I’ve reflected recently on the classic depiction of someone waking early, walking out their front door down the driveway and picking up the newspaper delivered in the early hours. This notion still holds a certain appeal, but nowadays everyone operates on the premise of information on demand. You just need to appreciate the sheer number of travelers, whether it is for business or leisure, at an airport pouring over their laptops and mobile devices, translating information and tirelessly capturing information onto spreadsheets or similar tools, producing reports, and extracting information.
Recently, I’ve been wakened by the notification sounds of emails entering my mobile device with reports delivered directly to me. I had previously, during a SYSPRO presentation, demonstrated how simple it is to add any report available to the system to a scheduler, customized to recipient’s needs. I was now one of the recipients on the list!
Business processes follow cyclical patterns, no matter which department you might be in. There is the planning, execution, capturing of transactions, monitoring and performance measurement phases. These cycles may not always follow linear patterns and often dependent on the transaction itself, it may be either up or downstream from the complete business process flow. Thus, the importance of information and reporting not just on demand, but even when you are not considering it, is of equal if not greater importance.
You may ‘not know what you don’t know’, so you may not know what to look for, and when. Having your business system proactively informing you regularly on your performance, information and KPIs unlocks the potential to make faster business decisions, mobilize the required resources and satisfy your requirements more efficiently.
So a simple feature in SYSPRO reporting services enabling you to receive information ‘on your doorstep’ has much broader business implications. Consider the possibilities of exploiting this feature as a real business benefit in creating fluid information collaboration in your supply-chain, or in the world of notifications and social media, keeping your customers informed as to progress updates, or simply as a means of reporting on your department’s performance.
The only question you should be asking yourself is what information would I like on my doorstep?
