Why your Business Information System is NOT delivering and HOW to FIX it

A concise executive briefing directed at informing executives and senior managers with regard to the REAL issues in business information systems and the measures to take to obtain greater value from their existing investments

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Unlocking the FULL potential of your ERP and other Business Systems

EXECUTIVE BRIEFING (Next date to be advised)

London, United Kingdom or In-House at your venue

See your ERP DIFFERENTLY

Equipping executives to TAKE CHARGE of their ERP

Language YOU understand

The issues reduced to FUNDAMENTALS executives can manage

The REAL issues

Steps you can take TODAY to remediate your problems

HOW to ELIMINATE the ROOT causes of your frustration

RAISE THE BAR across the board

CREATE the strategic information resource you THOUGHT you bought

A BUSINESS Briefing for Executives – NOT a technology course

Demystifies ERP and Business Information Systems generally

Powerful

Empowering

Attend this Executive Briefing to understand HOW to UNLOCK the TRUE potential of your investment

This Briefing can also be presented in-house should you require a more confidential environment or want to involve more of your staff

If you attend the full briefing and do not consider that you have received value for money we will gladly refund your full fee.

...or scroll down for more information

An Executive Level Understanding of ERP

· Are you wanting much more from your ERP investment?

· Did you have a vision for your ERP and other Business Systems that is tarnished and has not yet been achieved?

· Are you frustrated with your ERP investment?

· Do you want to understand simply why you are not getting what you expected?

· And what to do to fix the problem?

· Do you want to unlock the full potential of your ERP and other Business System investments

Then this is the Briefing for you -- concise executive level answers to all your key questions in language you will understand

Contact me now to learn how to unlock the full potential of your existing investment

An Engineering approach to high value high reliability Business System Solutions

· Equipping executives to take charge of their ERP

· Language you understand

· The critical issues reduced to fundamentals executives can manage

· Steps you can take today to remediate your problems

· How to eliminate the root causes of your frustration

· Raise the bar across the board

· Create the strategic information resource you thought you bought

· A Business Briefing for Executives – not a technology course

· Demystifies ERP and Business Information Systems generally

· Attend this Executive Briefing to understand why your ERP is not delivering and how to fix it

· Exceptional value

Contact me now to gain high value executive insights

What is ERP?

"Enterprise Resource Planning" System -- a confusing name for "Integrated Business Information System" and frequently simply another name for your computerized financial system.

If you are a C level executive (CEO, CFO, COO, CIO, etc) you need to read this and attend this briefing whether your organization is large or small.

In May 2005 Computer Business Review Africa reported "Gartner's survey of over 1300 CIO's returned some unimpressive findings about the state of BI implementations: Gartner's vice president of research summed up the situation nicely by saying: 'Most organizations are not making better decisions than they did five years ago" -- BI = "Business Intelligence" -- a direct reflection of the data available in the ERP

Some years ago the Financial Mail reported "19 out of 20 ERP implementations do NOT deliver what was promised"

A recent poll indicated that a number of people with informed opinions consider that the problem is getting WORSE and that the damage being experienced by businesses is escalating -- casual inspection of the business press substantiates this

Contact me now to have myths debunked and the technology demystified

Executives need answers regarding the way forward with their ERP's

· Change versus renew?

· Is there still life in our ERP investment or must we trash it?

· Did we purchase the wrong product?

· How long should my ERP investment last?

· I do not understand ERP

· We are at the mercy of people who do not appear to understand our business and charge excessively

· How do I maximize the return on my current investment

Contact me now to get answers to those difficult questions where your gut and the industry do NOT agree

What Is Offered?

· Half day intense, high impact briefing

· Optional afternoon free discussion session

· Electronic copies of presentations

· Electronic copies of white papers

· eBook "The Critical Factors in Information Technology Investment Success"

· Special offer on a diagnostic "Pulse Measurement" to determine the state of health of your ERP and how to fix it or uplift it

Contact me now for a concise Executive Level presentation you will understand

The slides for this Briefing are available at the end of this page

The Essence?

A new and different approach to ERP that strips away the mystique and presents ERP in a practical engineering context including "Strategic engineered Precision Configuration"

The Presenter: Dr James Robertson -- The ERP Doctor

· Has been involved in the effective application of information technology in business since 1981 and with ERP design and implementation since 1987

· Has been speaking about the unacceptably high failure rate of ERP and IT investments and how to fix them since 1991

· Since 1990 he has personally investigated dozens of failed and sub-optimal ERP implementations, diagnosed the cause of the problems and prescribed the measures necessary to turn the situation around -- has saved clients millions of Pounds

· Has built up a very substantial portfolio of personal experience on why ERP does not deliver and how to fix it -- at this briefing you will hear numerous annecdotes of relevant experience that will better equip you to identify the short comings of your own systems and what to do about it

· Has a Bachelor of Science Honours degree and PhD in Civil Engineering as well as Professional Certification as an Engineer

· He worked as an Engineer before commencing to work as a Management Consultant in 1989 with the express objective of "bringing the disciplines of Engineering to the Information Technology Industry" -- which means, in practice, "when you go to an engineer to design a bridge you get the bridge you asked for and it stands up!"

