Customer-Centric, Knowledge-Based Baby Steps
“One
day companies may come to recognize their customers as constituent
parts of their internal systems. This will require change in culture,
protocols, business processes, and the commensurate software systems.
All this is happening now, in pieces and parts, with distinct areas of
convergence that surface from time to time. One notable web of
convergence currently is knowledge management, collaboration, and
innovation beginning to merge into unified methods and. Social media is
the glue that connects these disciplines into one coherent system:
intranet and extranet blogs, wikis, messaging, polls and other voting
and review systems.”
Wikis: An Essential Corporate Tool?
“The
striking thing is, the rapid spread of wikis at both companies—Finnish
handset-maker Nokia and London- and Frankfurt-based investment bank
Dresdner Kleinwort—was a grassroots phenomenon. And while the
experience of both companies suggests wikis may not be for everyone,
their versatility and ease of use has rapidly made them an essential
corporate tool.”
N-plementing an Enterprise Architecture
“I’ve
been talking to many people who are struggling with architectural
decisions like choosing a platform or toolset. This is often along the
lines of “we’re here and want to go there” or “we need to add a new
system or a set of new functionalities.” They ask me for advice on
strategies or methodologies to help them make the right decision.
“They are sometimes surprised by my simple answer: do whatever you want.”
Performance Engineering: Performance Modelling
“The
characteristic of the architecture that most affects the performance is
the distribution characteristic: distributed processing at distributed
sites with distributed databases. Coupled with this is the degree of
interaction between sites and the types of interactions.”
I, Customer
“Economics has dealt a blow to CRM
through a relentless focus on efficiency—of finding the equilibrium
point where all markets clear. That approach might have worked in Adam
Smith’s day when most of what people consumed was made at home or
bartered for but it is at least unhelpful today and, I think causes
real damage to the relationship. “
Shortage Puts SAP Workers in Demand
“Companies have largely failed to develop SAP talent in-house, and a shortage of skilled SAP
workers on the open market is forcing I.T. departments to pay premiums
to get those few that are available, according to David Foote, CEO and chief research officer of Foote Partners. It’s not uncommon for SAP jobs to stay unfilled for nine months, he says.
“Nearly every time MIT hires an SAP
professional, it is forced to offer salaries higher than the college
originally budgeted for, Dolan says. Typically, salaries exceed the
initial budgeted amount by 10 to 20%, she says.”
