Case Study: Reaching Wider Audience with Enhanced Visibility

Background

Founded in 2005 with 3 partners, Vector Consulting Group is now the leading player in the area of Theory of Constraints consulting in India and South East Asia. Vector employs TOC philosophy to bring about quantum jump in performance of organizations in its target industry clusters. They partner with clients till they realize the targeted benefits.

Web marketing being inexpensive, yet sophisticated and effective if done right – made Vector hunt for a suitable vendor in IDYeah Creations to relook at their corporate branding and communications through public domain: web site.

Challenge

Vector’s main objective behind its recent site revamp was to position the company as the leader in the space of “Theory of Constraints” based management consulting. Vector’s key differentiator from competitors is their array of “guiding principles” on which they base their business operations:  Benefits Sharing; Ownership of Results; Trust; and Respect for the Individual.

In order to successfully convey the Vector way of messaging, it was essential that the new site design maintain a steady balance between both the “serious” consulting and the “innovative” engagement aspects of Vector’s services and products.

IDYeah worked with Vector Consulting Group’s founder members to keep the overall tone and structure of site content in line with the corporate brand and offerings strategy. From a design perspective, IDYeah established a consistently innovative visual tone for the site that could be complemented with various graphic elements to infuse a much-needed dynamism without losing the overall intent – of connecting better with the visitors and inspiring trust and confidence as a brand.

Launched in June 2009, the new web site clearly establishes Vector as the leader in its category and provides web site visitors with company, solutions, and industry information that is structured for easy access to the content that they seek.

User & Task Analysis

IDYeah’s User Profiling and Task Analysis served as the foundation for the establishment of the global site architecture and use case workflows. The range of user needs for access to information (i.e. CIO seeking consulting case studies vs. CTO seeking product features) required a detailed “user to task” analysis exercise to determine what online functionality was most valuable to each identified user type. By focusing on functionality and key features for particular user groups, IDYeah was able to identify and quantify at a granular level the key tasks and valued content areas across a wide range of Vector’s site visitors.

Expert Evaluation

 

• Top Navigation not prominent


• Industry clusters/focus not visible


• Logo and symbol eating up precious real estate on screen


• Not scalable to accommodate increasing number of case studies


• Not scalable to highlight the authored media materials on the competence and success stories


• Overall tone and structure either leaving the visitor without much information or taking repeated and prolonged efforts


• Visual appeal of a leader in its space missing


• Corporate logo and product logos not consistent and progressive


• Over-design and excessive use of Flash – hampering the effectiveness of SEO

Information Architecture

Vector’s priority requirement in establishing the information architecture for site content areas was to establish clear, visitor-specific paths to site information. To achieve the balance between product/service promotion and communication of expertise, IDYeah created a meaningful taxonomy for the site that divided the information into 3 Industry Clusters to help direct the users to relevant content. In tandem with developing the site architecture, IDYeah also developed a crisp information workflow on the Home page providing information seekers with an “at-a-glance” reference to core space and expertise of Vector. Per Industry cluster, following workflow was suggested, designed, and implemented:



 

IDYeah Creations employed DesignWave Consultancy as the Design Partner and Inkey Solutions as the Technology Partner to arrive at the desired outcome.

User Interface Design

 


 
After generating wireframes on the initial concept, and having them in place, IDYeah began applying visual design treatments to the UI foundation to create a look and feel that would support Vector’s repositioning goals. An initial set of digital mockup directions that spanned a range of tone and attitude. From this set, a single direction was chosen and refined to become the new outline face of Vector.

Benefits

• Strong re-branding and re-positioning


• Increased site traffic and qualified set of business inquiries


• Platform for sharing expertise through expert literature


• Improved in-bound marketing and sales

Staying Live with SAP

You cast off all legacy systems and installed SAP; SAP ties it all together – but it costs. And did you achieve answers to your problems? Or are you contemplating to look for an alternative, because the migration introduced new problems?

