After One Year, Still Trying to Inform, Provoke & Discuss (and Possibly Find a “Solution”)

Published by david.meyers at 10:32 AM under supply chain software

When we started this blog one year ago (read inaugural post) our mission was "To inform, provoke & discuss (not necessarily in that order)".

Much has happened inside and outside of Tompkins, but our credo remains the same. And thanks to the joint efforts of all of our blog contributors, we have honored our objectives.

So I would like to continue along the path of provoking and, as always, welcome your discussion.

Is Your Software Really a “Solution” or Is It just a “Tool”?

The chairman of Black & Decker provided some food for thought when he said, "Customers do not want a 3-inch drill; they want a 3-inch hole."

Throughout our many years of using and implementing a wide range of supply chain IT systems, we have heard these systems referred to with euphemisms such as “tools”, “optimizers,” “integrated suites” (which sounds a little better than “a small set of separate rooms”), and more recently, as the overused buzzword “solutions.”

Although some applications – when properly selected, well designed, thoroughly tested, properly integrated, and completely understood by the business users – may actually be “solutions,” I think we may need to throw a red flag when this term is used too loosely.

It may sound hip and trendy to say things like “Our solution leverages blah-blah architecture on so-and-so platform to enable such-and-such, and will deliver competitive advantage and ROI.”

I know you’ve heard this pitch from more than one software vendor before. And whenever I hear this line, I tend to reach for my wallet to make sure that I still have it and that it is no thinner than it was before.

Unless you know that the ROI is guaranteed (Read this article to see if you are getting what you paid for), all you really have is the 3-inch drill (“tool”) and not the 3-inch hole (“solution”).

What’s worse, rather than the euphemisms mentioned above, you may actually own “vaporware,” “shelfware,” or just a raggedy old (insert your favorite expletive here) application, when what you really need is for the software to provide a strong results for your business.

So, how would you describe your supply chain IT software? Do you have a “tool” or a “solution”?

-- David