April2018

THEVALUEOFAGILITYINERPDURINGDISRUPTIVETIMES

Fitandfunctionalityhasalwaysbeenthelinchpininselectingsoftwarethatrunsyourbusiness.WhencompaniesareaskedtostackrankthepriorityofselectioncriteriaforEnterpriseResourcePlanning(ERP)solutions,thisisclearlyatthetopoftheleaderboard,followedcloselybycompletenessofsolution.Whilefeaturesandfunctionsareindeedimportant,thereisdangerinmakingadecisionsolelyonwhatyouneedtoday,becauseitmightnotbewhatorallthatyouneedinthefuture.

The2018MintJutrasEnterpriseSolutionStudyfound90%ofcompaniesbelievetheyfacesomelevelofriskintheirbusinessesand/orindustriesbeingdisruptedbynewinnovativeproducts,newwaysofsellingorpricingexistingproductsorservices,entirelynewbusinessmodels,orsomecombinationofalloftheabove.Andthenofcoursetherearestillthemoretraditionaldisruptivefactorslikeexpansionandgrowth,organizationalrestructuringandregulatorychanges,justtonameafew.

Allthisdisruptioncanhaveacascadingimpactonbusinessapplicationrequirements,makingagility-theabilitytoeasilyinnovate,evolveandchange-evenmoreimportantthancurrentfunctionality.Howwellpreparedareyoufortheunpredictable,yetinevitabledisruptiveforcesofthedigitaleconomy?Afterall,weliveinverydisruptivetimes.

DISRUPTION?WHATDISRUPTION?

Weaskedsurveyparticipantsinour2018MintJutrasEnterpriseSolutionStudytoestimatethelevelofrisktheyfaceintheirindustry(andthereforetheirbusiness)beingdisrupted(Figure1).

Figure1:Howmuchriskdoyoufaceinyourindustrybeingdisrupted?

Source: Mint Jutras 2018 Enterprise Solution Study

Data Source InthisreportMintJutrasreferencesdatacollectedfromits2017and2018(andprior)EnterpriseSolutionStudies.Foryearsthisannualstudyhasinvestigatedperceptions,goals,challengesandstatusofsoftwareusedtorunabusiness,aswellastheimpactofthesesolutionsontheenterprise.

Eachstudycollectedresponsesfromover400participantsfromcompaniesofallsizesfromverysmalltoverylarge,representingawiderangeofindustries.

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Whileonly7%feltthatriskwashighand/orimminent,most(90%)dounderstandtheriskisreal.Whilemorethanhalf(51%)feelstheriskislowornonexistent,wehavetoask:HowdoyouthinkthetaxiindustrymighthaveansweredthisquestionontheeveofthelaunchofUber?DoyouthinkthehotelindustryanticipatedAirbnb?DidBlockBusterforeseethedevastatingimpactNetflixwouldhaveonitsbusiness?Whatkindofdisruptionislurkingoutthereforyou?

DIGITALDISRUPTIONTheInternetandthedigitaleconomymadeallofthesedisruptionspossibleandnoneweredecadesinthemaking.Comparedtoslow,evolutionarychangesofthepast,theyliterallyhappenedalmostovernight.

Thistypeofdisruptionmightcomefromavarietyofsources.Weaskedsurveyparticipantstoselectthesinglemostlikelycauseofpotentialdisruption(Figure2).

Figure2:Whatismostlikelytocausethisdisruption?

Source: Mint Jutras 2018 Enterprise Solution Study

Whilethethreatfromnew,innovativeproductsmayhavethelesserdisruptiveimpactonbusinessprocessesandbusinessmodels,itdoesrequirecompaniestoplacemoreemphasisoninnovation.Windowsofopportunitycanopenandcloseveryquickly.OfcourseanagileERPsolutionisn’tallyouneedtoacceleratenewproductintroductions,butyoualsodon’twantittobethereasonyoucan’trespondtonewmarketdemandsortakeadvantageofnewandunprecedentedopportunities.

