Streams of Consciousness
Many ERP companies claim that they build their applications using “Lego blocks” that snap together easily. So what’s wrong with that?
The short answer is: a lot. Inevitably, the blocks coincide with the departments and functions that already exist within your organization. There’s a block for Accounts Payable, another for Purchasing, another for Human Resources and so on. In other words, there’s a block for every silo that exists in your company. You wind up reinforcing the fault lines in your company rather than bridging them.
The Lego approach automates the world the way it is today. If your company is static and never-changing, it may actually work for you. But the old wisdom still applies: if you automate a mess, you get a very efficient mess.
With the Lawson S3 product line, we’ve pioneered “streams” -- sets of processes that flow through your organization. (We’ve also pioneered “spaces” but that’s another topic). We’re not trying to automate departments. We’re trying to automate processes.
With Lawson, it’s easier for you to see the process from end to end. With our Process Flow Integrator, you can assemble processes that can include Lawson and non-Lawson applications. With our Value Assessment tools, it’s easier for you to find and correct the bottlenecks in your processes. While Lego-block software reinforces your existing structure, our software makes it easier to move to new organizational forms that are often much more efficient.
We could spend a lot of time telling you about our streams. But the bottom line is this: would you rather be blocked in or go with the flow?
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