I realize those of you who read my blog posts on SCN are pretty savvy about the SAP BusinessObjects portfolio of solutions. But I bet that you, like me, sometimes run into people who want to know about our solutions and the kinds of benefits they deliver, but who don't have much experience in this field. How do you get them up to speed quickly without devolving into a Business Intelligence 101 lecture?
Try this: The SAP BusinessObjects marketing department has created a nifty animated video, now out on YouTube, that describes the benefits these solutions deliver to any organization. It's drawn in a sleek, graphic style like the famous "whiteboard" ads UPS came out with a couple of years ago.
It starts by making the point that it's not enough to do things right - that is, perfect your execution through repeatable, automated processes (the kind that SAP ERP applications support). You have to have the judgment to do the right things - that is, choose a good strategy. And up to 90 percent of organizations don't link their strategy to their execution! Instead, like something out of "Dilbert," everybody listens... then goes back to doing the same old things.
What you need to do is connect strategy to execution - align the whole organization, give everyone visibility into what's coming, and give them the information and context they need to make the right decisions for the business. That's where the SAP BusinessObjects solutions come in, automating the flexible, people-centric processes that aren't as amenable to simple repetition. The benefits of this approach include not only strategic alignment but more predictable performance (since you can better identify and weigh both risks and opportunities), and more confident decisions.
I find this new "whiteboard" video a refreshingly uncomplicated way to describe and even act out the benefits of the SAP BusinessObjects portfolio. The visuals are just simple line drawings (in SAP Blue and Gold, of course!). But their real-world visual metaphors help make the message more tangible.
Take a look at this video and let me know what you think.
