Articles by Dr James Robertson

Case study of a strategic planning project undertaken to develop a customer service focused IT Strategy for the Armaments Corporation of South Africa, the project used strategic marketing concepts to research business user, business requirements and concerns and convert these into a strategic action plan that was measurable and actionable thereby strengthening the position of the IT Department as a partner with the business

Std 026 Old Software IS Viable

Many business information system projects are motivated on the basis that the existing systems are obsolete. This article challenges that argument with regard to a significant number of systems and presents information that will enable executives and managers to take a pragmatic view of this debate

Std 015 Procurement: 07 Bid Compliance Checklist

The Bid Compliance Checklist is designed to ensure that bid documents are complete and that bidders comply with prescribed requirements. Bidder are required to initial each item to confirm compliance and reference to the documents that underpin the specific point where this is applicable

TxM 012 Section 1.10 Differentiators

Civ 001 Creating wealth in the new South Africa - an engineering approach

TxM 018 Section 2.1 What is the JAR&A Strategic Engineered Precision Taxonomy (SEPT) approach?

Dr James A Robertson PrEng The Business Information Systems Doctor

Business Systems NOT delivering?

Call the Business Systems Specialist

Dr. James Robinson

Dr James A Robertson -- has been involved in the effective application of Business Information Systems, including but NOT limited to ERP, since 1987 and in the profitable and effective use of computers in Business since 1981.

Drawing on a diversity of experience, including formal military training in Quick Attack techniques at the Regimental Commander level, Dr Robertson has developed highly effective methods of investigating any sub-optimal Business Information Systems situation -- be it an established system or a stalled project or any other source of Executive frustration -- quickly and concisely diagnosing the root cause of the problem and prescribing concise practical actions that Business Executives can effectively act on see the Pulse Measurement page and also the Sample Reports page for redacted real reports.

He has also developed highly effective methods of strategically enriching systems to unlock the full potential of existing investments, see the Precision Configuration page and couples this to architecting small pieces of clever software that harness the full potential of your investment, see the Software page.

If you are having problems with your systems, your project or your IT Department, call The Business Systems Specialist
James@James-A-Robertson-and-Associates.com

Business System Failure is RIFE -- we offer insight into why this happens AND WHAT is required to prevent it.

Failure is at epidemic levels with massive damage done to client companies -- if you are NOT aware of the extent of the problem please visit the About Failure page for a catalog of major failures running to billions of Pounds and Dollars.

All evidence indicates that the established players do NOT know how to deliver stable, reliable high value solutions that WORK.

There HAS to be a better way!

This website provides information relating to that way with a large collection of white papers, presentations, standards documents, etc that you can use to start bringing the situation under control

We also offer high level advisory services with regard to the application of the principles advocated on this website

We offer an ENGINEERING APPROACH to addressing these issues

By Engineering I mean the formal, structured, highly disciplined, highly systematic, highly practical approach that consistently delivers results in ALL areas of human endeavor where formally trained and certified engineers are the ONLY practitioners permitted to operate -- think large buildings, factories, motor vehicles, aircraft -- highly complex systems that work at a level that we take it for granted that they WILL work and where failure is all but unthinkable and, when it happens, attracts immediate public attention and rigorous investigation directed at ensuring that such failures are prevented in the future -- in fact, everything that the management consulting industry that implements complex software systems is NOT

This approach is discussed further on the Engineering Approach page.

Book -- The Critical Factors for Information Technology Investment Success

In 2003 I undertook an in-depth analysis of all the information and experience that I had gathered with regard to the factors giving rise to Business Information System failure including ERP and general IT and classified this information into a number of categories including "The Factors Causing Failure" and "The Critical Factors for Success" based on this I developed a two day Course "The Critical Factors for Information Technology Investment Success" which is still offered today.

Based on this I wrote the book of the same name, which is available in electronic form here for download:

Subscribe to our StratNews newsletter

Click here to send us an email subscribing to our free newsletter -- all articles posted by James Robertson will be emailed to you

Random Selection of Articles by Dr James Robertson

CIO 002 It's about People

SNw 012 Engineer against Failure

Std 014 Procurement: 06 System Procurement Bill of Services

The Bill of Services is directly comparable to the Bill of Materials on a Construction Project -- it is intended to list ALL the services that are required in order to execute the project and deliver the required business outcome

The Bill of Services is prepared by a person with considerable experience in the implementation of business information systems who is able to draft a comprehensive list. This list may then be fine tuned by bidders to reflect their particular methods and approach

The Bill of Services is the basis on which the bid is priced and the basis on which the contractor is paid -- if it is NOT in the Bill of Services there is NO basis for a claim

Std 020 Procurement: 11 Schedule of Reference Documents

A key component of the approach is to assemble a pack of every single piece of paper, spreadsheet and screen shots and other information of every manual and computer based component of the business that the new system is to either provide or interact with

The documents handed out for general tender should be redacted and unsuccessful bidders can be required to return the file/s

A full set (NO redaction) must be issued to the successful bidder during the detailed discovery process -- redaction means to erase or otherwise blot out sensitive information

The covering schedule must indicate the level of importance of each item in the pack and whether it is a required deliverable

SNw 004 What IS Strategy?

SNw 046 The Real Issues in BIS: Part 2 -- Mythology and Lack of Executive Custody

Information Technology Mythology, the wide spread of marketing hype driving misrepresentation of the business information systems environment coupled with lack of integrity and other factors that result in the industry generally failing to deliver on its promises, together with Executive Custody, the ownership of integrated Business Information Systems by the CEO of the business are discussed

Cnf Shw Showcase of Conference Presentations

The following presentations best represent my conference speaking experience and technique each presentation is tailored to the subject matter of the conference, all follow the same broad theme of the importance of strategy, the factors that cause failure and the critical factors for success, most relate to the Business Information Systems / ERP / IT field although some branch out into related topics drawing relevant parallels as a former member of the Professional Speakers Association of Southern Africa and former Toastmaster presentation technique, animation, etc are reasonably well developed and refined -- I specialize in talks that at some level challenge the status quo and raise the bar in the subject under discussion

TxM 046 Section 5.1 The JAR&A SEPT Cubic Business Model and Group-Wide Chart of Accounts

Std 013 Procurement: 05 Software Schedule

The software schedule is a list of all functional software elements that it is assessed are required. This is a basis for bidders to add and subtract the modules and products that they have to offer in order to make up the mosaic that constitutes the complete response to the requirement

The software schedule correlates directly with the Bill of Services and the two should be set up to align with one another

SNw 054 What does a HIGH VALUE Business Information System Solution look like -- White Paper

An overview of the attributes of a high value business information systems implementation measured in terms of the business outcome some years after the system has been fully commissioned