shortfalls, project management and operational issues) estimation & bad planning rank high in the list.

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August 10, 2008

Thinking of R12? Go for an Enhanced Upgrade

Call it the bane or boon of an ERP system, companies do not have a choice but to upgrade to a higher version. There are various factors which drive the decision to upgrade namely de-support of the current system by the ERP vendor, availability of new features in higher version which have the potential to give a strategic edge. Typically companies choose the upgrade path to avoid the de-support problem and hence what it finally does is a pure as-is technical upgrade. This has multiple benefits in the sense that it is least risky and also can be done in a shorter timeframe. But once in a while it makes sense to have a look at the new features which can bring efficiencies in the process.

 

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July 11, 2008

Upgrading to Oracle R12? Keep Fusion in mind

R12 is a milestone in Journey to Fusion

Oracle’s E-Business Suite Release 12 is Oracle’s latest version of their business applications with an upgrade path to Oracle Fusion Application. The technology stack is upgraded to Fusion Middleware, the backbone of Fusion Applications.

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July 10, 2008

Retailing in a Down Economy, any different from a Boom?

An economic downturn affects everyone, some more than others. The overall effect tends to lower consumer confidence and this has a direct impact on consumer spending. Or does it? 

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June 05, 2008

Retail Financials or Financials for Retailers- Part Deux?

Now we have established that Retailers are a special breed of organizations (see here) and their financials definitely deserve a special look. I think this difference in their operations has tremendous impact on their choice of applications. Some of the common notions of Oracle Applications such as Procure to Pay do not work for retailers.

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May 26, 2008

SCRUM Methodology: Does the Twenty-Twenty Version of the Waterfall Model Work?

The last month and a half has been exciting! The ardent cricket fan in me has been treated to some rapid fire cricket through the Indian Premier League 20:20 extravaganza. Round about the same time, my project team also started rapid application development using SCRUM, a methodology I would call the 20:20 version of the waterfall model of software development. Interestingly, the word SCRUM also has its origins from the sport of rugby where a “scrum” is a group of people responsible for picking up the ball and moving it forward.

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May 15, 2008

Retail Financials or Financials for Retailers?

Is there really a difference between the two? You bet! A lack of understanding this difference can push one down a perilous path of over budget ERP implementations. Retailers do their business differently and this difference has a big impact on accounting. Implementers, project managers, consultants and developers must all understand this difference.

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