Actual for You - Business

Learn The Easy Way-From Other People's Mistakes
We’ve all been subjected to awful speakers—some are boring, others are sanctimonious, a few are tedious. The one thing all of these rotten speakers have in common is this: listening to them is pure torture and all you can think about is how you will never get the last thirty minutes of your life back.Most of us tune out quickly once we are subjected to a lousy speaker. We pretend to take notes on our Palms only to check our email or add items to our To Do List. We daydream about our summer vacations. Occasionally, we literally fall asleep.The master communicator does none of these things. Instead, the master listens and watches the poor speaker AND watches the other audience members carefully. The master understands that the more you know about how other speakers lose their audiences, the less likely you are to lose your own audience the next time you have to speak.Only by watching and listening to dreadful speakers can you break down, step-by-step, exactly what their mistakes are. Once mistakes are isolated, they are easier not to repeat.The essential ingredient that master communicators must have is self-awareness. The masters must be able to see other people’s blunders and acknowledge that they too have made the same mistakes and are likely to do so again and unless they remind themselves constantly not to do so.For example, most of us have sat through countless business presentations from executives that are incredibly boring because the speaker lists one abstract fact after another, quickly. The sp

t also occurs when staff members assigned to ERP projects do not take the time to run the screens of the new system, as they would during their daily work tasks, to find out if the software package features are adequate for their needs.

Another reason we have found is executives, familiar with an ERP system from a last job they held, implement the same system in their new company without defining functional requirements. We have also encountered companies who made major gaffes by selecting a package at the top levels of a company without intimately knowing its characteristics. What often results from this is the ERP package doesn't fit the organizational needs, or that the package selected takes longer to process daily work tasks.

We have also seen executives select a distribution package for a manufacturing environment, or a manufacturing package for a distribution environment, for obscure reason, such as liking one salesman over another.

(4) Inadequate Resources
The third greatest reason for ERP implementation failures is inadequat

Temperature Control: Saving You Some Money
Managing temperature control effectively will save you quite a bit of money. There is no doubt that you can save money through the use of devices that will help you to regulate the temperature in any building or room. In this day and age of high fuel costs, it makes good sense to invest some time in learning the right way to go about temperature control. And, it makes sense to think wisely every time you head to change that thermostat’s settings once again. Temperature control is something that every person at the location needs to play a part in.Temperature control in the business or commercial setting is important. You don’t want your guests to run because it is too hot or too cold in your establishment. Nor do you want to provide your employees with less than perfectly comfortable conditions for them to work in. But, there is a fine line between what is okay and what is excessive as well. Finding the happy medium, while hard, is necessary for the sanity of everyone in the location.Temperature control is something that should be controlled in several ways. First, the establishment of the ‘right’ temperatures must be met. Common uses in colder temperature of above 68 will cost you considerably in the long run. If 68 is not warm enough, then consider a little higher but not much more as some individuals will find this too hot and hard to work in. Likewise, in the summer months, the temperature to aim for is 72. You will find many people are content with this as long as there is some air circulation along with i

Introduction

Enterprise Resources Planning (ERP) is an outgrowth of Material Requirements Planning (MRP) initiated in the 1970's as a new computer-based approach to planning and scheduling of material requirements and inventory, featuring the time-phased order point. MRP evolved to MRP II (Material Resources Planning) the "closed loop" process, to Business Requirements Planning (BRP) and eventually to ERP. As MRPII came into vogue in the late 1970's and early 1980's, software companies began to develop software packages around MRPII concepts.

At the same time, research of integrated data bases was in progress at a university, and out of that research emerged data base management systems (DBMS). One of the earliest successful commercially-produced data base management systems was IDMS (for IBM-based systems) and DBMS (for DEC-based systems) produced by Cullinane, who's company name was later changed to Cullinet. IMS, a structured data base management system for high transactions, was another data base management system produced by IBM.

The idea of the integrated data base as the engine for fully integrated software was probably one of the greatest outgrowths of Ollie Wight's and Dave Goddard's MRP. Eventually, the acronym ERP was conceived to represent what had already been developed by software companies.