Newwaysofselling/pricingexistingproductsmightincludesubscriptionstoservicesoroutcomesthatreplaceoutrightsaleofproducts.Ratherthansellingamachine,youmightinvoiceforuptimeorhoursofproduction.Youmightshipaphysicalproductforfreeandchargeforusageand/orconsumables.Softwarecompaniesthatusedtoofferperpetuallicensesmightnowalso(orinstead)offersubscriptionstosoftwareasaservice(SaaS).Andsoftwareismoreandmoreoftendeliveredasacomponentofproductofferingstoday.Thesetypesofchangescanhaveamajorimpactonhowyouinvoice,

HowdoyouthinkthetaxiindustrymighthaveassessedthethreatofdisruptionontheeveofthelaunchofUber?DoyouthinkthehotelindustryanticipatedAirbnb?DidBlockBusterforeseethedevastatingimpactNetflixwouldhaveonitsbusiness?Whatkindofdisruptionislurkingoutthereforyou?

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recognizerevenueandmanagecash.AndthesechangesmustbereflectedinyourERPsolution.

Theimpactofentirelynewbusinessmodelsisevenhardertopredictbecauseoftheinherent“newness.”Youdon’twantyourERPsolutiontobethereasonyoucan’tcapitalizeonthatbrilliantnewideathatcancreateanewrevenuestream.YourERPmustadaptasyourbusinessevolves.

AndwhataboutnewtechnologieslikeBlockchainorembeddedsensorsthatmakeproducts“smart?”Thesetechnologiescanhavearippleeffect,subsequentlychangingorcreatingnewbusinessmodels.

Andtheoptionmostlikelytobeselected-28%ofoursurveyparticipantsexpectchangetocomefromacombinationofthesedisruptivefactors,whichisevenhardertopredict.Youmustcontinuetosupportyourcurrentrevenuestreamsinconjunctionwiththesenewopportunities.

DON’TFORGETTHEMORETRADITIONALDISRUPTIONDisruptionisnotentirelyneworexclusivelytheresultofthedigitaleconomy.Growthandregulatorychangesareperhapsthetwomostcommoncatalysts.Howeverwhilenotexclusivelytheresultthereof,growthisinfactimpactedbythedigitaleconomy.TheInternethasleveledtheplayingfieldforglobalization.Innovationandadvancedtechnology,combinedwiththeInternet,haveopeneddoorstoopportunitiesallaroundtheworld.Newconsumermiddleclasseshavesprungupincountriesthatwerehardlyindustrializedashortdecadeago,creatingunprecedentedgrowthopportunities.Butwindowsofopportunitycancloseasquicklyastheyopen.

Totakeadvantageoftheseopportunities,youmightexpandintonewterritorieseitherorganicallyorthroughmergersandacquisition,bothofwhichcancausedisruptionthroughouttheenterpriseandplacenewrequirementsonfinance,accountingandcompliancereporting.Thismayalsoresultinorganizationalrestructuring.Ifyourorganizationalandreportingstructureisstillhardcodedintoyourchartofaccounts,youareseverelylimitedinhowandhowquicklyyoucanrestructure.

WhetherchangeisinitiatedbygrowthorbythefactorsshowninFigure2,theseinturn(orindependently)cancausechangestoaccountingmethodsandreportingrequirements.Achangeinaccountingmethodmightbemadeatthediscretionofexecutivemanagement,butmoreoftenisimposeduponanenterprisethroughnewlawssuchasthoseintroducedin2002withtheSarbanes-OxleyActandtheconvergenceofstandardsandreportingrequirementsofInternationalFinancialReportingStandards(IFRS)andUSGeneralAcceptedAccountingPrinciples(GAAP).

Aperfectexampleofregulatorychangesthatcanbedisruptiveisthechangetorevenuerecognitionasaresultofthemergingofaccountingstandards(ASCandIFRS).TheseplaceadditionalfunctionalrequirementsonERP,requiring

ASC 606 and IFRS 15 InMay2014,FASBissuedAccountingStandardsUpdate(ASU)2014-9,RevenuefromContractswithCustomers(Topic606).AtthesametimetheInternationalAccountingStandardsBoard(IASB)alsoissuedInternationalFinancialReportingStandards(IFRS)15,RevenuefromContractswithCustomers.Indoingso,thesetwogoverningbodieslargelyachievedconvergence.Theseconvergedstandardsforrevenuerecognitionwentintoeffectthebeginningof2018forpublicentities,bringingverysignificantchangestofinancialstatementsandreportingforanycompanydoingbusinessundercustomercontracts.

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changestoinstalledaccountingsoftwarethatarenotinsignificant.Dependingonyourbusiness,thesenewruleshavethepotentialofcreatingthemostsignificantchangesaccountantshavefacedinmany,manyyearsandapplytoanycompanythatentersintocontractswithcustomerstotransfergoodsorservicesorforthetransferofnonfinancialassets.Withthetrendtowardsasubscriptioneconomy,therearefewerandfewercompaniesthatareimmune.

