Third Stage Consulting Group - Latest News and Information
The video tackles a core dilemma for ERP buyers: how much functionality should reside inside the ERP platform versus external extensions, focusing on Microsoft Dynamics 365 (D365) and SAP S/4HANA. It frames the discussion as a trade‑off between built‑in capabilities and the risks of stripping extensibility entirely. D365 is portrayed as an open‑architecture system that encourages independent software vendors (ISVs) and internal developers to build industry‑specific tools. Its integration with Microsoft’s Power Platform—Power BI, Power Apps, and Power Automate—offers a rich toolbox for custom solutions, but this flexibility also introduces technical complexity and potential upgrade challenges. By contrast, SAP’s S/4HANA, while offering the Business Technology Platform (BTP) for extensions, is described as less flexible, limiting the scope of customizations compared with D365’s more permissive environment. The speaker punctuates the analysis with the rhetorical question, “How much of this sauce should be in the ERP?” highlighting the balancing act between functionality and maintainability. He notes that SAP’s legacy ECC allowed deeper custom code, whereas modern SAP pushes for a cleaner core, echoing a broader industry shift toward “core‑plus” models. For enterprises, the choice of extensibility strategy directly influences implementation timelines, total cost of ownership, and future upgrade paths. Companies must weigh D365’s expansive customization options against the operational risk they introduce, while SAP users may accept tighter constraints for a more stable, less complex upgrade trajectory.
Executives are increasingly viewing AI as a revenue engine, but its success hinges on high‑quality data. The video stresses that data strategy must be treated as a prerequisite rather than a after‑the‑fact cleanup task. SAP’s Business Technology Platform (BTP) bundles...
Manufacturers are under mounting pressure to adopt Industry 4.0 technologies—automation, AI, and connected factories—while maintaining output and margins. In a live podcast, Jeff Winter discusses the gap between hype and tangible results, highlighting current trends and the operational hurdles firms face....
The conversation weaves together a Hollywood‑style intrigue about leaked texts with a deep dive into sales ethics and a high‑profile ERP disaster. Host Eric and his guest use the Zimmer Biomet saga—where a $172 million SAP S/4HANA rollout was sold as...
The discussion centers on three pillars of effective change management—vision, communication, and leadership—while also probing the strategic risks of emerging technologies like SAP’s AI‑enhanced master data governance. Speakers argue that a clear, purpose‑driven vision aligns teams, but without two‑way dialogue...
Eric Helmer of Rimini Street discusses third‑party maintenance for legacy enterprise systems such as SAP ECC, JD Edwards, Salesforce, and VMware. He explains how TPM can slash support fees, keep stable platforms running longer, and sidestep mandatory cloud migrations. The...
SAP announced a strategic partnership with NVIDIA to speed up its artificial‑intelligence initiatives. The collaboration gives SAP access to NVIDIA's GPU and software stack while hinting at a longer‑term goal of developing proprietary AI technology. Executives compare this move to...
The live discussion centered on the anatomy of ERP failures, with Eric Kimberling of Third Stage Consulting introducing Fred Hler, director of the firm’s expert‑witness practice. The conversation highlighted that ERP implementations fail at alarming rates—often quoted above 80%—and that...
Executives routinely underestimate how consuming enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementations are, treating them like routine IT upgrades instead of operational overhauls that demand sustained senior and key-user engagement. Consultants say clients must participate deeply—defining requirements, testing, making rapid decisions and...
Episode 262 of the Transformation Ground Control podcast dives into three core topics: Microsoft’s ongoing bundling regulatory challenges, a discussion on the top system integrators in the market, and an overview of SAP’s RISE offering. Host Eric Kimberling and guest...
The video warns that vendor lock‑in is a leading cause of digital‑transformation project failure, especially in large ERP rollouts. It stresses the need for modular, API‑first architectures and early negotiation of exit clauses. By applying rigorous vendor due diligence and...
The video offers practical closing advice for firms embarking on, or already deep into, an SAP S/4HANA transformation. The speaker emphasizes that the initiative must be business‑led, with clear ownership from the line side rather than being relegated solely to...
Third Stage Consulting released a video highlighting a suite of free resources designed to help enterprises avoid costly mistakes and vendor traps during digital transformation initiatives. The offering includes the 2026 Digital Transformation Report, 2025 reports on AI strategy and...
Speakers warned that cloud upgrade projects often promise “fit‑to‑standard” implementations but fail because vendors and integrators do not adequately engage frontline staff to redesign work, leading teams to re‑create legacy processes in new systems and negate expected benefits. Poor requirements...
The video features Eric Kimberling interviewing Bonnie Tinder of Raven Intelligence about the critical role of system integrators in digital transformations and Raven’s data-driven, peer-review platform for rating integrators. Tinder explains that while buyers obsess over consumer reviews for small...