ERP-centric companies are missing out on the full potential of a solution as rich as SAP, because they are failing to appreciate the implications – and continuing to make the mistakes of traditional systems development and integration. SAP implementation projects are suffering from ‘undue focus’ on technology, lack of user interface, lack of attention to human and organizational needs, lack of evaluation, and very little integrated working – internally between systems.

Measuring RoI is an essential prerequisite of any IT investment today. But the big problem is that it is far from quantifiable. And if the investment is as huge as an SAP implementation, the aforementioned problem becomes magnified. Spending on IT is no longer identified as an expense, but as an investment. And RoI is based on cash flow analysis. It is also true that management, and not technology, will ensure success or failure. Integration of business objectives with IT solutions succeeds only when management if committed to ensure a smooth transition of change management. “Leveraging staff and current investment” is the biggest faced challenge.

Most commonly posed questions:

• Can we reuse current investment?


• Can we simplify increasingly complex business processes?


• Can we increase productivity?


• Can we lower maintenance costs?

Until the early nineties, the relationship between an organization’s investment in IT and its impact on the performance and productivity was never seriously measured. Perhaps, the most critical reason was one’s inability to segregate the benefits based on ‘Deployment of IT’ vis-à-vis ‘Deployment of robust processes.’ Only if an organization has the latter approach to an SAP implementation, will it see the value and reap the benefits in the longer run. In accordance with the above approach, it must be added that SAP demands a fundamental change in the processes followed by business and the people who work those processes.

Change, being painful by nature, discourages many to take the second approach. However, if you install SAP as software without changing the ways people do their jobs, you may not see any value at all – and the new software (SAP) could slow you down by simply replacing the old legacy software that everyone was used to. On the other hand, if you are able to use SAP to improve ways your people take orders, manufacture goods, fill timesheets, for example, you will see value from it.

SAP, in spite of being one of the largest and most successful vendors of enterprise resource planning (ERP), ironically is a misnomer. For one, it DOES NOT help your planning. Resource – and the ownership of that resource in any business – is a hazy term. What is right about it is the enterprise part. It successfully integrates all departments and functions across a company onto a single computer system that serves the particular needs of different departments. Organizations opting for SAP as their ‘back-office software’ have one or more of the following reasons – to integrate financial information; integrate customer order information; standardize and speed up core business processes – manufacturing, financial services – but whatever be the case; reduce inventory, non-performing assets – as the case may be; and standardize HR information.

Business benefits aside, SAP as an ERP delivers well on three necessary objectives – consistency and reliability of data across the organization; streamlined transaction processing; and operations-level reporting.

Which is a better approach – Going for an ERP vendor like SAP or going for specialized point products? Opinions vary, based on a survey of several successes and failures in either case. Important is to base your evaluation on your business case, the strength of transaction processing backbone, and the desired room for sophistication. At times, an ERP like SAP is not able to handle a function vital for the company. In such cases, a specialized third-party product can be interfaced to deliver the result. For example, Mohan Breweries and Distilleries Ltd implemented SAP R/3; they found that they needed far superior functionality in the insurance area. They opted for IVL’s iNSUR/3, a comprehensive add-on package with SAP R/3 ERP solution that addresses the needs of enterprises in the areas of insurance and claims management. The company was able to authenticate information on numerous critical data of the insurance processes and cut down nearly 50% of excess manpower costs. It could increase the efficiency of the supply chain by integrating the routine insurance related activities into SAP R/3 Business Framework.

SAP is generic enough to cater to 24+ industries. As much as this being a strong point in favor, it introduces a major limitation – Usability! And this compromise cannot be escaped from, internally. The reason is commonsensical – in making itself applicable to diversified industries, diversified processes, SAP was forced to provide innumerable data elements packaged logically in discrete screens and transactions; terminology used on-screen is also generic in nature for the same reason. Following table captures the common ‘effects’ faced by most customers, and the ‘causes’ leading to those symptoms.

