How would you answer the question, “How important is the quality of your vendors’ or customers’ performance to the success of your business?” You would probably respond, “It is very important.” Right? Not a highly scientific survey… but an honest one. Quality matters. For everyone. So, and here is the age-old question, what is it about quality that matters? I …
Microsoft’s Message about Cloud brings Fog and Torrential Rain
In last week’s blog, we started a series of posts related to cloud trends for manufacturing. This week, the DynamicsGP User Group Summit event presents us with a great opportunity to expand a little more on that subject, as one of the key topics at this event is certain to be The Cloud. More specifically, it is likely to be …
Cloud Trends for Manufacturing
The “to the cloud” decision is one that many businesses will face over the next few years and, while the term cloud is found everywhere, the definition varies so much that it can be confusing. This lack of specificity is causing many decision-makers to be more than a little uneasy about taking their first steps. From Information Super Highway to …
Are There One or Two Paths from Envision 2016?
Reading the variety of post-event comments from Microsoft Envision 2016, it is very clear that two strong camps have emerged. Which is not to say that they are in conflict with each other. Just that, in my opinion, there were two important outcomes from the event. The outcomes aren’t even exclusionary. I believe that those individuals who care about one …
The Inevitability of Digital Transformation
At the inception conference for Microsoft’s Envision this past week in New Orleans, digital transformation was at the heart of CEO Satya Nadella’s keynote address. Anyone not present for the keynote or not particularly focused on the software industry could be forgiven for wondering why a speech was delivered about transferring your photos or music to digital media. After all, …
When Convergence Evaporated
When Convergence Evaporated, What Did We Gain? For the last ten years the first quarter of my team’s calendar year has been heavily focused on wrapping up final details and preparing for Microsoft’s event, Convergence. For us the planning effort begins almost as soon as the previous year’s event ends. So one might think that Microsoft’s recent announcement – Convergence …
The Great Search for the Right Integrated ERP
Like every other year for the past 15 or so, I will speak with many organizations that plan to acquire manufacturing software or expand the capability of their existing solutions with functionality like quality management. These organizations will take similar but not identical routes in their investigation and evaluation of proposed solutions. A high number will find themselves facing the …
Is Confidence the Difference Between Estimates and Guesses?
At the Dynamics products user group summit in Reno in October, we decided to engage in a small social experiment. We asked attendees to tell us how many pieces of Candy Corn (we were very seasonal) they thought were in the jar we were displaying. We provided a few tools to help them develop their answer: measuring tapes, sample candy, …
Learning from First-time Flyers
I have a deep respect if not an actual fondness for the way the airline cabin crew executes their safety announcements. Regardless of how many passengers are on the plane, they deliver their messages consistently and clearly. Sure, they understand that there are likely more than a few passengers aboard who have flown before, but they also recognize that some …
Business Success Comes Through Improvements
Meaningful business success always comes down to one thing: improvement. Show me a new product, a more successful company or a happier customer and I will show you improvement. Given the exceedingly strong correlation between success and improvement isn’t it a wonder that more companies don’t have formal methods for the improvement factor? Improvement Management Becomes Formalized In the upcoming …