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"The world's largest
enterprise software company,
Oracle is the only vendor to offer solutions for every tier of your business -- database, middleware, business intelligence, business applications"
Source: Oracle
Plugging In the Universal Adapter
Enterprise Software is also known as :
Buy Enterprise Software,
Enterprise Business Software,
Enterprise Management Software,
Enterprise Resource Planning,
Enterprise Resource Planning Software,
Enterprise Software,
Enterprise Software Companies,
Enterprise Software Company,
Enterprise Software Cost,
Enterprise Software Inventory,
Enterprise Software List,
Enterprise Software Maintenance,
Enterprise Software Price,
Enterprise Software Product,
Enterprise Software Products,
Enterprise Software Review,
Enterprise Software Sales,
Enterprise Software Service,
Enterprise Software Solution,
Enterprise Software Solutions,
Enterprise Software Support,
Enterprise Software System,
Enterprise Software Technologies,
Enterprise Software Tools,
Free Enterprise Software,
Integrated Enterprise Software,
IT Enterprise Software,
New Enterprise Software,
Retail Enterprise Software,
Software Management.
Executive Summary
Companies conducting enterprise software implementations and upgrades confront numerous obstacles that can sharply reduce the
effectiveness of those projects, which diminishes the returns on costly technology investments. Yet, all of those stumbling blocks
can be distilled into a single point of failure: end users do not know how to properly use the software.
Neither enterprise software vendors nor end users are to blame for that breakdown. The vast majority of business software is
powerful and highly effective – if it is properly used. And most companies hire and develop employees who are more than capable
of learning how to use a new information system – if they are properly trained.
The problem is that most end users are not properly trained or become lost in their enterprise applications. Why? Because each
software application an organization implements is accompanied by a different training solution. End users not only have to learn a
new application, they also have to grapple with a barrage of training methodologies, approaches and tactics during each
implementation or upgrade. In a mid-sized to large organization with 10, 12 or more software applications, that lack of softwaretraining
standardization is a recipe for disaster.
There is an answer, however – a solution we describe as the “universal adapter.” A universal adapter is a synchronized learning
content development platform that can be used to train end users on enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer relationship
management (CRM), sales force automation (SFA), business performance management (BPM), business intelligence (BI) and other
enterprise applications. No matter what application is introduced to an organization, a universal adapter can be used to properly
train the organization’s end users.
A universal adapter contains four key capabilities that differentiate it from other training solutions:
- Application Independence: The training platform is technology agnostic, which means that it can be used to train end users on
most or all enterprise applications.
- Scalability: The platform can be used to train a 500-employee department on an upgrade, or to train hundreds of thousands of
employees around the world on a massive implementation. The platform’s content also can be translated into multiple
languages.
- End-to-End Reach: The platform supports training needs throughout the implementation process: progressing from the initial
mapping of business processes, to documentation, to simulations and other training, and, finally, to ongoing performance
support.
- Synchronization. The platform automatically reflects and synchronizes any changes to the technology or related business
processes, which negates the need for error-prone manual updates and edits.
Combined, those capabilities deliver significant efficiency gains to an organization, as customers of the leading universal adapter in
the marketplace, OnDemand Personal NavigatorTM, can attest to. For example, OnDemand Personal Navigator greatly reduces the
amount of time and money spent on support calls as well as the adoption of complex business processes. There are also a number
of forces driving the need for OnDemand Personal Navigator within organizations. This white paper examines those drivers and
shows how leading companies apply the universal adapter to ensure that users never lose their way in enterprise applications and to
gain other advantages.
Taking a Page from Software Vendors’ Training Guides
Oracle Corporation’s decision to use the OnDemand
Personal Navigator learning platform to develop an
enhanced version of the Oracle User Productivity Kit
marked the culmination of seven months of due diligence.
The final choice was a familiar one.
PeopleSoft, which Oracle had acquired a year earlier, and
J.D. Edwards (previously acquired by PeopleSoft) and
business intelligence software firm Business Objects each
arrived at the same decision following similarly exhaustive
selection processes. Oracle’s User Productivity Kit supports
end-user training with enhanced capabilities for the Oracle
E-Business Suite, PeopleSoft Enterprise, JD Edwards
EnterpriseOne, JD Edwards World and Retek product lines.