EFFECTS

• Tedious and error-prone data entry


• Users spending more time on SAP than their primary tasks


• Steep learning curve


• High costs in training and re-training

CAUSES

• UI peppered with inconsequential data elements


• SAP by nature is more transaction-driven than process-driven


• Complex and excessive navigation to perform a task


• Imprecise and confusing terminology for your industry

Whatever industry you are in, “it’s all about productivity!” Productivity suffers if end-users are not comfortable with ‘what they see’ on screen and ‘how they interact’ with the screen. SAP evolution from R/2 to R/3 to Frogdesign look (EnjoySAP) has made a conscious effort to bring home better usability. However the spectrum traversed on this front is and is going to be limited because of the earlier mentioned fact – the generic nature.

Better usability can be achieved by internal and/or external customization and consolidation. For example, ABAP, the architectural language of SAP, can be used to re-configure, modify UI screens based on specific business process needs. Similarly, an external program (third-party) may be used to integrate with SAP in order to better the user experience. Or a combination of both! Important factors helping evaluate the approach are captured in the following points.

The solution:

SHOULD NOT

• change the underlying business logic of SAP


• incur extra overhead in terms of heavy maintenance and upgrade costs


• reduce system performance


• affect data integrity

SHOULD

• increase productivity and efficiency


• minimize or eliminate training and maintenance costs


• allow users to focus on their primary tasks


• provide flexibility in terms of deployment and configuration

For example, Rexam Beverage Can Americas implemented SAP R/3 to use its PM (Plant Maintenance) module for mapping their processes, for example – creating a maintenance work order; releasing the work order; and printing the work order – all of which they wanted to happen within 30 seconds. The Plant Manager of Rexam, New Jersey, Mr. Steve Foster and his team of professionals, during SAP training, found the interface neither simple enough nor fast enough to enable what they had in mind. “We had this idea of creating a maintenance system that looked like an ATM (automated teller machine),” says Foster. “No one’s ever been trained on how to run an ATM, yet everyone can use one. Why should it be any more difficult to create a work order in SAP?”

Foster and team found what they needed in a then little known product called GuiXT (software bundled within SAP R/3), developed by Synactive GmbH. With the help of a Synactive consultant, a Rexam programmer was able to use GuiXT to create an SAP PM interface that does, in fact, resemble an ATM in its simplicity. The basic menu screen contains just 10, touch-screen, function push buttons, each of which triggers a series of standard SAP functions that run in the background, but are transparent to the user. In some cases, a single button launches SAP transactions that would have otherwise required the user to navigate 12 to 15 separate screens using standard SAP interface, Foster says.



The result, according to Foster, is that Rexam training requirements for the SAP PM system were cut from an estimated 40 hours per machine operator – which would have been required using a standard SAP interface – to 4 hours with the simplified GuiXT enabled SAP interface. Multiplied times the 1,500 plant operators who would be using the system, that’s a savings of 54,000 hours. “We more than recovered the cost of GuiXT license in the training savings alone,” Foster observes. Moreover, the simplicity of GuiXT interface enabled Rexam to largely meet the 30-second goal for its users. “I’d say we’re hitting that 30-second goal about 80% of the time, and for the other 20%, it’s less than 45 seconds,” Foster notes.

Conceptually, from a CIO’s perspective, the perfect system would be one in which one could reuse invested software, describe software architecture so that a non-expert could successfully execute and simplify complex business modeling, and automate user tasks – all of the above with no or least maintenance.

Can you find or build one? Are you willing to Change?

 

Reasons for Branding Usability Revamp

Branding and Usability

The visual identity created for a brand translates the brand strategy into clear, distinctive messages. Strategic identity stems from the core values of the company, expressing a consistent and unique vision. This ensures strong associations in the mind of the customer, inspiring trust and respect in the long term; beyond the life of any single product or service.

Rationale and Advantage

• Bring out Conceptual Message and USP


• Fulfill business inquiries with ease


• Reduce maintenance costs


• Increase customer satisfaction


• Grow competitive advantage


• Eliminate over design


• Increase accessibility to relevant information


• Increase sales and revenue


• Share right content in the right form


• Showcase Products, Solutions, Services, and Customers

It is far too important for your brand identity and brand strategy to be consistent and complementary. Make sure you use your public domain (logo, web site, social media, blogs, etc.) in high synchronization with your brand. Knowing your current and future audience (customers, employees, partners, investors) is very important while achieving consistency in branding revamp.

