Member Question:

1) Which IT technologies are going to stay in market for next 5-10 years and why?

2)Which IT technologies will be extinct in 5-10 years and why?

I know, its difficult to predict what happen in ever changing IT field, but just wanna know what other people think about this issue.

Naveen, Ifrastructure Specialist & Solutions Architect
CHicago, U.S.

My Response:

There are multiple elements to your question but inevitablly technology is largely irrelevant if the viability of the models upon which they are built is not sustainable.

In the realm of supply chain systems for example, Forrester's Navi Radjou linked the lack of flexibility with traditional methodologies to the inherent problems of enterprise-centric applications from vendors such as Oracle. The specific problem is that batch-based supply-chain tools “can’t support swift resolution of supply chain glitches.” The reason he gave is that “these apps need time to collect and synthesize data from multiple sources – even ...

Many of you may have received an e-mail from an organization calling themselves CSIS Security Group under the heading "Meet John Smith."

Here is an excerpt of my e-mail to them that I want to share as it strikes at the heart of both the value and creditability of Social/Business Networks:

While your e-mail from a conceptual standpoint is both interesting and quite viable, the fact that I do not have, nor have I ever had a John Smith in my closely filtered network undermines the creditability of your message.

I understand the "marketing" logic behind it as a great many Social Network Users may gather rather than develop "contacts" and therefore will not know the names of everyone with whom they are connected. The fact that you have "removed" the name also makes it impossible to verify if there ever was a John Smith.

That said why cheapen your underlying message through the use of this kind of approach? The ramifications to which you refer are real. An effective way of "filtering" misinformation ...

Over the past few weeks I have received a spate of questions regarding Procurement Insights, and in particular the services offered through Hansen Consulting and Seminars. In short what do I do, and how can I help an organization.

To begin, one does not have to be in the throes of a disaster to benefit from my area of practice. While demanding situations in which bridging the chasm between an expected outcome and the reality of unrealized results is certainly something for which I am known, it is often my ability to see a problem on the distant horizon and structure the appropriate response that has generated the greatest level of client satisfaction.

What makes what I do unique is that I am unencumbered by a commitment to promote a particular methodology such as SCOR or Six Sigma because it is either trendy or has been recommended by the latest expert.

While I have a great deal of respect for both the insight and determination it takes to develop a “standard,” I realized a long time ago that true expertise ...

Member Question:

Has anyone applied complexity theory to business in a practical way?

Asheville, U.S.

My Response:

The chaos theory and butterfly effect are interesting concepts in terms of the “complexity” of business.

Over a number of years and through funding from the Government of Canada’s Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) Program I developed a theory called strand commonality.

In the area of supply chain practice for example (although the term “chain” is a misnomer in that it implies a sequential architecture instead of the synchronized architecture that represents the dynamic characteristics of different stakeholders within the real-world), one seeks to understand the unique operating attributes of individual stakeholders using an agent-based model.

This approach enables you to define the seemingly disparate attributes of individual stakeholder streams. The stand commonality theory then looks to identify the points of convergence between the varied attributes ...

In a recent video that was released by The Ford Motor Company, Ford's Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Jim Yost indicated that the company has to "share information in real-time" and therefore can no longer use "the sequential processes” in which there were many “handoffs" and "transfers of information."

Yost also emphasized the fact that Ford needs to "integrate much more closely with their customers, supply base and even internally," as well as stressing the importance of making information available to multiple levels of their supply base "simultaneously," thereby eschewing the current "cascade processes that might take days, weeks and even months" to disseminate.

To enable you to respond to this question, you can access both the video as well as my corresponding post through the following Link:

http://procureinsights.wordpress.com/2008/04/11/is-fords-auto-xchange-the-real-deal/

I look forward to receiving your comments.

Reference Posts:

Optimization Modeling and the Modern ...

Do you practice "Business @ The Speed of Thought?" Does your enterprise have a "Digital Nervous System?" If not, why?

