The services industry is changing. What are the challenges faced in the rapidly changing cloud application market, and how can mixing "gig-economy" with the traditional delivery practice alleviate these challenges?

The RFx process has its intents and purposes on both sides of the contracting partners. Unfortunately, they are not the same in a fundamental way. The table below shows the different perspectives that typically arise in this process.

In this article we explore the customer centricity in a software services practice and compare the elements against the more "traditional" ways of delivering software services.

The Customer Success teams are a way to bring some form of control back to the vendor, helping to forge the quickest path to success.... in theory at least, as the Customer Success teams have no contractual engagement on the implementation project, other than advisor.

A high performing team - we want to work with one, lead one, and be in one. Everyone wants to be on the winning team! But is a winning team automatically a high performing team? Or in the reverse - if the team does not win, is there something wrong with the team performance?

How would the market expect the System Integrators, Managed Services Partners, or the Captive Services organisations of software vendors to adjust to the Digital Transformation?

In all the programs I have ever come across, and these are many over the course of my professional career, they all have one thing in common: the fundamentals.

It seemed such a great idea at the time - implementing the new business application. The benefits would be realised without question. But where are the benefits when all is done?

Keeping the program cost in check starts at the planning and procurement stage. The rates negotiated will determine the cost of the project... right? Well... not exactly.

The first thing we do when we embark on an ERP or CRM project, is to limit the options for success. Success is defined as "delivering the scope by executing in accordance to the statement of work within the budget and timeframes agreed in the contract".

No matter what the indicators of failure are (either time, budget, scope, or any combination of these), or the construct of the project (Agile, Time and Material, Fixed Fee) - there are several mandatory steps and conditions to ensure any recovery is successful in getting the project back on track.

"If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail" - wise words that are attributed to both Benjamin Franklin and Winston Churchill. But the statement is incomplete - you should plan for success, but you must also plan for failure.

With every technological advancement, there are unintended side-effects that need to be recognised and addressed - and addressed they will be, either by design, or via conflict, if our history is a good measure for predicting the future.

Over the years, the methodologies to implement business systems, ERP and CRM, have evolved. Especially the vendor developed methodologies are constantly refined. However, a trend that has been taking off with the cloud adoption is Agile.

Business Systems Implementation is hard, and expensive. The company is investing significant time and money to get the new system up and running, with an expectation of Return On Investment.

There is no getting around it - everybody is talking about it, thinking about it, and your Information Technology services partner is certainly monetizing it. But what is Digital Transformation? Is it the next industrial revolution, or are we all taking a ride on the Buzzword Bandwagon?