Contact me now to gain the benefit of over thirty years experience with regard to the practical high value application of computers in business

More about James Robertson

Visit his LinkedIn profile at http://UK.LinkedIn.com/in/DrJamesARobertsonERPDoctor

Dr Robertson regularly challenges the status quo in the IT and ERP industries and places considerable emphasis on achieving success by preventing failure through an engineering approach which incorporates precision configuration, accountability and other characteristics which he summarizes with the statement:

"Engineers do NOT design bridges to stand up ...

they design them NOT to fall down"

This Executive Briefing is aimed at CEO's, CIO's, CFO's, and other senior executives and managers who are too busy to attend a longer event, but really need to hear what is being said to ensure that they get the value they expect from their ERP investment

Contact me now to gain an Engineering perspective on ERP and Business Systems

Challenge conventional wisdom and get the following benefits out of the Executive Briefing

· What to do in order to extract real value from your ERP investment

· Discover the 7 critical business factors for ERP implementation success

· Understand the 7 factors causing ERP failure and non-performance and how to overcome them

· Find out where ERP is going -- what is the future of ERP?

· How to take proactive measures for ERP effectiveness

· Take charge of your ERP solutions

· Increase the probability for ERP success in your organization

· Prevent business crippling outcomes

· Discover what you can and should do about under-performing ERP implementations

· Ten simple steps you can take to improve the quality of information from your ERP TODAY

Contact me now to learn a radically different and better approach to ERP and Business Systems

Bonus – Book, Discussion Session, etc

· Delegates will receive an electronic copy of Dr James Robertson's book "The Critical Factors for Information Technology Investment Success"

· Lunch included for those who can stay - network and get answers to questions

· Bonus afternoon discussion session -- bring your questions and concerns, samples of your data, problem reports, etc and receive specific answers -- treat it as a no charge advisory session

· Delegates will receive electronic copies of all presentations together with a wide variety of white papers, articles, etc providing a detailed source of reference material on diverse topics

Contact me now to obtain a full package of information that will dramatically improve your ability to effectively manage your ERP and other Business Information Systems

Also Offered -- Diagnostic Pulse Measurement

A concise expertise based investigation into what is wrong with your systems and concise executive actionable prescription for treatment by "The ERP Doctor"

Diagnostic consulting intervention at a special rate for organizations sending delegates to the executive briefing

Click here for detailed information

Scroll down for more information on "Why your ERP is not delivering and how to fix it"

Also Offered -- One Day Masterclass: ERP and IT Procurement that Delivers Results

· Planning to purchase a new ERP or other major Business Information System?

· Concerned about all the reports of failed and sub-optimal system implementations?

· Looking for a better way to handle procurement with a robust, tough, client centric, enforceable, fixed price contract?

· Then this one day MasterClass on an new robust engineering approach to Business Information System and ERP procurement is absolutely VITAL

· Delegates will be afforded an opportunity to purchase a full set of electronic document templates for a preferential fee

Click here for detailed information about this powerful course that will change your outlook on Business Systems procurement

Scroll down for more information on "Why your ERP is not delivering and how to fix it"

Also Offered -- Two Day Course: The Critical Factors for IT and ERP Investment Success

Based on the book of the same name this Course will equip people managing ERP, Business Information Systems and Information Technology generally with innovative and practical insights directed at aligning these systems and services more closely with the business and raising the bar in terms of business relevant outcomes

This two day course is directed at informing CIO's, IT Managers and other IT Practitioners with regard to a range of principles and techniques that they can apply in their day to day work situation to up their game with regard to managing these critical business elements -- also valuable to business managers wanting a deeper insight into the management of IT and ERP

Click here for detailed information on this practical business relevant course that will open up new lines of thinking with regard to the management of computerized systems in your organization

Scroll down for more information on "Why your ERP is not delivering and how to fix it"

Overview of Why your ERP is not delivering and how to fix it

This Briefing is directed at Executives and Senior Managers who are frustrated with the sub-optimal performance of their ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) and other Business Information System investments and want to understand why their problems are occurring and how to rectify them

