CANNY Interview

CANNY CEO explains why business leaders need more planning time than usual when facing an ERP implementation in Latin America.

I’d like to welcome Cecilia Suarez, Chief Executive of CANNY. Cecilia, tell us what CANNY does.

CANNY is an advisory firm, working with senior leaders to help them make better decisions when facing a global ERP implementation in Latin America.

So, every company today, dealing with an ERP implementation in Latin America, hears about certain risks in the market... this buzz that it’s difficult to be successful in this region. How should they address those challenges? What would you advise them to do at a very high-level?

The first advice I would give them is to take some time to plan and think. Rushing over making decisions usually generates even more challenges. All executives are so focused on the urgent matters that they cannot find a window to sit down and get some advice from others that have gone through the same experience before. The ERP market is not new at all. There is a lot of information out there that can help us plan a good implementation instead of reacting to the unknown when the project is already underway.

CANNY’s methodology mentions the “Bubble Thinking” technique. Tell us how Bubble Thinking works.

Of course. The Bubble Thinking technique suggests seeing global projects in parts or bubbles, and focusing on very strong coordination and management among them.

We are speaking of projects with more challenges than usual, where language barrier, legal requirements, and cultural differences add even more complexity to the equation. There is a lot to understand, and to think about, before starting a project, and the variety of software, integrations, processes, teams do not necessarily share the same difficulties.

Despite all that, it is very usual to think of ERP projects as one single and simple activity; what makes it complicated to execute it well is the different challenges all together at the same time.

Instead, we suggest addressing integrations, localization, functional areas and even other software as separate planning entities. What does the company need for each one? And how do we make them work together to achieve the main objective?

Planning in bubbles gives us the opportunity to find accurate information and ask the right questions before it is too late, thus for avoiding typical pitfalls in global implementations.

Why do we hear projects in Latin America usually fail?

Simply put…my top #1 reason is “lack of information” … Planning is undervalued because risks are not known, and the person that makes the plan does not have enough information to do a good job. Overcoming this obstacle is certainly possible, and this is why our bubble thinking method is concentrated on finding the information needed for good planning. It promotes a different conversation, it is not just about the software, but about what each bubble of the business requires. This creative process enables us to explore the different options available before making the final decision or the project execution.

Many times, executives’ decisions are limited to certain corporation rules. Is CANNY’s advice only for CEOs? Or also for the local executives in the countries where the implementation will take place?

This is an excellent question. Local business leaders oftentimes are very limited by what the corporation sets. In this case, our advice for them is also to take the time to think and plan, because it is extremely important to get the necessary understanding and alignment with headquarters. In my experience, local leaders that have found the time to understand why HQ wants to achieve certain objectives, also have the opportunity to explain to HQ the what the local risks, budget constraints, worries, legal requirements, employees’ workloads are. There is the possibility of reaching some agreement instead of just opposing the corporation requests. I have seen successful projects with benefits for both parts when these conversations happened.

So yes, we do advice local leaders as well, as they play a significant role in these implementations. Their engagement with the project is what makes the difference many times, and what makes a nice strategy and plan come true.

Latin America is challenging, but certainly doable. No matter what, planning well is the cornerstone of success!

For more advice on Latin America ERP projects contact CANNY at info@cannyerp.com

Cecilia Suarez,

CANNY CEO