Customer Centric Business

-- English version--
It happens sometimes that I have time enough to read some articles on the Internet.
And so happened recently that I read an article and though (at the beginning) that it should be very interesting. And in the end I got the impression that there were just many, many words covering a rather empty shell, it was such a bubble that will soon imploded into its own emptiness, and nothing -null- remains.
So I recently read about "customer-centric business". Sounds important, right?
But it is, IMHO, one more from the many Maketing self-imploding bubbles without content, the only reason for its existence is that someone reads it and thinks the author have something very important to say.
What's that, "customer-centeric-business"?
Should the "centered" customer be the "center" of the own business?
There was a beautiful story of a grandfather, grandson and a donkey. They are on the road and change the own position in accordance to the comments of the people. At the end both, grandfather and grandson recognize that foreign opinions do not match the own reality.
The same, I believe, will happens if a company is directed by the comments of customers.
In my opinion, a company should concentrate on the own product. On quality and performance. Everything else is nonsense.
With best wished
Tsubame Software Tools - Quality and Performance


-- Deutsche Version --
Es kommt schon vor, dass ich Zeit habe im Internet nach Informationen zu suchen.
Und nun passiert mir auch, dass ich ein Artikel lese und dachte (am Anfang) dass es sehr interessant sein soll. Und am Ende hatte ich doch den Eindruck, dass es nur viele, viele Woerter waren die eine ziemlich leere Huelle verbergen, sozusagen eine Seifenblase, die bald in die eigene Leere implodiert und nichts -nix- bleibt uebrig.
So habe ich vor Kurzem ueber "customer-centric-business" gelesen. Klingt wichtig, nicht wahr?
Ist aber eine mehr von den vielen Maketing selbst-implodierenden Seifenblasen ohne Inhalt die nur eine Existenzberechtigung darin finden sollen, dass jemand sie liest und glaubt, der Author haette etwas sehr wichtiges mitzuteilen.
Was ist denn das, "Kunden-Zentriertes-Geschaeft" ?
Soll man den "zentrierten" Kunden Puderzucker in den Power Point Praesentationen blasen?
Da gab es eine schoene Geschichte von einem Opa, der Enkel und ein Esel. Unterwegs sind sie und passen sich gemaess den Kommentaren von Passanten. Am Ende erkennen beide, Opa und Enkel, dass fremde Meinungen an der Realitaet vorbeigehen.
Das gleiche, schaetze ich, passiert wenn sich eine Firma an den Kommentaren der Kunden richtet.
Meiner Meinung nach soll sich ein Unternehmen auf das eigene Produkt konzentrieren. Auf Qualitaet und Leistung. Alles andere ist Quatsch.
In diesem Sinne
Tsubame Software Tools - Qualitaet und Leistung

A kind of disadvantage of Open Source Software / Eine Art Nachteil der Open Source Software

-- English version--

As promised, I am writing today about a disadvantage of the OSS (open source software).
It is probably not a serious disadvantage but rather a consequence arising from the fact that the developer(s) is/are not directly interested in the "sale" of the SW.
And this disadvantage applies mainly to large, complex systems, such as BI (business intelligence) systems happens to be: CRM, CMS, ERP etc.
The matter is that the developer himself is a 'geek', he is more interested in doing the right working SW, he does not expect the software to look nice or being very easy to operate.
A nice side effect of this approach is also that he (the developer) or others (geeks) can make money (and sometimes they must earn money) working as consultants, SW configurators or project staff for the written SW.
Surely not a great disadvantage for medium and large business, but for small businesses it could be a kind of more or less serious problem.

About comments on this subject we would be very glad!

Tsubame

-- Deutsche Version --

Wie versprochen schreibe ich jetzt ueber ein Nachteil der OSS (Open Source Software).
Es ist wohl kein gravierender Nachteil sondern eher eine Konsequenz aus der Tatsache entsprungen, dass der/die Entwickler nicht direkt interessiert is am "Verkauf" der SW.
Und dieser Nachteil trifft in erster Linie doch grosse, komplexe Systeme wie die BI (Business Intelligence) Systeme nun einmal sind: CRM, CMS, ERP u.a.
Die Sache ist die, dass der Entwickler selbst ein 'geek' ist; er ist eher daran interessiert, dass die SW funktioniert, nicht dass sie schoen aussieht oder besonders einfach zu bedienen ist.
Ein netter Nebeneffekt dieser Vorgehensweise ist ausserdem doch auch, dass er oder andere Geld verdienen koennen (und manchmal sogar sollen) indem sie als Berater, SW-Anpasser oder Projekt-Mitarbeiter fuer die geschriebene SW beauftragt werden.
Kein grosser Nachteil fuerwahr fuer mittlere und grosse Unternehmer, doch fuer eher kleine Betriebe kann sich das nachteiliger auswirken als fuer etwas groessere.