THEBUSINESSCASEFORCONTINUOUSIMPROVEMENT

Giventheacceleratingpaceofchangeandtheunprecedentedpotentialforbusinessdisruption,itshouldbeeasytojustifyabusinessstrategythatembracescontinuousimprovement.Withtheadventof“leanmanufacturing”andSixSigma,manufacturersinparticularhaveadoptedcontinuousimprovementinmanufacturingprocessesforsometimenow.Byproactivelytakingthesameapproachtothesoftwarethatrunsyourbusiness,youpositionyourselftoweatherthestormofdisruption.YetthisapproachisrareinERPimplementations.

AnERPimplementationshouldbefocusedonoutcomes:growth,profits,andefficiencies.Butitissoeasyfortheevaluation,implementationandongoingoperationofERPtobesubsumedbythefeaturesneededtomeettheobjectivesofthebusinessataspecificmomentintime.Thosefeaturesbecometheprimaryobjectiveandtheconnectiontothebusinessstrategygetsblurredorforgotten.

Maybeyoustartoutwiththeobjectiveofreducingproductioncosts.Youmighthavededicatedproductionfacilitiestooptimizelabor,machineandinventorycosts.Youselectasolutionandimplementthefeaturesthatprovideasolidfoundationforthisapproach.Whathappenswhencustomerresponseandlead-timesbecometheprimaryobjectivesinstead?Asoundbusinessstrategymightbetomoveproductionclosertocustomers,whohappentobelocatedaroundtheglobe.Butifthefoundationyoucreatedwaspouredinconcrete,itwillbedifficult,ifnotimpossibletochangeitwithoutdestroyingit.WillitmeanrippingoutyourERPsolutionandreplacingitonlytofacethepossibilityofanotherchangeinstrategyonceimplemented?

Whathappenswhenyouintroduceentirelynewbusinessmodels?

DREADEDBUTINEVITABLECUSTOMIZATION

Companiescannolongeraffordtorespondtothesetypesofchallengesliketheyusedto.Indaysgoneby,companieswereforcedtohandlethiskindofchangeinthesamewaytheyhadalwayshandledgapsinfunctionality:throughcustomizationofthesoftware.Inthepastcustomizationwasinvasive;itmeantmuckingaroundinsourcecode.Notonlywasthisacostly,lengthy

AnERPimplementationshouldbefocusedonoutcomes:growth,profits,andefficiencies.Butitissoeasyfortheevaluation,implementationandongoingoperationofERPtobesubsumedbythefeaturesneededtomeettheobjectivesofthebusinessataspecificmomentintime.

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andtime-consumingprocess,italsocreatedbarrierstoupgrades.Itwastheequivalentofpouringthatcement.

Butinnovationisfarmoreimportanttodaythanithaseverbeen.Businessconditions,processesandevenentirebusinessmodelsaremuchmorefluidthaneverbefore.Nocompanycanaffordtostagnate,norcantheyaffordlongleadtimestoimplementchange.

Thisisexactlywhymodern-dayERPsolutionshavebecomemuchmoreconfigurable,allowingyoutopersonalizeandtailorthesolutiontoyourindividualneedswithoutcostlyandinvasivecustomization.Weaskedour2017EnterpriseSolutionStudyparticipantstocheckoffallthedifferenttypesof“customization”theybelievedtheyneeded(Figure3).Keepinmindthatmostanychangetothesoftwareortheuserexperienceistypicallyreferredtoas“customization.”

Therearetendifferenttypesof“customization”listedinFigure3.Theyaresortedbythelikelihoodofthembeingrequired.AnymodernERPworthitssaltshoulddeliversevenoutofthefirsteightofthese(changingdatamodelsistheexception)withoutrequiringanyinvasivecodechangesandwithoutbuildingbarrierstoconsuminginnovation.

Figure3:Whattypeofcustomizationdoyoubelieveyouneed?

Source: Mint Jutras 2017 Enterprise Solution Study

Ifyourcurrentsolutiondoesnotallowyouto“customize”throughthistypeofconfigurationandtailoring,if“customizing”preventsyoufromconsuminginnovation,adaptingtobusinesschangeorrespondingtonewbusinessornewbusinessmodels,youneedanewone.It’sassimpleasthat.Andwhenyousearchforanewsolution,youshouldnotbethinkingofonethatwilllastfive

Nocompanycanaffordtostagnate,norcantheyaffordlongleadtimestoimplementchange.

