We have a philosophy at SYSPRO that precludes innovation simply for the sake of innovation. There is an organizational commitment around here to productive development that doesn’t really leave much wriggle room for frivolity. ERP software is a serious business after all… isn’t it?
However, for most rules there is an exception, and in this blog I’m going to let you in on a secret project that we are running alongside our earnest income generating pursuits. It’s not a money spinner and it certainly doesn’t have mass appeal outside our staff kitchen but it’s a great illustration of how predictive analytics continues to percolate its way into every layer of modern day life.
You may be asking yourself why I use the word ‘percolate’, so let me explain.
Coffee is an essential part of software development. Its availability is critical to the process. So our development team have been putting some thought and technology into ensuring a steady, uninterrupted supply.
Since predictive analytics is all about the gathering of data we are careful to take note of all of the details every time we make a trip to the coffee machine. How many of us are going for a cup together, the time, the date, the level of water in the coffee canister, etc. This information is stored in a database and then fed into Azure Machine Learning. And … voila … we are able to more accurately predict when we should go for coffee without the time consuming task of having to refill the coffee machine.
It may sound like an awful lot of work to avoid a small amount of inconvenience but there’s a business application here that bears further investigation.
It’s all about the competitive advantage.
Much like adequate hydration and caffienation (I’m sure there is such a word) of our development team keeps us one step ahead of thirstier developers, businesses that are able to predict trends and outcomes will most certainly maintain a lead on their less-informed competition.
The availability of data necessary for analysis makes the ERP environment the perfect arena for the expansion of knowledge and expertise through access to information. The ability to measure a business in today’s highly competitive environment, through an analytical framework that builds and supports the key performance indicators of the business, is critical for better business performance.
Today it may be a simple cup of coffee, tomorrow it could be world domination. We are developers after all!