Ueber Kommentare zu diesem Thema wuerden wir uns sehr freuen!

Tsubame

An important advantage of the Open Source Software / Ein wichtiger Vorteil der Open Source Software

-- English version--

Despite all asseverations of the (paid) software industry, I personally believe (and we are writing commercial software) that the open source software (OSS) are far more trustworthy than commercial applications.
Do you ask "why"?
Well, a commercial software program, application, what ever companies are producing to make money, that is really bounded strong to economic principles.
For instance, if the company NK Electronics calculates that it will earn more money with the development (or distribution!) of SW for lawyers, well, this company will imediatly stops the development of the old software (since, after all, the "survival" of the Company hangs solely and alone of money), e.g. a data analysis software (just a niche market, about the competition here I will not write anything) and change to the new market. Existing customers will be maintained as long as they also brings in enough money.
And quite simply, just therefore, I consider the Open Sorce Software as often the better alternative.
Tsubame developes software with passion. Perhaps we are an exception; however, should be stop the developing for whatever reason, so we will make the source code public.
About a disadvantage of this model (OS) I'm going to write next week.

Until then, we wish happy working!

Tsubame


-- Deutsche Version --

Trotz alle Beteuerung der (bezahlte) Software-Industrie halte ich persoenlich (und wir schreiben nun mal kommerzielle Software) doch die Open Source Software (OSS) fuer bei Weitem vertrauenswuerdiger als kommerzielle Anwendungen.
Warum fragen Sie mich?
Nun, eine kommerzielle Software, Programm, Anwendung, was Firmen alles produzieren um Geld zu verdienen, ist aber leider stark an wirtschaftlichen Prinzipien gebunden.

Wenn zum Beispiel die Firma NK Electronics berechnet, dass sie mehr Geld mit der Entwicklung (oder Vertrieb!) von SW fuer Anwaelte erwirtschaftet, so wird sie sofort (denn am Ende haengt doch das "Ueberleben" der Firma einzig und alleine an deren Einnahmen) die Entwicklung einstellen von der alten SW fuer, sagen wir mal, Messdatenanalyse (doch ein Nischenmarkt, ueber den Konkurrenzkampf hier will ich mich gar nicht aeussern) und sich den neuen Markt widmen. Die vorhandenen Kunden werden so lange betreut wie das auch vernuenftig Geld einbringt.
Und ganz einfach aus diesem Grunde betrachte ich die Open Sorce Software als oft die bessere Alternative.
Tsubame erstellt SW aus Leidenschaft fuer die Entwicklung. Vielleicht sind wir eine Ausnahme, jedenfalls, sollte aus welchem Grunde auch immer die Entwicklung eingestellt, so werden wir den Quellcode oeffentlich machen.
Ueber ein Nachteil dieses Modell (OS) werde ich mich naechste Woche aeussern.

Bis dahin wuenschen wir frohes Schaffen!

Tsubame

What are the functions of a CRM / KM / PLM / etc?

What many authors describe as the "functionality" of a (CRM, KM, PLM, ...), system, reads much more as a list of wishes of what these authors like to have in such a system, but very often are these wishes, compared with what a system actually performs, far away of the reality.

In addition you can read the same "functions" repeated again and again for all the different "systems" and "managers". Funy wishes.

But: What do yu want, YOU, the owner of a small or medium sized enterprise?

Was sind die Funktionen eines CRM / KM / PLM / etc ?

Das, was viele Authoren als "Funktionalitaet" eines KM (PLM, ...) Systems
beschreiben, liesst sich viel eher als eine Wunschliste von dem, was diese
Authoren sich als System wuenschen, hat aber oft mit dem, was so ein System
tatsaechlich leisten soll/sollte, nur ganz am Rande etwas zu tun.