“Customization” Manymodern,technology-enabledERPsolutionstodaydeliverahighlevelofpersonalizationandconfigurationwithoutcustomizationasdefinedintheclassicsenseofinvasivecodechanges.

Ifyourcurrentsolutiondoesnotallowyoutorespondtonewbusinessornewbusinessmodels,youneedanewone.

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toeightyears.Therightsolutionshouldnotonlyevolve,butalsoeasilyadapttochangingbusinessneeds.Lookforasolutionforlife.

Addingorchangingdatamodelsorthestructureofthosemodelsislessuniversallyavailable,butwiththerightkindofmodernarchitecture,iscertainlydo-able.

Thelasttwomayormaynotrequirecodechanges.Customlogicmayverywellbeaccommodatedthroughapplyingbusinessrulesthatcanbesetandmaintainedbybusinessusersresponsibleforcreatingandenforcingthoserules,withnoprogrammingorothertechnicalskillsrequired.Theaddedbenefitistheabilitytoeasilychangetherulesasneeded.

Ofcoursethelastone(developingnewfeaturesandfunctions)issimilartowhatwehavebeendiscussing.Thesearetraditionallyviewedasgapsinthesoftware.Butbeforeyoufillthosegapswitheitherinvasivecodechangesor(preferably)addedcomponents,considerthesequestions:

• Isthisfunctionalitygenerallyavailable,justnotinyourERP?Ifso,perhapsyouneedasolutionthatisabetterfit?

• Ifthisisnotgenerallyavailableincommercialsoftware,doyoureallyneedit?Doesitdifferentiateyouinyourmarket?Toooftenthese“customizations”seemnecessaryonlybecausethisisthewaythingshavealwaysbeendone.Butmaybetheyweredonethatwaybecauseoflimitationsimposedbyoutdatedtechnologyandlegacysoftware,oraskilldeficiencyinanemployeethathassinceretired.

Ifyoudoindeed(really)requirethis,anditwillclearlydifferentiateyouinyourmarket,howyougoaboutaddingthatfunctionalitycanleadyoudownapathofstagnation,orapathtogrowthandprosperity.Itshouldbebotheasytoaddandeasytoconsume.

INNOVATIONTHATISEASYTOCONSUME

AddingnewfunctionalitytoERPinawaythatmakesiteasytoconsumehaslongbeenachallenge.TheverydefinitionofERP(atleastthedefinitionaccordingtoMintJutras)contributestothischallenge.MintJutrasdefinesERPasanintegratedsuiteofmodulesthatformstheoperationalandtransactionalsystemofrecordofabusiness.ThisisarudimentarydefinitionbecausetodayERPislikelytodomuchmorethanthis.

NotonlydoallmodulesofanERPsolutionshareacommondatabase,butalsoallaredevelopedusingthesametoolsandtechnology(platform)andtraditionallytheyallmoveforwardinlockstep.Thiseliminatesdataredundancyandanyneedforseparateintegrationefforts.Andacommonplatformfordevelopmentisbeneficialtoboththecustomerandthevendor.

Definition of ERP MintJutrasdefinesERPasanintegratedsuiteofmodulesthatformstheoperationalandtransactionalsystemofrecordofthebusiness.Thisdefinitionallowsforsomeflexibilityintermsofmodulesrequiredsincedifferenttypesofbusinesshavedifferentneedsandtypicallymanufacturerswillrequireamorecomprehensivesetofmodules.Inaddition,thefootprintofmostestablishedERPsolutionshasgrownsignificantlyandprovidesmorefunctionalitythanneededforthiscoresystemofrecord,oftenmakingupgradesharderandmorecomplex.

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WhennewfeaturesandfunctionsareaddedtoERP,eitherasgenerallyavailableinnovationorasacustomization,thistightintegrationimpliesthatallmodules,allfunctions,andthereforealldepartmentswithinanorganizationmustmoveforwardtogether.Thiscanslowdowntheupgradecycle(orinthecaseofcustomization,preventit).Butevenmoretroublesome:Ittakesmassiveeffortsofcoordinationforalldepartmentswithinacustomer’sorganizationtotakethosenextstepsalltogether.Andallmightnothavethesamelevelofmotivation.