PeopleSoft had selected OnDemand Personal Navigator for
its own end-user training solution in 2003. “When
PeopleSoft launched the User Productivity Kit in 2004
[now the Oracle UPK], it was the most successful product
launch in PeopleSoft history,” reports Chris Pickett,
PeopleSoft’s former director of education services. “The
marketplace saw the value of this end-user training
solution. Customers realized this solution was vital to
ensuring end user adoption and achieving the ROI out of
their PeopleSoft application. After their success with the
UPK, many of these customers then adopted the
OnDemand Personal Navigator platform for their other
enterprise applications.”
Rather than simply absorbing that legacy agreement after
its acquisition of PeopleSoft, Oracle created an agreement,
one which will cover future Oracle products, that extends
to 2013.
In his announcement of the agreement, Stuart Dunsmore,
director, Oracle’s applications technology group,
emphasized that the agreement with OnDemand would
enable Oracle customers to “accelerate user adoption and
productivity” through “a consistent and proven approach
that will enhance their ROI for their Oracle
implementations.”
Those benefits are worth noting given the scale and
importance of Oracle’s training needs. Much of the
software giant’s success in the marketplace hinges on a
crucial variable: the degree to which its client company’s
employees understand how to use its powerful software.
Oracle relies on the OnDemand Personal Navigator
technology to ensure that variable plays out in the software
firm’s favor.
That same approach works on a smaller scale: the
OnDemand Personal Navigator platform is used by more
than 850 of the Global 2000 companies, which are united
by a common desire to fully leverage the benefits of their
enterprise software investments by plugging in the
universal adapter.
The Power of One: The ‘Universal Adapter’ Advantage
Enterprise software applications have evolved into the lifeblood of
the organization.
The data flowing through enterprise resource planning (ERP),
customer relationship management (CRM), sales force automation
(SFA), business performance management (BPM), business
intelligence (BI) and other enterprise applications represent a rich
source of strategic value. The information equips corporate
decision-makers with the insights they need to:
- Successfully enter new markets and geographies;
- Dramatically improve the efficiency of their supply chains;
- Boost customer profitability;
- Adapt to new regulations;
- Acquire other companies; and
- Strengthen shareholder value.
Yet, many strategic endeavors wind up on life support as a result
of an essential breakdown: end users do not know how to properly
use the software.
The failure is unsurprising given the large number of enterprise
applications used by employees on a regular basis. A typical midlevel
employee may click in and out of an ERP system, a CRM
application, a BI tool and offline spreadsheets in the course of a
single afternoon. In most cases, each different application features
different learning solutions: the training process for the most
recent ERP upgrade looked and felt nothing like the training that
accompanied the CRM implementation, while the training for the
new BI application differed from both of the other efforts. In the
realm of enterprise software training, point solutions are a
problem.
Not only are employees exposed to a constant stream of new
technology applications, they are also forced to adapt to a wide
range of software-training programs. That double layer of
complexity greatly diminishes the likelihood that employees will
fully leverage a new, or newly upgraded, software application.
Consider the knot of power cords and batteries that frustrate
business travelers as they cart around their cell phones, laptops,
personal digital assistants (PDAs), and MP3 players. The company
that devises a single power cord -- a “universal adapter” -- to
recharge all of those devices would alleviate the weight, stress and
cost that business travelers schlep from destination to destination.
OnDemand Personal Navigator serves as a “universal adapter” for
a broad range of enterprise software training; it provides a
common platform on which employees learn how to fully leverage
ERP, CRM, SFA, BPM, BI and other enterprise software
applications.
Tesco, 3M, Johnson & Johnson, Coca-Cola and other leading
companies have plugged in this universal adapter to strengthen
and streamline their diverse collection of software training
initiatives. Oracle (and PeopleSoft before it), Business Objects and
other leading software firms have also plugged this universal
adapter into their own implementation methodologies to ensure
that their end users are properly trained.
An Increasingly Complex Environment
Although leading companies have made progress in simplifying
their information technology architectures and enterprise software
portfolios, the need for effective software training has never been
greater.