Using a decision system

A decision system has great impact on the profits of the company.
It forces the management to rationalize the depreciation, inventory and inflation policies. It warns the management against impending crises and problems in the company.
It specially helps in following areas:

a. The management knows exactly how much credit it could take, for how long (for which maturities) and in which interest rate. It has been proven that without proper feedback, managers tend to take too much credit and burden the cash flow of their companies.

b. A decision system allows for careful financial planning and tax planning. Profits go up, non cash outlays are controlled, tax liabilities are minimized and cash flows are maintained positive throughout.

c. As a result of all the above effects the value of the company grows and its shares appreciate.

The decision system is an integral part of financial management in the West. It is completely compatible with western accounting methods and derives all the data that it needs from information extant in the company.

So, the establishment of a decision system does not hinder the functioning of the company in any way and does not interfere with the authority and functioning of the financial department.

Tsubames Decision Support Systems cost as little as 20 USD per month. They are one of the best investments that a firm can make.

The functions of a "Business Tool"

I was studying for a while about the functions a BI (Business-Intelligence) Software may offer.

Very interesting are of course the descriptions on Wikipedia, for the first they are quite complete and objectively correct and for the second it is rather simple to do a qualitative research from these sites.

But, reading all this information about the diferent systems (CRM, KM, PLM, DMS -Toshiko-, and so on) I had the impression that these description correspond rather to the wishes of the different authors than to the functions which actually offers the software you can get for BI.

On the other hand it is also oft the matter that different BI software types, if it may be believed after the founded descriptions, must ofer same functions (what is obviously foolish). Therefore it is clear that the texts what we can read are not more than the wishes of the authors and what they believe it will be nice to have in ONE piece of software, BUT, if we are trying to define what exactly may a BI-SW (rather a BI System with different and complemetary sofware modules/components) correctly do, so it is clear that one must define separated and for each particular pupose, what is to be wanted from a given software system.

Enjoy your business!

Tsubame

KISS

Kiss means "keep it short and simple".

In the last times I saw several times this acronym as "keep it simple, stupid".
I do not think that is a good interpretation of the acronym:
1. That is too aggresiv and therefore is really meaning the opposite of what the acronym should mean, and
2. do not match the original meaning of simple AND short, both are important.

But I believe some people write about "kiss" and actually do not know what that means, and may be also do not understand the philosophy of the idea back this.

I was all time convinced of the advantages of doing so. That is for this reason I started with Tsubame Software Tools: For develope agile systems, independient systems, smart systems.
I believe that is the spirit of the "kiss"-idea; not using the word "stupid" but the word "smart":

Keep it short and simple, be smart! (kiss, bs) :-)

SME must not afford long project time: just use standard software

I readed:

"Experience shows that the time and resources needed for the deployment
of the system in a company can vary from several months to several
years. Naturally, the time varies depending on the size of the company, the
approach taken to the project, and the chosen system (for example a standard
software package vs. tailoring)."

If so, a SME (small and medium sized enterprise) CANNOT afford the expenses of implementing such a software system.

I think for my self, that just in small business there are big needs of using simple software, even in small business are long amounts of processes rather standard.

Therefore offers Tsubame Software Tools software solutions especially for SME.

Pro and Cons of Cloud Computing

I read an article about cloud computing which postules that cloud computing is much more than cheap computing.
Reasons are:

1. Is more efficient: Organizations have not to pay for operating the system
2. Is more agile: Maximizes ROI through rapid time to market a.o.

Anyway they were not mencioning the cons of "cloud computing":

1. You depend of
1.1. The company providing the system (software++) you use
1.2. A working internet
2. You do not own the software you need to drive your business.
3. Your data is going out of your business into the internet losing security and privacy. ALL going through cables out of the walls of your company is able to be hijacked.
4. With all data traveling through the cable the work takes more time, not much more but all the time.

As I try to show with Tsubame Software Tools they are some "cons" you not need to have. With Tsubame you have the same "pros" as with "cloud computing" but only 1/2 of the "cons".

Planning for Quality

Here a little more from Joseph M. Juran about Quality -> CRM

---

In broad terms, quality planning consists of developing the products and processes required to meet the customers' needs. More specifically, quality planing comprises the following basics activities:
- identify the customers and their needs
- develop a product that responds to those needs
- develop a process able to produce that product.

Invariable sequence of steps for quality planning:
- identify who are the customers
- determine the needs of those customers
- ranslate those needs into our language
- develop a product that respond to those needs
- optimize the product features so as to meet our needs as well as customers' needs
- develop a process which is able to produce the product
- optimize the process
- prove that the process can produce the product under operating conditions
- transfer the process to the operating forces.

Planning for Quality, Joseph M. Juran