The early software packages were developed by way of a transactional approach, and were highly unfriendly to a user. With the advent of the personal computers, the development of Microsoft's Windows NT, and the mid-range IBM AS/400 computer, client-server systems began to emerge. Windows, used as the base operating system, allowed software packages to become more and more user-friendly.

Today, ERP systems have proliferated extensively, and have reached a stage where development has become industry specific. Thus it is plausible to search for an ERP package developed for one's specific industry idiosyncracies.

The Issues

The biggest single issue in ERP is the failure of a successful implementation. It is mind-boggling to continually encounter companies who make major ERP gaffes in this day and age, especially since most of the trials and tribulations of MRPII implementation were suffered and learned from in the early 1980's with alpha, beta and gamma releases.

So what constitutes failure? Several thing come to mind:
(1) Not making the promised return on investment,
(2) Inordinately extending the implementation schedule and start-up date,
(3) Running over budget by unconscionable variances,
(4) Grinding the organization to a crawl pace, or the severest of all consequences,
(5) Stopping production and/or not delivering orders to your customers.

Industry statistics show that >60% of ERP implementation starts historically fail. Does this mean that you are doomed from the start? Of course not, if you learn from the mistakes of others. So the pertinent question is what are the main causes of ERP failure and what can be done to prevent this from happening to you?

The 12 Cardinal Sins of ERP Implementation

There are twelve major reasons for why companies get bogged down or fail in implementing ERP.

(1) Lack of Top Management Commitment
The propensity of top management to delegate the oversight of an ERP implementation to lower management levels often results in (1) being "out of touch" with critical events, or (2) the lack of understanding of the size, scope, and technical aspects of the project, and subsequently, the lack of proper commitment of time and resources required for a successful implementation. The result is a failure waiting to happen.

(2) Inadequate Requirements Definition
Surveys have shown that inadequate definition of functional requirements accounts for nearly 60% of ERP implementation failures. This is simply a matter of not comprehensively and systematically developing a quality set of functional requirements definitions. This leads to the second greatest cause of ERP implementation failures: poor package selection.

(3) Poor ERP Package Selection
Poor package selection occurs when a company has inadequately developed functional requirements definitions. It also occurs when staff members assigned to ERP projects do not take the time to run the screens of the new system, as they would during their daily work tasks, to find out if the software package features are adequate for their needs.

(4) Inadequate Resources
The third greatest reason for ERP implementation failures is inadequate

Tips on Getting a Job After Graduation
Because searching for your dream job after you have graduated can be overwhelming, here are guidelines on where to look:WHERE(1) Research.¬ After graduation, take the time to investigate industry trends and all companies in your field of interest -- read company profiles, journals and magazines, newsletters, etc.(2) Volunteer opportunities. Volunteering after graduation is an excellent way to enhance your image as well as your resume for your job interview in the near future, as employers will be interested in what you are into aside from searching for a job. Volunteering after graduation is also a brilliant way to gain potential contacts as well as develop significant skills which will be useful in your job later on.(3) Job Boards. You can look up on these after graduation as they make available listings of positions in a variety of organizations, locations and occupations.HOW(1) Know what it is you really want. Although it is nice if you will tell an employer that you are willing to learn or do anything, most employers will interpret this as being desperate. Therefore, after your graduation, make sure you identify what you really want and focus on this.(2) Your Experience. After graduation, experience such as one you have through internship, volunteering, co-ops or part time jobs is very important – this will prove that you have an experience in the field you have chosen.(3) Be familiar with your special field. After graduation, you really n

idea of the integrated data base as the engine for fully integrated software was probably one of the greatest outgrowths of Ollie Wight's and Dave Goddard's MRP. Eventually, the acronym ERP was conceived to represent what had already been developed by software companies.

The Issues

The 12 Cardinal Sins of ERP Implementation

There are twelve major reasons for why companies get bogged down or fail in implementing ERP.

