ChainLink Press Release: Definitive Study on Supply Chain Technology Satisfaction

Industry Research Veteran Ann Grackin Led a New Study, Conducted by ChainLink Research, on User Success Rates with Supply Chain Software.

ChainLink Research recently completed a study that shatters the myth of widespread Supply Chain Technology project failures. Major findings of this report:

• Most buyers of supply chain software, over 80%, are ultimately satisfied with their software. Over 57% purchased more software from the same vendor.
• Responsibility for project issues and failures was evenly shared between vendors, consultants, and users who failed to manage or make requisite business changes to take advantage of technology value.
• There is no ‘standard’ implementation. Each project has to deal with unique processes, technology environments, and organizational constraints to achieve success.
• Project failure statistics reported in the year 2000 are largely behind us. The high profile stories don’t represent the norm.
• Software firms now play a greater role on projects, rather than systems integrators solely managing projects.
• Best of breed vendors continue to create differentiated value for supply chain users by delivering more advanced processes like ATP, CTP, etc.
• Users continue to desire improved supply chain processes using technology as a core enabler or catalyst.

The research was led by Ann Grackin, a twenty-year supply chain veteran who has implemented most of the leading supply chain packages before becoming the leading supply chain thought leader and analyst. The study, which reviewed over two thousand supply chain technology projects, is clearly the most definitive research to date. Says Grackin, “Understanding the real picture takes a lot of work. A short survey form does not accomplish that. We spend a lot of time working with supply chain professionals-really doing our homework. Methodology is really important. You should be wary of so-called research projects that don’t even tell you how many companies were in their sample size. There is always more to be done by users-many untapped opportunities. But statements that most of these supply chain projects were failures are patently false.”

ChainLink Research had unprecedented access to project data from the major vendors: Adexa, i2, Logility, Manugistics, PeopleSoft/JD Edwards, SAP, and Webplan. User and vendor data about Advanced Planning implementations was collected over a four year period; including proceedings from conferences, user presentations, user interviews, and surveys; as well as project management reports and problem logs from major consulting firms and vendors.

To obtain information on this report, contact scmsuccess@chainlinkresearch.com

About ChainLink Research:

ChainLink Research is a bold new supply chain research organization dedicated to helping executives improve business performance and competitiveness. Our fresh approach to supply chain research, actionable analysis, and high-impact decision-making workshops helps manufacturers, retailers, and technology firms enter new markets, expand share, and achieve peak performance in their markets.