The Briefing is presented personally by Dr Robertson and throughout the day points are supported by anecdotes and references from personal experience ensuring that the material is brought to life in ways delegates can engage with and act on

Delegates will receive a Compact Disk containing a copy of the presentations together with a diversity of articles and white papers for future reference

This concise Executive Briefing summarizes the experience and lessons learned by Dr James Robertson -- The ERP Doctor -- in 40 years of exposure to Computer Systems, 32 years experience with the application of computers in business and 24 years of experience in bringing the Disciplines of Engineering to the IT and ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) arena

This experience includes numerous "Pulse Measurement" investigations into failing and sub-optimal Business Information System and ERP investments coupled to assisting clients to turn such situations around and achieve successful high value outcomes

This experience was summarized in the book "The Critical Factors for Information Technology Investment Success" and has been extended since publication of the book with a number of briefings and courses building on this experience -- delegates will receive an electronic copy of the book on registration

The book is associated with the two day course of the same name which is run periodically in conjunction with the Executive Briefing -- please see http://www.james-a-robertson-and-associates.com/Seminars/
CriticalFactorsITandERPSuccess.aspx

The Briefing format came about when delegates to the course said "I really need my CEO to attend this but he will never be able to spend two days, can you create a course that you can present in half a day?"

This Executive Briefing is run over five and a half hours and delivers a wide ranging Executive Overview of the Factors giving rise to ERP under-performance and failure and the measures necessary to remediate these factors and turn systems around AND create EXCEPTIONAL value

Free discussion session after the session – bring specific examples and receive a free consultation

Have your Chief Information Officer or IT Manager attend the two day course or attend this briefing with you

A concise HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW that will EQUIP you to TAKE CHARGE

If you attend the full briefing and do not consider that you have received value for money we will gladly refund your full fee.

1. The ideal -- Questions you SHOULD be able to say "YES" to

a. Do you experience your ERP as a strategic weapon in your competitive arsenal?

b. Has your ERP investment met ALL your expectations?

c. Does your ERP do EVERYTHING you were promised?

d. Do you get answers to your questions the same day you ask them?

e. Do you regularly extol the virtues of your ERP to your friends, associates and peers?

f. Would you enthusiastically recommend your ERP Implementation firm to your best friend?

g. Are your staff empowered, productive and effective in their use of your ERP?

h. Does the ERP run so smoothly that you seldom call in the Implementers?

i. Has your experience been so positive that you cannot relate to the horror stories some people tell?

If you can say “YES” to all or most of the above questions you do NOT need this Briefing BUT IF you said “NO” you should attend the Briefing and learn how you CAN get to “YES” on all of the above points

Learn HOW to get to YES on ALL the above

2. The reality -- Questions you reluctantly have to say "YES" to

a. Is the word “strategic” completely inappropriate when referring to your ERP?

b. Are you totally frustrated with your ERP?

c. Are you seriously considering replacing your ERP because it does NOT deliver?

d. Has your ERP failed to deliver what was promised?

e. Do you struggle to get answers to basic questions even though you know the transactions are being processed?

f. Do answers take days or weeks to obtain and require highly trained personnel to extract?

g. Do related reports on the same information NOT agree?

h. Do you DISTRUST your ERP?

i. Are you paying large sums of money to your Implementer years after they should have left?

j. Do you have senior “consultants” constantly doctoring your system?

k. When you discuss ERP with your peers are you amongst the foremost critics? Or do you try and change the subject?

l. Are your staff as frustrated as you are?

m. Do you have a mass of spreadsheets and add-on software outside the ERP?

n. Are you NOT sure whether you actually really use the ERP at all?

o. Do you regard your Implementer as a necessary evil that generates expenditure you do NOT understand?

p. Do you feel ignorant and stupid around ERP people?

If you said "YES" to many or most of these questions then this Briefing is for you!!

Learn HOW to get to NO on ALL the above

3. The Answer -- Why your ERP is NOT Delivering

If you answered “NO” to most of the questions in Section 1 or “YES” to most of the statements in Section 2 you will find this Executive Briefing invaluable

You will be taken through a set of principles and a method which will show you how it IS possible to say “YES” to the questions in Section 1 and “NO” to the statements in Section 2

A POWERFUL explanation of the REAL issues in achieving HIGH VALUE ERP operation

Why your Business Information System is NOT delivering and HOW to FIX it: Part 1: Context and Definitions

A comprehensive review of critical contextual information and definitions that are necessary to fully understand the remaining presentations

Executive Briefing - Why your ERP is NOT Delivering and HOW to Fix it -- Context and Definitions by Dr James A Robertson from James Robertson

Download Welcome and Administration -- pdf Slides in Adobe pdf format

Download Context and Definitions -- pdf Slides in Adobe pdf format

Part 2: What IS ERP -- REALLY?

