KCO.PARTNERS

COMPARE / OPERATIONS HIRE AND ERP

Should we hire an operations person,
buy an ERP, or fix the systems first?

Hire an operations person when you need judgment and leadership, and consider an ERP or operations platform when the business has outgrown spreadsheets and point tools. KCO maps the operation first, then either builds around the tools you have or implements and extends the right platform, and keeps it running after go-live.

These can work together. An operations person brings judgment; better systems reduce their coordination load, so their week goes to decisions instead of checking, copying and chasing.

When an operations hire
is the right choice.

You need a leader
Someone has to run the team, set priorities and make the daily calls that no rule can make.
The problem is judgment
Work stalls because decisions wait on you, not because information is copied between tools.
The processes need an owner
The tools are in place, but nobody is responsible for improving how the work runs.

When an ERP or operations platform
is the right choice.

You’ve outgrown the tools
Spreadsheets and point tools can no longer keep orders, inventory, production and accounting in step.
You need one system of record
The same information is kept in several places and has to agree, and reconciling it has become a job of its own.
You can support the change
A platform change means moving data, configuring the system and getting the team to use it. Plan for that work, not only the license.

When KCO
is the right choice.

You’re not sure which you need
KCO maps the operation first, from the moment a customer wants to buy until you get paid, so the decision rests on how the work actually runs.
The gaps are between the tools
Each tool works, but people spend hours moving information between them. KCO connects what you have and builds what’s missing.
You’ve chosen a platform
When a platform change belongs in the plan, KCO can implement and extend it, then keep it running after go-live.
You’re about to hire to keep up
Before adding payroll to keep things moving, it’s worth knowing how much coordination the system could handle.

What to check first.

  1. What would the new hire do all week?

    Write down the tasks. If most are checking, copying, chasing and updating, that’s coordination a system could take on. If most are decisions and leadership, hire. The coordination calculator puts a rough number on it.

  2. Is the problem one tool, or the gaps between tools?

    Replacing a tool that works won’t fix a handoff nobody owns. Find where work gets retyped or waits before choosing a platform.

  3. Is your data ready to move?

    A platform is only as good as the records in it. Check how clean customer, product and order data is before you commit.

  4. Who keeps it running after go-live?

    A hire, a platform and a set of connections all need an owner as your team, vendors and volume change. Name who that is.

ERP scope checked against Oracle’s ERP explanation. This page describes roles, not limits on what any person or product can do. See the full comparison of common approaches, or how KCO compares with Zapier or Make.

Who does the work.

Omar Anis, founder of KCO Partners, worked in product and operations at JPMorgan and Neuberger Berman before starting KCO. At Neuberger Berman, Omar owned moving Sales and Marketing from Workfront to Monday.com: the requirements, the migration and getting the teams to use it.

JPMorgan and Neuberger Berman were Omar’s employers. They are not KCO clients.

Not sure which you need?

Start with the free written plan. We look at your public site and send one page: where work likely gets retyped, what it’s costing you, what we’d build first and the one number that shows it’s working.

Get your free written plan

Rather talk first? Book a call.