Member Question:

Almost 10 years ago, Bill Gates of Microsoft wrote a book titled "Business @ The Speed of Thought" where he laid out his vision for how organizations should utilize technology to become more responsive, adaptive, agile, etc. Specifically he drew an analogy between an organization's IT infrastructure and living beings Autonomic Nervous System. Now, reading this book over again, I'm struck by a perception that even now most organizations still do not have the level of IT integration that Gates speaks of. So my question(s) to you is this: Does your enterprise / organization have real-time reporting and notification of all important data? Are you able to react and adapt in a very agile way, thanks to your IT systems? Or are you actually constrained in your ability to adapt, by those very systems? Would you say your organization really has a "digital nervous system?"

I'm curious ...

Member Question:

Have you been able to utilize simulation or optimization modeling to solve a demand-side supply chain problem? If so, what was it?

My Response:

There have been numerous studies and reports on the various methods (i.e. Monte Carlo) used in determining supply chain optimization.

I would have to say that my preferred method has been to use the heuristic approach under an agent-based model in which the unique operating attributes of each stakeholder is understood separately before a collective outcome is identified and achieved.

It is this latter "twist" if you can call it that, that has enabled the optimization process to extend beyond the limitations of executional boundaries referred to in a May 2007 article that appeared in Supply Chain Digest titled Supply Chain Optimization versus Simulation. Specifically the author's assertion that "Mathematical” optimality is not used, and is not required or likely even feasible. Optimization almost always takes at least some minutes to process ...

I recently responded to a question, "How do you improve adoption of Web 2.0 tools inside the intranet at companies outside the high tech industry?"

Here was my response:

In the March 3rd issue of CIO Insider the following headline grabbed my attention:

Banning Social Networks a Losing Battle

IT executives from a variety of industries concede that social networks are here to stay, but they are still working to find ways to give employees what they want and protect the company at the same time.

(By the way, here is a link to the article in its entirety: http://www.cio.com/article/189300?source=nlt_cioinsider)

As was the case when the Internet first burst onto the business scene, and e-mails became the standard form of communication, reluctance and issues of control seem to go hand-in-hand with technological breakthroughs.

This is of course a natural part of the adoption curve that was so smartly illustrated in Malcolm Gladwell's book the Tipping Point (see link below).

The fact is that ...

Are Multiple Supply Chain Networks Important? (Member Response 2)
CA Question:

A 2006 Report made the following statement:

"Designing and operating multiple supply networks to meet the needs of specific market segments--supply chain innovation and the use of multiple supply chains will be important to future revenue and market share growth."

Based on your own experience is this an accurate assessment? If yes, why? If no, why?

Member:
Steven Hall
Sr Supply Chain Manager
Miami/Fort Lauderdale Area

Response (Steven):

My issue was that no definition of multiple supply chain networks was given. After reading the article, its still not given, but we can deduce from the discussion in the article what the authors are talking about. You can see in the answers that you have that everyone is looking at it from what I would call a "my supply chain" point of view. There are diverse industries and networks involved - and everyone thinks theirs is the best. However, they are all looking backward ...

CA Question:

A 2006 Report made the following statement:

"Designing and operating multiple supply networks to meet the needs of specific market segments--supply chain innovation and the use of multiple supply chains will be important to future revenue and market share growth."

Based on your own experience is this an accurate assessment? If yes, why? If no, why?

Member:
Megan Boynton
Sr Director Supply Chain Op's,
Global Markets at Guess Inc
Greater Los Angelas Area

Response (Megan):

I agree.

Multiple and supple Supply Chains that can be adopted quickly mitigate the risk associated with global business. absolutely.
Unanalyzed loyalty, or myopic reliance on a specific supply chain process or partnerships is less efficient for all products that a global business must produce to meet their growth demands; specifically, because, typically the chain is designed around either trying to meet all products needs (in the case of Apparel this is the biggest mistake we make- one chain for all ...