Sowhat’sthealternativetothistightintegration?Thealternativeisoftenreferredtothesedaysas“looselycoupled,”butthatterminologyfrequentlyconjuresupthe“bestofbreed”approachofyesterday,whereyouhadindependentpointsolutionsthatneededtobeinterfacedorintegratedbackintoERP.We’renotadvocatingtakingastepbackwards.Perhapsabetterwayofdescribingtheneweralternativewouldbe“component-based”or“service-based.”

Whenitcomestimetoofferupnewfeaturesandfunctions,insteadofinsertinglinesofcodedirectlyintoERP,youmightinsteadcalluponastandard“service.”Whenitcomestimetoupgradeoraddnewfunctionality,simplyswapouttheold“service”forthenew.Youmightalsoviewtheseservicesasexternalcomponents.Whilethisisanoversimplification,itconceptuallydescribeshownextgenerationERPcaneffectivelydelivernew,targetedinnovationwithoutforcingalldepartmentsservedbyERPtomarchforwardtogether.

Whilecomponentsandservicesarebecomingmoreprevalent,solutionprovidershavetakenawidevarietyofdifferentapproachestodeliveringinnovationtoday.Manyarestillpackagingupreleasesthatrequireanall-inclusiveupgrade.Butthatdoesn’tmeanyouhavetotakethisapproachinaddingonnewfunctionalitythatyoueitherdevelopyourself,commissiontohavebuilt,orbuyfromathirdparty(typicallyapartnerofyourERPsolutionprovider).Anythingyoucandotomoveawayfrommanagingasingle,massivemonolithicstructureisastepintherightdirection.

CLOUDANDSAASOPTIONS

Nodiscussionofinnovationandcustomizationwouldbecompletetodaywithoutaddressingtheshiftinmovementtocloudcomputingingeneralandsoftwareasaservice(SaaS)inparticular.WhileMintJutrasbelievesthetransitiontoSaaSERPwilltakeyears,thisislargelybecauseofthesheerdominanceofon-premisesolutionsand(historically)thereluctancetoripandreplacesystems.

Wehavebeenaskingthefollowinghypotheticalquestionforyearsnow:Ifyouweretoselectasolutiontoday,whichdeploymentoptionswouldyouconsider?

Anythingyoucandotomoveawayfrommanagingasingle,massivemonolithicstructureisastepintherightdirection.

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WehavewatchedthepercentagethatwouldevenconsideraSaaSsolutiongrowfromsingledigits(10+yearsago)tooverhalf.Figure4alsoshowsSaaSasthedeploymentoptionmostlikelytobeconsideredforthepastthreeyears.

Figure4:Whichdeploymentoptionswouldyouconsider?

Source: Mint Jutras Enterprise Solution Studies

* Option was added in 2015

Therearetwopointstoconsiderhere.Firstofall,youcan’tbeagileifyouarestuckonoutdatedreleasesandnotabletoinnovatetomeetthenewdemandsplacedonyourbusinesseitherbecauseofdigitaltransformationormoretraditionalbusinesschange.InaSaaSenvironmentyouarenotallowedtostagnate,butyouwillalsoberelievedofmuchoftheburdenoftheupgradeprocess.Ofcourseyouneedtoreviewnewfeaturesandfunctionsand“optin”tousingthem,buttheSaaSsolutionproviderdoesalltheheavylifting.Youcanspendyourtimeandenergymakingthosedecisions,respondingtochangeandrunningyourbusiness.

But(secondly)whataboutthepossibilitythatyouwillneedtofillsomegapsinthesoftwareordifferentiateyourself?Inotherwords,whataboutarealneedforcustomization,ratherthanconfigurability?Ifyouarerunninginaprivatecloudorjustahostedenvironment,thesituationisnotverydifferentfromanon-premiseenvironment,exceptperhapsthatyoupayathirdpartyforthecareandfeedingofyoursolution.Butthenyoudon’tgetallthebenefitsofaSaaSsolutioneither,includingthepotentialformoreandmorefrequentupdates.

WhiledifferentSaaSsolutionprovidershandlecustomizationsindifferentways,invasivecustomizationofcodeisdiscouraged,ifallowedatall.Hereiswheretheabilitytoexternalizethecustomizationandplugitinasaserviceissoimportant.YoucanleaveyourSaaSsolutionessentiallyuntouchedandsimplyplugyourcustomizationin.Whileadmittedlyweareoversimplifying,yougetthepicture.

