Katz:We haven't gone through a whole cycle yet to determine what the full extent of the productivity gains will be, but the fact that everyone is looking at the information at the same time and in the same way is extremely valuable. Now we have a collaborative tool that allows everyone to be current and on the same page. In the past, everybody had their own individual Excel workbooks and then we had to figure out who had the most current information. It also gives us new tools with which to analyze our information.

It's also clear that making changes in consolidations will be easier now. Before, when our auditors requested some last-minute adjustments, they couldn't be reflected back through the local ledger in time to address the external reporting timetable. Adaptive Planning allowed us to create an adjustment entity very quickly to accommodate those changes. Modifying the Excel-based corporate model would have been virtually impossible without much reprogramming and investment.

BPM:Do you think other small companies that might still be using spreadsheets for their performance management processes should consider a BPM software package?

Katz:I think many small and midsize companies trying to optimize their business processes would benefit from moving to a structured BPM database instead of using Excel spreadsheets. And, clearly, being accessible via the Web is an advantage of an on-demand application if you have disparate functions or offices around the world. Even small companies with sales and service operations in remote locations would stand to benefit because they can upload specific information and have it accessible to management. The challenge for small companies is not taking on a large and expensive implementation.

I've had a lot of experience with large-scale BPM systems, specifically Cognos, Hyperion, and Business Objects. And I have found that unless you have a large IT department or have a mature financial staff with some IT capabilities, they're just too complex to implement for small and midsize companies. I've been involved in several implementations within companies that I used to work for that spent high six- and even seven-figure implementation costs to get these packages working, as well as having dedicated resources to support it. Obviously when you've got a small company, you don't have that luxury.

Looking for an option in between spreadsheets and those big BPM systems was really the only alternative that Jaguar had. They couldn't exist with the Excel model that they were using, and they weren't ready to step up to a full-scale BPM solution. They needed a solution in that in-between, midtier level that could do the consolidations, get some basic information into the system quickly and out of the system at low cost.

BPM:What advice would you have for a small company looking for that BPM middle ground?

Katz:I'd certainly advise them to determine their information and business process goals as well as what their organizational capabilities are and then work backward toward deciding the functions and capabilities needed for an integrated BPM solution. And of course, find a good, experienced partner to help with the implementation.