The emergence of valuable new applications, software vendor
consolidation, merger and acquisition (M&A) activity, globalization,
supply chain breakthroughs and even the current regulatory
environment have increased the need to effectively and efficiently
train end users on existing systems, upgrades and new
applications.
Three years ago, the average large company operated 2.7 ERP
systems, which meant that end users typically endured an average
of 2.7 training solutions to learn how to operate those systems.1
World-class companies and their finance functions now rely on a
single ERP system, according to The Hackett Group research; yet,
typical finance organizations still rely on an average of two ERP
systems.
Other factors have offset those strides, though. The introduction of
powerful new business intelligence and business performance
management applications have greatly increased the need for
software training, content and support within organizations. The
extension of the supply chain to customers and suppliers by
leading companies has driven the need to deliver software
training, content and support to external trading partners.
A rash of sweeping regulations, such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
and many industry-specific rules changes (such as those in the
pharmaceutical, financial services and energy sectors), have forced
many companies to train, or re-train, employees on how to
properly use numerous software systems. For example, leading
ERP systems contain the financial reporting controls required by
Sarbanes-Oxley; however, in many cases, users did not know how
to activate the system’s automated controls or, worse, they did not
know the controls even existed within the software.
Finally, a consolidation trend continues to surge in the enterprise
software sector. In the past 36 months alone, PeopleSoft
purchased J.D. Edwards, the combination of which was later
acquired by Oracle, which also purchased CRM giant Seibel. SAP
has acquired 10 software companies in the past year or so, as
well. Additionally, all of the major enterprise software firms have
launched – or will soon launch – new releases that require new
training and support efforts.
While the acquiring firms have demonstrated a commitment to
making transitions as seamless as possible for their customers,
the need to train, and re-train, has intensified.
Universal Adapter Capabilities
Enterprise software vendors are highly sensitive to the rising need for
ongoing software training and support; after all, if end users do not
receive proper training, the perceived usefulness and value of the
software itself decreases. So, it’s worth noting how leading software
vendors are addressing their crucial need for an effective training
solution: Oracle, PeopleSoft, Business Objects and others have
already invested in OnDemand Personal Navigator (see “Taking a
Page from Software Vendors’ Training Guides” in the Executive
Summary).
Those vendors have used OnDemand Personal Navigator to develop
end-user training solutions to meet the training, content and support
needs of their customers – and the hundreds of thousands of end
users within those client organizations.
OnDemand Personal Navigator is a “synchronized learning content
development platform” that supports all phases of deployment of
enterprise software, including documented system instructions, test
scripts, customized role-based training, and ongoing performance
support. This “universal adapter” contains four key capabilities that
differentiate it from other training solutions:
- Application Independence: The training platform is technology
agnostic, which means that it can be used to train end users
on most or all enterprise applications.
- Scalability: The platform can be used to train a 500-employee
department on an upgrade, or to train hundreds of thousands
of employees around the world on a massive implementation.
The platform’s content also can be translated into multiple
languages.
- End-to-End Reach: The platform supports training needs
throughout the implementation process: progressing from the
initial mapping of business processes, to documentation, to
simulations and other training, and, finally, to ongoing
performance support.
- Synchronization: The platform automatically reflects and
synchronizes any changes to the technology or related
business processes, which
negates the need for error-prone
manual updates and edits.
By fusing people, process and
technology, OnDemand Personal
Navigator allows companies to
achieve the anticipated ROI from
their software projects.
Drivers and Applications
| Drivers |
Needs |
| 1) The potential for
organizational efficiency
improvements through
automation, and the
development of new software
systems |
1) Training and support that
accompanies ERP and other
enterprise software
implementations and upgrades |
| 2) The high cost of maintaining,
support and upgrading multiple
instances and versions of ERP
systems |
2) Training and support that
accompanies efforts to
standardize on a single instance
of ERP throughout the
corporation |
| 3) Inefficient and ineffective
software training methodologies
(using too many different
software training solutions) |
3) The application of the same
training and support platform to
other enterprise software
implementations and upgrades
so that end users experience the
same training methodology
regardless of which type of
software they are learning to use |
| 4) The widespread move to more
efficient and more integrated
supply chains |
4) The extension of software
training and support efforts to
external trading partners as part
of efforts to “extend the supply
chain” |
The capabilities identified previously address several drivers and
needs:
First, companies need an effective synchronized learning
content development platform to accompany their enterprise
software. The emphasis on “effective” is there for a reason: too
many software-training solutions are ineffective. Insufficient
end-user training was identified as one of the top three reasons
that enterprise software systems fail to generate satisfactory
returns, according to a study of more than 400 companies that
had recently implemented an ERP system. Seventy-six percent
of survey respondents indicated that their end users had a
substandard understanding of the new system: 12 percent of
respondents indicated that their end users were “failing” to
make use of the software altogether.3 “Skimping on training”
remains one of the top reasons that returns on software
investments fall short of expectations.4 People drive the success
or failure of enterprise software, and those people need to be
trained, and supported, throughout the lifecycle of the software.
Second, after taking care of implementations and upgrades,
leading organizations focus on standardizing on a single
enterprise software system. The majority of companies still have
a “mixed” ERP environment. A company may have several
Oracle systems for U.S. operations, a human resources system
from PeopleSoft and, perhaps, an SAP system running in its
European offices. In that fairly standard scenario, users would
need to access three or more different learning applications to
answer questions about those different enterprise applications.
That extra work decreases productivity and limits end user
effectiveness. End users are less likely to properly master any
single enterprise system when they are confused by disparate
training methodologies and approaches. The second application
of the universal adapter is to assist companies with their
ongoing standardization of enterprise software systems. As the
Hackett research shows, the most effective and efficient
companies rely on a single ERP system. The bulk of companies
are moving in that direction; using a single platform can make
that movement more effective and efficient.
Third, companies use the synchronized learning content
development platform for other enterprise applications besides
ERP. That way, employees no longer need to adapt to new
learning methodologies, processes and interfaces with each
implementation of a new enterprise software application. That
sort of standardization delivers numerous benefits. A “welldeveloped
training program,” according to research from
Business Objects, helps organizations:
- Reduce the time required for employees to attain
competence in new skill areas;
- Reduce the time employees spend tracking down answers
to their questions or struggling to learn by trial and error;
- Increase employee productivity;
- Increase employee retention;
- Improve the quality of company products and services; and
- Minimize burdens to IT help desks.
Fourth, companies rely on their universal adapter to assist with
efforts to extend the enterprise to customers, prospects,
suppliers and distributors. Early innovators such as Dell and
Wal-Mart trounced their competitors by greatly increasing the
sophistication and efficiency of their supply chains. When a Wal-
Mart customer buys an appliance, that transaction rifles through
the retailer’s systems to the supplier, informing the supplier that
replenishment is needed. Dell’s suppliers receive a similar ping
when a Dell customer configures a personal computer online.
That sort of technical collaboration requires software training
and support that extends beyond Dell and Wal-Mart’s four walls.
Many more companies are in the process of training customers,
prospects, suppliers and distributors how to use their
transactional portals. A recent Industry Week study finds that 99
percent of manufacturers collaborate with customers through
Web sites and IT systems. The same study also suggests that
“inter-company” software training needs improvement: Nearly
62 percent of survey respondents indicate that the sharing of
real-time, electronic data related to customer demand and
inventory information is either “not effective” or only “somewhat
effective."
A Single Platform
Improving upon data-sharing capabilities with value chain partners
is no longer a “nice to have;” it is a necessity in an increasingly
competitive and increasingly global business environment.
Those pressures have significantly raised stakes of enterprise
software training and support:
Now, because the pressure to demonstrate returns on
software implementations and upgrades has never
been greater, organizations risk failing to learn the
lessons of the past. Organizations are under pressure
to quickly justify their software investments and are
likely to fall into the same traps that doomed earlier
projects to failure.
Employees have less time than ever for formalized
learning but are expected to perform at high levels of
proficiency, adapting to ever-changing requirements.
Training budgets are cut. Critical communications and
measurement activities are relegated to the back
burner. Meanwhile, users burn up valuable time,
unaware of the techniques that could simplify their
work and make it more productive.
The good news is that there is a solution: a single synchronized
learning content development platform that functions as a
universal adapter for all of a company’s internal and external
enterprise software training and support needs.