Bicycling, and Planning Software??

What do long bicycle rides have in common with new planning software?  Maybe not much except they are two things I’ve been spending a lot of time on lately.

I completed my first cycling century (100 miles) at the end of last month. It took a lot of dedicated training time to get ready for it.  I’ve also been busy the past several months helping clients investigate new software for supply and demand planning and MRP.  It takes a lot of work to find a good fit.

When you commit to an endurance sport like a cycling century or a marathon it is important to count the cost and prepare well before you start.  If you don’t prepare adequately, you probably won’t be able to finish. Likewise, if you do not prepare well for your software selection, you may find yourself with a tool that does not get you over the metaphorical finish line of getting your planners out of Excel spreadsheets for planning.

Stay within your constraints

For a long bicycle ride, it is important to have appropriate equipment. It starts with having a good bike, or at least the best you can afford. Many cyclists have multiple bikes for multiple purposes. They might have one or more road bikes, touring bikes, mountain bikes, or others.

Several people have recommended that I buy a nice carbon road bike. But I have a daughter starting college next year. I can’t afford a $15,000 bike or even a $5,000 bike. For now, I’m perfectly happy riding my hybrid for  local commuting, long distance events, and the occasional gravel path. 

Larger companies might have multiple software packages for different purposes. If you are a smaller company, you might need one software package that is your best fit across multiple planning functions. You might not be able to afford the software packages that are in Gartner’s Leaders quadrant. But there are some good ones that are more economical and can meet your needs.

First, you need to decide what you need and how important it is to you. Each company needs to develop their own list of criteria and determine which ones apply to them and how heavily they weight each one. I currently have a list of over 100 criteria that I recommend clients consider, and it gets longer every time I work with a new client.

Once you have your weighted list of criteria, then it’s important to research what potential vendors are out there and how well each fits your criteria. There are multiple on-line sources where you can research potential vendors. I have a list of over 50 potential vendors that I share with clients who are looking for new planning software.

You can’t do every ride

Now that I’ve had my first taste of riding a century, I want to do it again.  But as much as I’d like to, I can’t ride in every event on the calendar.  I must pick and choose which events are a good fit for me.

You can’t manage 50 potential vendors for software.  Narrow the list down first with information available on-line.  Then contact the rest with a few screening questions, such as:

  • How many successful installations use the same ERP as we do?
  • How many successful installations are there in our industry?
  • What kind of support do you provide for startup and ongoing operations in my region?
  • What are approximate startup and licensing costs for a company of our size?

If you ask appropriate screening questions, you should be able to narrow the list of potential vendors down to a dozen or less.  Send them a more detailed Request for Information (RFI) that includes the detailed criteria you established previously.

Compile responses from the RFI to create a weighted ranking of how well each vendor says their software aligns with your criteria. Select a few vendors whose RFI responses suggest they best fit your needs. Have these vendors do demos of their software to your key people. After these initial demos, you might want to select one or two vendors to prepare a demo using your company’s actual data.

Avoid Bonking

When I watch distance races such as marathons, I see runners grabbing drinks at aid stations. The century I rode had SAG stops every 15 or 20 miles (for Support and Gear). When doing an endurance event, you need to stay hydrated and fueled. If you wait until you are thirsty to drink or wait until you are hungry to fuel, it is TOO LATE, and your body will fail you. In cycling this is called “bonking.” I avoid bonking by having plenty of fluids and snack bars as I ride.

Software selection and implementation is also an endurance event. Don’t burn out your team with too many demos followed too quickly by piloting the new software. You will need to do multiple rounds of demos. You will want key users to participate in demos and subsequent evaluations. But if you wait until they complain about being overloaded, it may be too late, and you may lose their support. Stay in touch with the team members as you schedule the demos and pilots (and at subsequent steps) to understand their workload and avoid bonking.

Crossing the Finish Line

There is little that compares with the feeling after completing a grueling physical endurance event. Cyclists and runners often feel a twisted combination of “runner’s high” and “I’ll never do that again!” The sense of accomplishment is almost priceless but at the same time you might know that you are not going to be able to do it again anytime soon.  There’s the celebration and recognition of getting the medal or certificate, or just having people say, “I’m proud of you for finishing.” Then there’s the retrospective analysis of how you might have done better.

Successfully completing a software installation may also result in mixed feelings.  Be sure to celebrate the accomplishment and recognize the team.  Recognize the investment of resources that it took.  And don’t forget the retrospective analysis of documenting learnings so you can do better with the next project, but only after your team has rested and is ready for another!

Here’s wishing you Good Cycling and Good Software!

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