Good luck!

SAP R/3 Customization with GuiXT

Preamble

This feature examines some of the major challenges faced by industries running on SAP in leveraging their staff and existing investment in an era of constrained budgets and expanded demands. The article is predominantly written from the perspective of the C level executive with some reference to the technical, distinguishing points of the solution. GuiXT product suite is very innovative and readily delivers 4 key economic advantages:

• Reuse of current investment;


• Simplification of increasingly complex business processes;


• Increase in productivity; and


• Lower maintenance costs.

We describe some of the challenges created by the current trends in ERP implementation, specific to SAP, and the potential solution.

Executive Summary

CIOs face the challenge of adapting to an increasingly complex software world with yesterday's tool sets. The Internet, e-commerce, internal integration demands, supply chain re-engineering, and customer relationship management are all contributors to the growing demands on today's developer. How does one deal with all this complexity and the difficulty in employing the necessary IT talent to successfully wade through this quagmire? Conceptually, the perfect system would be one in which we could reuse our software, describe software architecture so that a non-expert could successfully execute and simplify complex business modeling, and automate most user tasks.

Synactive is a products company, always at the forefront of technology since its inception, developing and providing user-friendly solutions, adding exponential value to customer businesses. Synactive GmbH is a member of SAP's Complementary Software Program. Their product GuiXT enables easy reuse of existing SAP investments.

GuiXT Software Suite allows corporations to adopt a user-friendly and intuitive SAP by introducing a modular scripting technology that dramatically increases productivity with its powerful automation and customization features. Web interactivity and external application interactivity with SAP is introduced; which takes business processes to an entirely new level. Repetitive processes cease to be painful with excessive data entry and navigation, and instead become automated and accelerated workflows. All of the above is  achieved without adding to or modifying the underlying business layer (ABAP code) of SAP. Core runtime engine of GuiXT is a part of SAP Front-end and hence is present at every client installation.

End users have realized in years that with complete training and adoption of customized processes throughout an organization, they experience total ROI gains for SAP's past infrastructure investment of 50% plus.

GuiXT layers into an organization's existing SAP implementation to seamlessly bridge together disparate technologies available for enterprise implementation. Most organizations have made significant investments in existing SAP model to achieve the benefits of user-friendly and intuitive interface to simplify their processes; however, these investments have not produced the expected results. This is because they are either difficult to develop using or they achieve the results by altering the business logic of SAP, making it difficult to maintain and change. GuiXT shields the developer from ABAP and allows them to focus on writing business logic.

Challenges

With ever increasing changes, CIOs of companies are acutely aware of the need to choose the right technologies that will enable them to remain agile and to respond rapidly to the changing demands of the marketplace. The pace is demanding with changing distribution patterns, globalization of commerce, and mergers and acquisition activity allowing little time for reflection.
Recently, the push has been for user interfaces to be simple, clear, and intuitive. Users want a system that is easy to learn and use, and is flexible. Challenges faced by CIOs of SAP customers are, having:

• User-friendly screens,


• Error-free and tedium-free data entry,


• Low training and maintenance costs,


• Automated business processes, and


• Integration with web and other applications.

GuiXT solutions have multi-dimensional value, which addresses and overcomes the aforementioned challenges, both in less time and less cost.

Reuse of current investment

With the growth of the Internet and interdependent software systems, the need to leverage existing systems has grown enormously. Call of the hour is ‘reusable’ systems. Solutions that are reusable and scalable to prevent or minimize costly upgrades would be ideal.

GuiXT solution not only ensures reuse of current investment, but also spares future recurring investments, in terms of training and retraining SAP users. Ease of use; scalability; reliability; manageability; and flexibility are some of the highlights of GuiXT solutions.

Solution Overview

You can use GuiXT components to implement a whole range of screen customization options. With GuiXT components, you can:

• Combine and consolidate SAP screens to reduce the number of screens users have to wade through; in most cases up to a single screen,


• Change the layout (i.e., refine terminology or delete/move screen elements) of any SAP screen to improve productivity and reduce errors in data entry,


• Add relevant documentation by integrating web based help within SAP Front end itself, and reduce training costs,


• Add automation driven by one-click process; hence simplifying the business processes.