Section 2 of presentations for five hour Executive Briefing on Why your ERP is NOT delivering and HOW to FIX it. Defines the essential elements of ERP -- defines things you need to know in order to manage your ERP investment effectively

01.02 Executive Briefing - Why your ERP is NOT Delivering and HOW to FIX it -- What IS ERP -- RALLY by Dr James A Robertson from James Robertson

Download What is ERP -- REALLY -- pdf Slides in Adobe pdf format

Download What is ERP -- REALLY -- Presentation in Power Point pptx format

Part 3: Why do ERP implementations fail to deliver?

Section 3 of five hour Executive Briefing -- Why your ERP is NOT delivering and HOW to fix it. Discussion of the factors that give rise to 19 out of 20 ERP Implementations NOT delivering what was promised

01.03 Executive Briefing - Why EPR NOT delivering -- Why do ERP implementations fail to deliver? by Dr James A Robertson from James Robertson

Download Why do ERP implementations fail to deliver -- pdf Slides in Adobe pdf format

Download Why do ERP implementations fail to deliver -- Presentation in Power Point pptx format

Part 4: Precision Configuration

Section 4 of the five hour Executive Briefing on Why your ERP is NOT delivering and HOW to FIX it. Leading edge thinking on precision configuration and taxonomies

01.04 Executive Briefing - Why ERP NOT Delivering -- Precision Configuration by Dr James A Robertson from James Robertson

Download Precision Configuration -- pdf Slides in Adobe pdf format

Download Precision Configuration -- Presentation in Power Point pptx format

Part 5: How to FIX it

01.05 Executive Briefing - Why ERP NOT Delivering -- How to FIX it by Dr James A Robertson from James Robertson

Download How to fix it v 014_015 -- pdf Slides in Adobe pdf format

Download How to fix it -- Presentation in Power Point pptx format

The entire briefing plus a large collection of reference and supporting documents is available in the zip file available to download below

Download Executive Briefing -- Why ERP NOT Delivering -- Document Pack in WinZip zip format

Random Selection of Articles by Dr James Robertson

TxM 015 Section 1.13 Key Benefits of the JAR&A SEPT approach to system and data warehouse configuration

Mzn 007 Understanding strategy and how ERP fits in

TxM 007 Section 1.5 History of the JAR&A Strategic Engineered Precision Taxonomy (SEPT) approach?

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

Std 011 Procurement: 03 Business Information System Requirements Definition

The Business Requirements Specification is a strategically focused document, that is it lifts out the essence of the business and how it thrives in a structured and weighted manner so that there is NO uncertainty on the part of the bidders as to the exact nature of the business

The strategic essence must lift out the fundamentals of the busines and particularly what is unusual, the elements that deliver competitive advantage and which are therefore the most vulnerable to inappropriate action

This is NOT the place for generic industry definitions or for long lists of standard software functionality -- development of the requirements specification requires a mature and highly experienced consultant with a solid understanding of strategic essence AND a solid understanding of systems and how systems integrate with the business to deliver high value outcomes

SNw 005 Determining Strategy

Prd 010 Considerations in developing a product catalogue

SNw 031 The CEO MUST be the custodian of ERP

TxM 013 Section 1.11 What is different about the JAR&A ERP Implementation approach

CIO 006 Beyond Technology

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:

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Random Selection of Articles by Dr James Robertson

Cnf 060 Why Information Technology In Managed Healthcare Does Not Deliver What Is Expected And How To Fix It -- Slides

Healthcare industry standard codes like ICD 10 and CPT 4 are amongst the worst examples of bad computer data engineering practice in the world today, there is huge scope for improvement in ways that will allow the application of computer based maintenance management techniques to be applied in countries where there is a severe shortage of qualified medical practitioners, the case for investing in such code schemes is present

SNw 006 Information Technology - The Harshest Judge of Governance??

SNw 048 Robust Procurement: Part 2 -- Bill of Services, Laboratory, Go-live Certificate, etc

The importance of a formal bill of services, a business simulation laboratory, the issue of formal certificates including a formal go-live certificate and related matters

SNw 004 What IS Strategy?

Prd 019 What EXACTLY IS the Cubic Business Model?

TxM 011 Section 1.9 Why Taxonomy coding is important

TxM 033 Section 3.6 The Critical Factors For Integrated Business Information System (IBIS) Investment Success

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

TxM 016 Section 1.14 The REAL cost of SEPT Versus the REAL cost of conventional solutions And the REAL value of SEPT

TxM 059 Section 7.3 The essence of the solution