(4) Inadequate Resources
The third greatest reason for ERP implementation failures is inadequat

Customer Reviews Online Can Make or Break Your Business
We live in the Age of the Empowered Consumer. Those companies that realize this will rise. Those who fail to grasp this new reality will fall.When I studied marketing in the early 1990s, a professor said that a disgruntled consumer shares a negative buying experience with ten times as many people as a positive one. Today, upset customers can share their anger with the world.Late in the evening of November 2001, two men arrived at a Doubletree Club Hotel in Houston, Texas where they had arranged guaranteed reservations. They were chagrined to discover that the rooms had long since been assigned, and they were miffed at finding themselves confronted with a desk clerk who was decidedly unapologetic about the mix-up, unsympathetic to their plight, and unhelpful at making alternate arrangements.To express their displeasure, the two men used Microsoft's PowerPoint software to prepare a humorous graphic complaint entitled "Yours is a Very Bad Hotel." They sent the presentation to the hotel manager, two friends, and one of their mothers-in-law. That was it. On the last PowerPoint screen, they encouraged the recipients to spread the word.Within a few months, the PowerPoint presentation was forwarded millions of times around the world and got prominent coverage in publications such as The Wall Street Journal and Forbes. Imagine what this negative exposure cost the Doubletree in terms of its reputation and lost reservations.In 2006, it’s even easier for people to express frustration with a product or service that

r ERP gaffes in this day and age, especially since most of the trials and tribulations of MRPII implementation were suffered and learned from in the early 1980's with alpha, beta and gamma releases.

The 12 Cardinal Sins of ERP Implementation

There are twelve major reasons for why companies get bogged down or fail in implementing ERP.

(4) Inadequate Resources
The third greatest reason for ERP implementation failures is inadequat

Get the Job You Want
Every lifetime has its crossroads. Some happen to you and others you can control. Looking for a new job is one of the latter. It may seem that your choices are limited to the Want Ads, answers to your resumes, or tips from friends. But there is a fourth choice, that in which you pick the position and company and go after it. No-one knows better than you your strengths, interests, abilities and goals.Picture for yourself in a certain position that fulfills all your needs and proclivities. You might say that at the moment, no-one out there is advertising for someone for that position, but you can be sure that there are people out there who wish they had a partner or coworker worthy of the position, but hasn't the time or energy to find one. Attrition is your best friend. Employees leave their positions every day for one reason or another. Retirement, family pressures, marriage, relocation, are constantly whittling away the ranks. The person who is qualified and shows up first is often the one that gets the job.So do a little research, choose a company that meets your needs. Contact the proper person and ask for an interview. Every boss loves to be able to choose new workers without going through a lot of effort. Be prepared with knowledge of the company, the requirements of the position you want, and dress the part. First impressions are important because it opens the mind of your prospective employer, allowing him or her to imagine you as a coworker. Don't try to impress with a bevy of ideas for the position,

or fail in implementing ERP.

(4) Inadequate Resources
The third greatest reason for ERP implementation failures is inadequat

Change Or Duplication
How often have we been told that we need to change, up-date, and modernize?Yet, when we make those changes, we are then told we change too often?I think that this is especially true for those of us who do business over the internet. Like any company, we want to stay in business. Not just for a couple of months, but most of us are in it for the long haul. For us, it is a business, just like any brick and mortar store is for that owner.After nearly 10 years, I have come to realize, like the major chain store companies, you have to make changes to keep your customers coming back and to win new ones. If we keep to the “same old, same old,” we will never get new customers pass our index page and will lose those who have kept us in business.Each month, I make changes to the index page, adding and removing products, and periodically change the look of the site.I make changes to stay up dated. I don’t want my sites to look as though a customer was walking into a good will or used clothing or furniture store. You know the type, wander around and you will find what you want.It is easy to use a pre made template or free shopping cart, but you are then stuck with the look and idea of another person. If this is what you are happy with, then there is no problem. But, if you are like me, have ideas you would like to see implemented, you are then stifled with this pre made type of site or shopping cart.I have a friend and fellow web site owner who tell me I make to many changes, yet she herself ha

(4) Inadequate Resources
The third greatest reason for ERP implementation failures is inadequate resources. Many companies will attempt to "save dollars" by doing everything on an overtime basis, whether or not there are adequate skills within the company, extending individual work loads to 150%. This approach can be a "kiss of death" for the program. Time and time again we run across this mistake in ERP implementations. The financial and emotional drain of what seems sometimes to be perpetual extensions, reschedules and delays of implementations takes its toll. People burn out after having put in extensive hours over a long period of time.

