ERP and More!

We recently saw a presentation by Howard Cavallaro on the various types of manufacturing companies and how they interact with their supply chain. It was a very good presentation. He now has a new book out called Theory H.O.W.: How Organizations could Work
that we thought you should know about.

The publisher’s description is as follows: Theory H.O.W. was written to enable small and medium-size manufacturing companies who want to aggressively challenge the status quo. With more than 40 years of combined experience in manufacturing, supply-chain, and business management, authors Carol Ptak and Harold Cavallaro have developed applicable theories about how to run a successful company. Using the Theory H.O.W. business transformation approach, organizations will be able to formulate strategies that are supported by specific tactical actions, systems, technology, and other tools to achieve a desired, sustainable competitive advantage. The backbone behind the Theory H.O.W. process is actually a combination of key elements–the ability to classify, define, or characterize key business elements and their effects on business performance and your organizations ability to produce greater results.

We are awaiting our copy, but we would suggest that based on the presentation, the book is worth reading!

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One of the key things that ERP Systems provide are process controls. This article examines the issues around IS governance.

Improving governance with information systems
CHRISTOPHER CHAMBERLAIN

Why do we need information systems (IS) governance? Technology specialists tell us that there isn’t a great deal more functionality we can get out of our computer equipment. The next five years will not bring another Internet … revolution or significant changes in equipment size. We should concentrate on getting more out of our existing equipment by using it in a better fashion. IS governance is a framework for better controls.

Controls in the last couple of years have gained an image in the commercial world of excessive overheads and reduced efficiency. That does not have to be the case but it needs an approach different from the existing Sarbanes-Oxley process. Perhaps the future methodology could include more business controls designed to achieve greater productivity and asset control. Logistic controls to help an entity maximise its investment return on inventory usage could be an example.

The modern corporation needs financial controls because

Read More …

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There is a new standard for Quality Management and it directly affects IT and specifically IT Security.

It is ISO 27001. What is it?

WHAT IS ISO 27001?

ISO 27001 is the formal standard against which organizations may seek independent certification of their Information Security Management Systems, meaning their framework to design, implement, manage, maintain and enforce information security processes and controls systematically and consistently throughout the organizations. The final version of ISO 27001:2005 is available now from ISO or BSI. More information is available at www.iso.org, www.bsiamericas.com and www.xisec.com.

This is a standard for ensuring the quality and integrity of IT Systems. Being certified in ISO 27001 can help with Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA), the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX).

Some sources of information on this emerging standard can be found at:

http://www.27001-online.com/index.htm

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/iso-27001/

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From QAD’s website: An enlightening article about how to build an effective supply chain and possibly more important, those things that you should not do.

Seven Habits of Highly Efficient Supply & Demand Chains

Supply And Demand Chain Executive, May 2005

By Andrew K. Reese

To go the distance in business you need to take a disciplined approach. Here are some key best practices for making your supply chain hum.

[From Supply & Demand Chain Executive, April/May 2005] Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People first appeared on bookstands in 1990 and went on to sell millions of copies, offering a formula for personal and professional success based on a “paradigm shift” in how people perceive the world and themselves, a focus on character and principle, and the practice of the oft-repeated seven habits.

Seeking to apply the “7 Habits” approach to the supply chain, Supply & Demand Chain Executive asked Jim Tompkins, CEO and founder of Tompkins Associates, a Raleigh, N.C.-based consultancy and systems integrator, to reflect on his 30 years of experience helping companies achieve supply chain excellence and to identify those best practices, or “habits,” that are key to ensuring success in modern supply and demand chains. Our conversation with Tompkins began with the first best practice on his list:

Web Article Details

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Process Improvement must be coupled with ERP implementation. The following talks about this connection:

It’s Still About the Process
by John K. Waters

As enterprise systems evolve from ERP to ERM, adding more functionality to tame and streamline back-office processes, the process of choosing the right solution grows more complex. Use this guide to sort through popular offerings.

Software Magazine – It’s Still About the Process

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An interesting article on how to focus in on Sarbanes Oxley with your ERP:

7 major pointers which can help organizations towards better SAP security in the Sarbanes Oxley Era.Big4Guy – SAP R/3 Security in the Sarbanes OXley Era – 7 Steps for Better SOX Compliance

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The simple answer is to improve your business methodology so that you reduce defects, thus reducing costs and increasing quality, thus increasing efficiency and ultimately, customer satisfaction and loyalty.

The fundamental objective of the Six Sigma methodology is the implementation of a measurement-based strategy that focuses on process improvement and variation reduction through the application of Six Sigma improvement projects.

In essence, Six Sigma is a business improvement strategy. It seeks to identify, reduce, and eliminate defects from every product, process and transaction. It uses a structured systems approach to problem solving and strongly links initial improvement goal targets to bottom-line results. Six Sigma is a way to achieve Read the rest of this entry »

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Karen Trisko

Leading Excellence, Inc. makes best practice techniques used by America’s best companies available through Web-based seminars.

(PRWEB via PR Web Direct) October 25, 2005 — The best companies in America, verified by the U.S. Department of Commerce Baldrige National Quality Award process, have mastered strategies for success that previously were not well known. Now their strategies can be quickly learned and adapted by anyone in any organization.

In the past, managers could learn success strategies only through reading lengthy documents describing success strategies, or attending conferences that require travel and extensive time commitments to learn from award-winning organizations. Now Leading Excellence, Inc. offers Performance Excellence Webinars to make the secrets widely known and accelerate the time that organizations spend making improvements.

The first Performance Excellence Webinar series titled “Continuous Improvement and Process Management” are available starting in November 2005. In the three-session Webinar series, participants will discover three essential, practical, and systematic techniques to improve their organizations’ results. Anyone can participate from home or their office – wherever there is a telephone and an Internet connection.

Webinar topics and dates are as follows:

1. Continuous Improvement 101: Fundamentals of process management and improvement. For managers, improvement coordinators, and new process owners, Friday, Nov. 18, 2005. 9 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. PST

2. Maximize & Sustain Improvements: Why and how to utilize process owners and the “Process Excellence Rating System.” For managers, improvement coordinators, and process owners. Friday, Dec. 2, 2005. 9 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. PST

3. Strategy-Driven Improvement: How improvement initiatives should help achieve long-term strategic goals. For executives and process improvement managers. Friday, Dec. 9, 2005. 9 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. PST

Leading Excellence Performance Excellence Webinars are inexpensive, no-hassle, and skillfully led by one of the nation’s leading experts in organizational performance improvement, Karen Trisko. Trisko has 11 years experience successfully implementing the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence. She has served as a senior examiner for the Baldrige National Quality Award program (2001, 2002, 2004, and 2005) and formerly chaired California’s award program. She has guided many organizations to achieve dramatically improved results and earn award recognition. See Karen’s profile and additional information at www.leadingexcellence.com.

Leading Excellence, Inc. is a consulting firm that specializes in performance improvement techniques that are useable by all sizes of organizations in any industry sector. The mission of Leading Excellence is to empower organizations to exceed the expectations of their customers, employees, stakeholders. Its performance improvement services can be applied quickly and easily to produce measurable results. The company aims to transfer competency in performance excellence techniques to organizations in minimum time, through practical hands-on workshops and provision of ready-made templates that organizations may immediately use. The approach helps companies leap ahead in performance results much faster than otherwise possible.

For further information about the November/December 2005 Performance Excellence Webinar Series, “Continuous Improvement and Process Management,” contact Karen Trisko at 951-894-6748 or visit the Web site http://www.leadingexcellence.com.

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http://www.leadingexcellence.com

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