ERP systems are not renowned for their simplicity. With the overwhelming ERP system complexity, there is a lot of technical data and parameters to maintain. Planners are often lost or dependent on data maintained by other remote teams. They have no way of ensuring that the system’s recommendations are correct. Usually, they end up calculating their elements in Excel. Sometimes they’ll follow the recommendations, but without really understanding them.
For example, when implementing Intuiflow planning software recently, a customer realized that obscure planning calendar settings were preventing items from being ordered on time—Intuiflow recommended ordering, but the ERP system’s MRP did not. When there are thousands of items to be processed, these complex settings blur the view and create risks of error.
When MRP vs ERP systems logic was first introduced into companies, and the first ERP systems were implemented, we trained waves of specialists to try and master it all. Today, most of these CPIM-certified specialists are either gray-haired or enjoying a well-deserved retirement. The younger generations, the digital natives who now occupy planning functions, are rightly put off by the intrinsic complexity of ERP system optimization.
To make matters worse, supply chains themselves have become much more complex in recent decades as a result of globalization and the diversification of product portfolios. This is where simplified supply chain management comes into play, helping teams navigate the intricacies of the modern supply chain.
Let’s take an analogy. The header image of this post was the cockpit of Concorde, which required three specialists in the cockpit. Here’s the cockpit of the future Boom Overture, presented at the Farnborough show. Doesn’t it look simpler?
Curiously, our ERP systems, which were designed at the same time as Concorde, seem to be frozen in this complexity, with multiple parameters and switches, which today’s crews find increasingly difficult to master. Intuiflow’s ambition is to streamline and simplify management so that our supply chain pilots can effectively guide their companies through the turbulence of the 21st-century environment.
A streamlined dashboard, simplified maintenance with digital planning assistants, and immediate access to relevant information for decision-making—are the building blocks required to enable new generations of planners to stop drowning in complexity.
Supply chain automation tools are essential for simplifying processes and improving efficiency. A supply chain pilot dashboard can provide key insights and reduce complexity, leading to more informed decision-making.
But beware: training remains essential, so don’t put untrained pilots in the cockpit who don’t understand the logic and dynamics of the systems they’re controlling. The best way forward is to balance the advanced functionalities of ERP system training best practices with tools that make supply chain operations more manageable.