(5) Resistance to Change/Lack of Buy-in
The lack of a change management approach as part of the program can prevent a program from succeeding. Resistance to change is quite often caused by (1) A failure to build a case for change, (2) Lack of involvement by those responsible for working with changed processes (3) Inadequate communication (4) Lack of visible top management support and commitment, and (5) Arrogance. A lack of buy-in often results from not getting end-users involved in the project from the very start, thereby negating their authorship and ownership of the new system and processes.

(6) Miscalculation of Time and Effort
Another cause of ERP implementation failure is the miscalculation of effort and time it will take to accomplish the project. Companies who treat an ERP selection, evaluation and implementation comparable to buying a washing machine are doomed to failure.

(7) Misfit of Application Software with Business Processes
One of the main causes of ERP implementation failure is the misfit of application software with the company business processes. This failure -- to examine underlying business process flaws, and integrate the applications with the business processes, causes loss of productivity and time, and ultimate benefits.

(8) Unrealistic Expectation of Benefits and ROI
Another significant cause for ERP implementation failure is the unrealistic expectation of benefits and return on investment. Software providers are notorious for overstating the benefits in terms of ROI, when the total costs of the project have been understated. Often left out of the total costs are costs of planning, consulting fees, training, testing, data conversions, documentation, replacement staffing, and the learning curve performance drop. When this happens, a company doesn't stand a chance of achieving the ROI it anticipated.

(9) Inadequate Training and Education
Another of the biggest causes of ERP implementation failure is inadequate education and training, which are almost always underestimated. ERP-related training is crucial as most employees must learn new software interfaces and business processes which affect the operation of the entire enterprise. The corporate culture is impacted by changes in the company’s business processes, and shortchanging this part of the ERP implementation leads to much pain and suffering downstream.

(10) Poor Project Design and Management
A major mistake is to short-cut critical events in the project plan, such as time for documentation, redefining and integrating processes, or testing before going live. Another common mistake is made when a company leaves out the self-examination of business processes and uses ERP to cover-up weaknesses. It is easier to buy software than to perform the more difficult task of identifying weaknesses and opportunities for improvement.

(11) Poor Communications
One of the causes of ERP implementation failure is poor project communications, beginning with a failure to announce the reason for the up and coming effort, and continuing to advise the organization of the progress and importance of the ERP implementation to the company. Poor communications prevent different parts of the organization from assessing how they will be impacted by changes in processes, policies, and procedures. Communications are a vital part of managing change in a corporate environment.

(12) Ill-advised Cost Cutting
Another of the key causes of ERP implementation failure is ill-advised cost cutting. In an effort to avoid temporary conversion costs, some companies take a very risky route and go live at multi-pl

HTTP = HTML link (for blogs, profiles,phorums):
<a href="http://www.actual4u.com/article/20864/actual4u-The-12-Cardinal-Sins-of-ERP-Implementation.html">The 12 Cardinal Sins of ERP Implementation</a>

BB link (for phorums):
[url=http://www.actual4u.com/article/20864/actual4u-The-12-Cardinal-Sins-of-ERP-Implementation.html]The 12 Cardinal Sins of ERP Implementation[/url]

Certain fundamental accounting principles and assumptions underlie the preparation and presentation of financial statements. There are namely, (a) Going concern, (b) Consistency and (c) Accrual. They are usually not specifically stated because their acceptance and use are assumed.

Biomedical equipment technicians are greatly sought after to maintain and fix medical imaging equipment. However as the demand for BMETs rises, so does the educational requirements.

This is the job most owners in small shops do on there own. The problem I see is the owner just bought himself the hardest job in the shop and he likely has lost his vision on working on his business and is stuck in his business. Not to mention no holidays and a lot of stress. I have recently been asked who would make a good replacement for this owner and I know the answer. This article is for the owners upcoming relief and also to the technicians to ponder wondering where he will end up when the work in the shop hurts the body too much or seems dead end.

Tags

Links

Actual for You - The 12 Cardinal Sins of ERP Implementation

Related Articles: