Are You Building a Strategic Technology Roadmap or a Wish List?

Getting More Value from NetSuite, Microsoft and/or Salesforce!

Wikipedia defines a technology roadmap as a flexible planning schedule to support strategic and long-range planning, by matching short-term and long-term goals with specific technology solutions. (From <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technology_roadmap> )

Wikipedia defines a wish list as an itemization of goods or services that a person or organization desires.

Working at FMT Consultants (FMT)--with all kinds of companies in many verticals over the years--it has been my experience that most small and mid-market businesses wish for better systems and performance but do not have a robust two-year technology roadmap to support their long-range goals. In many cases, whether working with Microsoft, Oracle NetSuite, or Salesforce these dynamic organizations feel that they don't have the time, experience, or perspective to navigate the systems landscape with confidence. Charting a technology roadmap is fundamental to running a productive business and it also allows business leaders to align on a differentiated technology strategy to support growth, optimization, and long-term value realization.

Creating a viable technology roadmap can include many different types of activities from a few key people sequestered in a conference room for a day, to larger leadership teams dedicating days and weeks to a formal project plan, line-of-business use cases, and a commitment to deliver a durable technology roadmap. Whichever scenario fits your business, we strongly recommend that you invest the time and resources to build and document a strategic technology roadmap.  It will be one of the most important investments you can make in building value and resilience in your business.

If you were to search phrases like "what are the five fundamental business values" or "seven things every business needs" or "ten ways to grow your small business" or "five things small business owners wished they had done differently" you would realize that there are a couple of common themes among them all. These include investments in strategic planning and road mapping activities as well as getting assistance from a strategic partner to implement better IT and accounting business systems. FMT is that strategic partner. Together, we can work with your organization to help you realize more value from your current and future IT investments. We use a programmatic process of assessing your organization's current technical debt--and systems maturity--incorporating key business objectives, and delivering a secure, sustainable, and strategic roadmap to maximize the value of your IT business investments for years to come.

FMT Consultants has been helping businesses reach and exceed their IT and business application goals for more than twenty-five years. Over that time and through thousands of projects, we have developed a proven and powerful methodology to provide best-in-class consulting services based on a planful approach that helps our clients make meaningful progress on time over time. We focus on value-added client engagement that produces results and exceeds the expectations of our clients. FMT has developed a series of unique internal processes that have been built upon each other and are applied to all our client engagements that have proven to be efficient, effective and value-rich.

Consider the "FMT Wheel" which allows us to illustrate and rapidly navigate the breadth of IT and business application implementation and support options. The wheel also identifies the client-centric architecture of IT and business applications at a more detailed level including the integration of the applications where required. (Example image below.)

In order to apply the wheel elements, we use "FMT Works” which provides a repeatable method for FMT to build client value through the managed delivery of sales, services and support. This fully integrated framework spans 14 stages covering engagement through input, transformation, output and ultimately value realization. FMT Works helps FMT to deliver fast, effective, and highly reliable solutions. FMT Works transforms inputs including (labor, value metrics, system resources, processes and information) into outputs (integrated workflows, smart solutions, team training, change management) that provide value realization (what matters most) to our clients. Delivering practical value through our work together motivates and drives our business.

And finally, the "FMT Build Platform" which can be considered as a blueprint and the pinnacle solution for Manufacturing and Wholesale Distribution businesses that drives operational excellence through a resilient supply chain, integrated platforms, and business continuity. We apply the principles in the Build Platform to evaluate each client organization's current IT stack and business applications. We illuminate each client’s position along the value chain, illustrate the client's maturity level, identify value metrics and deliver a strategic roadmap. We work to show each client how to use technology to propel their businesses in order to meet and exceed both short- and long-term goals.

As Dr. W. Edwards Deming said, “85 percent of the reasons for failure to meet customer expectations are related to deficiencies in systems and processes — rather than the employee.” Taken together, FMT Consultants developed and employs a complete methodology to assess your business maturity, prioritize operational processes and design a practical and attainable technology roadmap. Far from a wish list, FMT will provide real value to your organization by understanding your company’s processes, identifying ideal business systems, and delivering a practical strategy for bringing them efficiently and effectively on line.

To learn more about our approach to creating long-term value, please contact us directly to schedule a no-cost meeting with a member of our Client Engagement team.

FAQ

Q: To really take advantage of a Technology Roadmap from FMT, does it matter if I’m using Microsoft, NetSuite or even QuickBooks for my ERP system?

A: No and yes. We can work with and incorporate systems into your technology roadmap that work well and meet your business needs. However, we have also spent years carefully selecting applications, systems, and processes based on optimal performance characteristics over time. From that perspective, we would prioritize market-leading solutions from our core Platform Partners in Microsoft, NetSuite and Salesforce… as well as key technology and applications partners.

Q: Would we work with Chris Schofield?

A: Yes and maybe. Chris leads the FMT Client Engagement team which delivers cross-platform planning and the development of viable technology roadmaps. Whether you work directly with Chris or with any member of the FMT team, you will benefit from our deep experience across multiple ERP, CRM, and IT platforms.