Configuration Management is the intentional design strategy and implementation to make the complex simple around people, process and technology.
If you wanted to start a company that offered highly-configurable products, the worst business paradigm you could select would be engineer-to-order (ETO).
There is conventional thinking for durable competitive advantage during normal economic conditions, but I’ve added 2 action steps for durable competitive advantage during economic crisis, like this Covid-19 economic crisis.
Recurring Operating Challenges That Affect Customer Satisfaction and Profits
I was working with a fast-growing high-technology company–100% per year revenue growth. When I joined the company, we were at $100 million in revenue. That grew to $200 million and then $400 million. It was a rocket ship. Remember: The best process in the world can’t add value if it Read more…
A decade ago, I wrote an article in Fast Company called We Offer It, You Buy It; Take It Or Leave It. Here’s how I kicked off that article: Does the headline of this article represent an attitude that customers are drawn to? It sounds like a customer strategy taken Read more…
The primary interface between Engineering and the rest of the manufacturing enterprise lies in your company’s Engineering Change Order (ECO) process. If the underlying process is sound, your company’s business execution will be sound. Conversely, if the underlying process is weak, the value-add of this critical business process is greatly Read more…
The problems with off-the-rack CPQ software solutions are in what the software doesn’t address. The vendor application you chose is a small part of the solution.
Configurability and the back office black hole happens if no guidance is offered in the ordering process. Imagine going into a restaurant that merely tells you they serve “food.” They provide no insight into the type of food they serve. They simply ask you to tell them what you want. Read more…
Getting configurable customer orders right: “We are having problems getting the right parts delivered to support installation of the customers’ orders.”
If you watch television, it’s likely you’ve seen the commercials featuring Limu Emu and Doug promoting Liberty Mutual’s car insurance. The listener is told you can “customize your car insurance” by “only buying what you need.” What Liberty Mutual is doing isn’t unique, but positioning themselves as being able to Read more…