Podcast Ep261: Oracle’s Supply Chain Capabilities, Industry 4.0, Best Practices Do Not Exist

Why It Matters

The episode distills actionable governance lessons for leaders undertaking ERP, supply-chain or AI projects, emphasizing flexibility and pilot-first strategies that can save time and cost. It also highlights vendor developments and Industry 4.0 trends companies must track to remain competitive in manufacturing and supply-chain modernization.

Summary

In Episode 261 of Transformation Ground Control, hosts Eric Kimberling and Darian Fiacusky discuss practical guidance for digital transformations, urging annual roadmap reviews and the need to pivot mid-implementation when business realities change. They advocate measured, pilot-based adoption of AI rather than succumbing to vendor hype. The show also flags recent industry moves—Oracle expanding cloud supply-chain capabilities for process manufacturers and IBM rolling out autonomous storage—and previews a deep dive into Industry 4.0 trends and manufacturing tech. The episode closes with a contrarian segment arguing that software "best practices" are a myth and buyers should be skeptical of one-size-fits-all prescriptions.

Original Description

The Transformation Ground Control podcast covers a number of topics important to digital and business transformation. This episode covers the following topics and interviews:

1. Oracle’s Cloud Supply Chain Capabilities, Q&A (Darian Chwialkowski, Third Stage Consulting)

2. Industry 4.0

3. Why Software Best Practices Do Not Exist

We also cover a number of other relevant topics related to digital and business transformation throughout the show.

🔗 Resources Discussed in this Episode:

ORDER MY NEW BOOK: Welcome to the Jungle: https://a.co/d/hAFI7cN

CONTACT MY TEAM & I: https://www.thirdstage-consulting.com/contact-us/

FOR SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES: [e-mail]

Try the Free LinkedIn Personal Branding Challenge: https://www.roloffconsulting.com/eric

Contact Marcus Harris at Taft Law: https://taftlaw.com/people/marcus-s-harris

🔗 More Digital Transformation Resources:

2026 Digital Transformation Report, pre-register: https://resource.thirdstage-consulting.com/2026-digital-transformation-report

2025 Digital Transformation Report: https://www.thirdstage-consulting.com/reports/2025-digital-transformation-report/

ERP Project Recovery Guide: https://www.thirdstage-consulting.com/reports/erp-project-recovery-guide/

20 Lessons from 1,000 Digital Transformations: https://www.thirdstage-consulting.com/reports/ebook-20-lessons-from-1000-erp-implementations/

2025 Guide to AI Strategy & Implementation: https://www.thirdstage-consulting.com/reports/guide-to-ai-strategy/

Executive Guide to Digital Strategy and Implementation: https://www.thirdstage-consulting.com/reports/executives-guide-to-digital-transformation/

Business Transformation Playbook: https://www.thirdstage-consulting.com/reports/transformation-playbook/

Software Buyer's Guide: https://www.thirdstage-consulting.com/reports/independentsoftwareselection/

Guide to Organizational Change Management: https://www.thirdstage-consulting.com/reports/change-management-success/

Supply Chain Management Playbook: https://www.thirdstage-consulting.com/reports/supply-chain-management/

2025 Manufacturing & Distribution Digital Transformation Report: https://www.thirdstage-consulting.com/reports/manufacturing-distribution-digital-transformation-report-2025/

Government Digital Transformation Report: https://www.thirdstage-consulting.com/reports/the-government-digital-transformation-report-2025/

Free Transformation Assessments: https://www.thirdstage-consulting.com/free-transformation-assessments/

Private Equity Playbook: https://www.thirdstage-consulting.com/reports/erpduediligenceprivateequity/

TSC Resource Center: https://www.thirdstage-consulting.com/thought-leadership/

Connect With Me:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erickimberling/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erickimberling/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@erickimberling0

X: https://twitter.com/erickimberling

📩 Got Questions?

Contact me to brainstorm ideas for your digital transformation: [e-mail]

🎵 Music in this Episode:

Summer by Simple Minds

License ID: 49J251NGEne

The House That Heaven Built by Japandroids

License ID: QErGP3xjwq8

Heat Waves by Glass Animals

License ID: 3gB4yWpyY8K

Get this and other songs for your next YouTube video at https://lickd.co

This weekly podcast series premiers live on YouTube every Wednesday at 8am New York/1pm London/9pm Hong Kong. You can also subscribe to the podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, Pandora, or your favorite podcast platform.

Watch more episodes here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyI-oIQSgI2DGXQKvUz-farHwls_B3G3i