BOB’S_COACH

BOB’S_COACH – A vision for e-Consulting

Even a splendid ERP implementation is not enough, however.  Improved decision making requires better informed, higher functioning decision makers.  As a result, ERP software providers, to a much greater degree than specialized software providers of days past, must help educate ERP system users in the nuances of ERP.

Effective “teaching” on the web on a topic linked directly to a dynamic, complex environment represents an enormous challenge.   Teaching ERP in action requires providing an array of situational teaching and learning tools that span the ERP system’s capabilities and includes a multi-layered design.

• Level 0, also known as Help, will focus on basic BOB’S_WORLD knowledge by describing BOB’S_WORLD’s foundational entities, such as tables, domains, fields, modules, and business functions.  Level 0 will define and explain the purpose of each BOB’S_WORLD entity, as well as presenting the entity’s format and parameter options.
• Level 1 will focus on business knowledge, concepts that provide understanding and guidance on specific ERP-related topics employed throughout BOB’S_WORLD (e.g., economic order quantity (EOQ) and master production schedule (MPS)).
• Level 2 will focus on process knowledge, providing descriptions and examples related to business processes enabled by BOB’S_WORLD, typically multi-step actions required to perform a business function (e.g., assemble to order (ATO), engineer to order (ETO), make to order (MTO), and make to stock (MTS)).
• Level 3 will focus on expert knowledge and is intended for experienced users who will employ BOB’S_WORLD ERP functionality and the ERP organization’s own data.  Level 3 will present interactive learning opportunities based on business-cases, including what-if scenario consideration (e.g., understand the impact on other customers of filling a rush order in different ways, say, directly from finished goods inventory, using a combination of inventory and production, or totally from production).  Clearly, Level 3 considerations present the greatest challenge for development and implementation, as well as providing the greatest potential benefits.

All such situation-based teaching and learning opportunities must include individual-function as well as multi-function ERP considerations.  In addition, the teaching and learning tools must be effective for a variety of skill levels, educational backgrounds, and learning environments.  For example, current-generation computer users, particularly those who have grown up with interactive electronic devices, are less interested in traditional Help functionality than their predecessors.

In summary, our vision is that BOB’S_COACH speak accurately and clearly for BOB’S_WORLD’s leadership and all its employees as if they were an active part of the discussion.