Monday 21 July 2014

Where Does ERP Selection Fit with Your Continuous Improvement Efforts?

An article byAdam Bluemer with Richard Cushing (a TOC expert).

Here is the beginning and a link to the full article.

Consider the following questions:
  • How do you ensure you have the right systems to operate effectively?
  • How do you evaluate your technology needs?
  • How do you choose the right ERP solution?
If you’ve read this blog before, you’ll recognize these as central discussion topics. Each question has been addressed from many different angles.
But I noticed something reading Richard Cushing’s writing over at the RKL eSolutions blog. One of the themes running through Richard’s writing is an insistence that it’s premature to ask these questions, if you haven’t asked some more fundamental questions first:
  • What does improving your business really look like?
  • How do you isolate the issues that need to be overcome to secure better performance?
The fact is, these questions are at the real root of business improvement. To put it another way, you can’t possibly come up with the right answers, if you’re solving the wrong problems.