Inside GuiXT Components

• GuiXT (Shipped with SAP GUI) – Allows you to change text and remove redundant data-entry fields in R/3 without touching core R/3 data. The runtime engine is bundled with SAP GUI.


• InputAssistant – InputAssistant allows you to streamline business processes by combining stock R/3 screens and transactions into a customized, personalized, error-free data-entry screen.


• Designer – Allows you to add or change R/3 text and remove redundant data-entry fields in R/3 by simple mouse ‘click-drag-drop’ operations, without touching core R/3 data. The result of the screen modifications as GuiXT scripts.


• Viewer – Allows you to embed any HTML or RTF page inside any R/3 screen for Help or Internet lookup.

Strengths

• Ease of use – Screen customizations are done using Designer, a WYSIWYG tool that empowers users to click-drag-drop elements in an editable SAP GUI screen.


• Scalability – GuiXT supports wide range of implementation sizes; from small businesses to large corporations. GuiXT supports R/3 installations 3.x to 4.x.


• Reliability – Since GuiXT is bundled within SAP, it eliminates the need of any additional development activity within SAP.


• Manageability – Personalization and customization are script-driven. GuiXT scripts (simple ASCII text files) can be stored and managed within R/3 database.


• Flexibility – Once GuiXT is activated, all SAP transactions become candidates for simplification and personalization. All it takes is additional GuiXT scripts.

Benefits For Users

• Intuitive R/3; Easy to understand and use


• Process automation; Minimal errors


• Tedium-free; Smart and quick data-entry


• Huge time savings; Allows them to focus on their actual tasks

Benefits For Management

• Proven and scalable (bundled by SAP AG)


• Data consistency and integrity


• No ABAP necessary; Ensures swift implementation


• Transparent deployment


• Low cost; Less training for users


• Error-free, streamlined processes; Increased productivity

For further details, you can visit: GuiXT Site and get in touch.

Business Applications Usability & Recurring Benefits

In your business environment and the spread of IT landscape comprising of huge distributed business applications like ERPs, what are your primary goals when it comes to assessment of the entire system metrics?

Primary Goals

• Reduce training time and increase user comprehension;


• Increase productivity, efficiency, and data integrity;


• Increase speed, ease of navigation, and ensure a comprehensive data footprint.

Depending on specific platforms and technologies in use, without compromising on their internal functionalities and rich features, what are the few generic and common customization approaches to achieve the above goals?

Few ways to achieve customizations in business applications

• Change standard terminology to those your organization's pervasive business terms thus eliminating ambiguity and uncertainty;


• Reduce manual data entry by automating redundancies;


• Rearrange your tabs, buttons, workflow elements and fields to match those of your internal processes;


• Hide unused workflow elements and fields and create validations for all of the fields necessary to achieve a complete set of mandatory data;


• Consolidate multiple tabs, screens within your workflows and create a streamlined and easy to navigate environment;


• Consolidate multiple workflows and shortcuts in a dashboard and one-click interface if feasible and ensure that users provide all necessary data and jump across relevant areas without expending extra effort.

A summary of recurring benefits

• Increase in productivity creates direct full time employee benefits thereby enabling a redeployment of resources to other areas of business;


• Increase in efficiency improves employee experience and reduces training and retraining burden from the company and management;


• Speed, clarity and easy navigation creates enhanced customer satisfaction and leads to more happy and reference-able clients;


• Automation and validation reduces the time required to navigate through systems and ensures a more comprehensive data set for management reporting;


• Consolidation and streamlining creates a cleaner and more scalable environment that is more conducive to retention of existing workforce without the need for additional resource expenditure;


• Survival of enhancements through upgrades ensures that your investment is preserved and additional resources are used for additional enhancements;


• Ease and speed of deployment ensures that you can create a multitude of enhancements in a very short time with near immediate results.

Thoughts?