Cloud versus SaaS

Cloudreferstoaccesstocomputing,software,storageofdataoveranetwork(generallytheInternet.)Youmaypurchasealicenseforthesoftwareandinstallitonyourowncomputersorthoseownedandmanagedbyanothercompany,butyouraccessisthroughtheInternetandthereforethroughthe“cloud,”whetherprivateorpublic.

SaaSisexactlywhatisimpliedbywhattheacronymstandsfor:SoftwareasaService.Softwareisdeliveredonlyasaservice.ItisnotdeliveredonaCDorothermediatobeloadedonyourown(oranother’s)computer.ItisaccessedovertheInternetandisgenerallypaidforonasubscriptionbasis.

Usingthesedefinitions,wecanconfidentlysayallSaaSiscloudcomputing,butnotallcloudcomputingisSaaS.

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KEYTAKEAWAYSANDRECOMMENDATIONS

ManyoftheERPsolutionsinstalledtodayremainrigidandrequireextensivemodificationstomeetthechangingneedsofenterprisestoday.Isyoursoneofthem?Didyouoriginallysetouttosupportyourbusinessobjectives,butgotside-trackedinbecominglaser-focusedonthefeaturesneededtomeetthoseobjectivesatasinglepointintime?Didyoulayafoundationthatnowneedstochangeinshapeorsize?Isthatfoundationcastinconcrete?

WhilemostconsumersofERPwillinitiallyselectasolutionthatisthe“bestfit,”alltoooftentheylosesightofthefactthattheirrequirementschangeovertime.ManyoftheERPsolutionsinstalledtodayremainrigidandrequireextensivemodificationstomeetthechangingneedsofenterprisestoday.

Andthepaceofchangedoesnotappeartoslowingdown.Eventraditionaltypesofbusinesschangeresultingfromgrowth,expansion,organizationalrestructuring,and/orregulatorychangesareacceleratingalongwiththepaceofbusinessitself.Addtothatthethreatofdisruptionmadepossiblebythedigitaleconomyandastagnantsolutionmayjustputyouaheadintheracetothebottom.

RECOMMENDATION:Don’tletchangebeyourenemy.Makeyourabilitytomanagechangeacompetitivedifferentiator.Considerthefollowing:

• Ifyourcurrentsolutionisrigidandmonolithic,movingforwardatasnail’space…youneedanewone.

• Ifyourcurrentsolutionisnotsupportedbyaplatformorarchitecturethatallowsyoutoeasilyconnectnewservicesorcomponents…youneedanewone.

• Ifyourcurrentsolutiondoesnotallowyouto“customize”throughconfigurationandtailoring,if“customizing”preventsyoufromconsuminginnovation,adaptingtobusinesschangeorrespondingtonewbusinessornewbusinessmodels…youneedanewone.

Ifyoudoindeedfindyourselfinneedofanewsolution,youstillneedtoconsiderfeaturesandfunctionsthatgiveyouthebestfittoday.Butdon’tstopthereinyourevaluation.Acknowledgethefactthatweliveindisruptivetimesandseriouslytakeintoconsiderationtheagilityofanynewsolution.Agilityprovidesyouwiththeabilitytoinnovate,evolveandchangeinordertotakefulladvantageofnewbusinessopportunities.Youmaynotbeabletoaccuratelypredictwhatthefutureholds,butwithanagilesolution,youcanbereadyforanything.

ManyoftheERPsolutionsinstalledtodayremainrigidandrequireextensivemodificationstomeetthechangingneedsofenterprisestoday.Isyoursoneofthem?

Agilityprovidesyouwiththeabilitytoinnovate,evolveandchangeinordertotakefulladvantageofnewbusinessopportunities.

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Abouttheauthor:CindyJutrasisawidelyrecognizedexpertinanalyzingtheimpactofenterpriseapplicationsonbusinessperformance.Utilizingover40yearsofcorporateexperienceandspecificexpertiseinmanufacturing,supplychain,customerserviceandbusinessperformancemanagement,Cindyhasspentthepast12yearsbenchmarkingtheperformanceofsoftwaresolutionsinthecontextofthebusinessbenefitsoftechnology.In2011CindyfoundedMintJutras(www.mintjutras.com),specializinginanalyzingandcommunicatingthebusinessvalueenterpriseapplicationsbringtotheenterprise.