"John demonstrated a mastery of the principles of product marketing and product management. Our solution's group was the most effective solution's group in market penetration within Baan during our partnership (working together). This was in no small part because of programs John put in place before I arrived. He used a combination of outbound marketing activities, internal selling and education, and superior understanding of the install base to make his products successful.

At the end of our brief assignment together I was satisfied enough with John's performance to offer him a new and different position within Baan. This position would have kept us working together. John declined the position and I agreed believing his considerable knowledge of people and process, technology, and marketing was needed within the internet infrastructure product management area."

Former Baan Manager

..

Internet strategy formation

Needs analysis, the Internet assisting the back-office

Internet and Internet infrastructure technology evaluation

Contract product management

Project management

Feasibility and business planning of Internet initiatives

Business process re-engineering

As a former software manufacturer and member of an International team of product managers for Baan, John has worked with companies around the world to identify and evaluate Internet strategies. 'It is impossible for any company to have the abilities 'in-house' to develop an item unification program, identity resolution, enterprise application integration, content management, security, and catalog structuring strategies; in fact it is impossible to have a single person or group of people in a company that can meaningfully evaluate Internet strategies while doing other more practical tasks.

An outside consultant that can cross the business and technical lines in a company and perform useful Internet co-planning or co-formation of Internet tactics and strategies will reduce organizational and task friction.

Consider us especially when developing inter-divisional, co-competitive, and International Internet policies and activities to gain advantage.

Needs analysis, the Internet assisting the back-office

When attempting change, companies with monolithic ERP applications may become overly concerned with the proper weight to place on ERP system changes versus satellite system creation. Given the complexity of most ERP systems and the advantages of EAI tools and standard ERP interfaces, it is tempting to 'connect-up' and exchange information between systems.

JHC allows companies to focus on business improvement especially using the Internet by confidently evaluating ERP and satellite application touch points and always in the context of permitted or non-permitted access of information by the Internet.

Internet and Internet infrastructure technology evaluation

There are nine key classes of Internet infrastructure technologies that affect all Internet development and deployment cost and success. These nine are:

1. Identity (identity resolving technologies)

2. Connectors (permitted one-to-one, one to many, and many to one external management of ERP sessions for instance)

3. Security

4. Catalogs (including structuring, presentation, refresh, single and multiple source, convert to and from)

5. Proportionate use of the database

6. Workflow

7. Reporting (views of data)

8. Messaging (this can be as simple as e-mail notifications and as complex as automated negotiation)

9. Document management (including documents, document images, drawings)

JHC can help evaluate one or many technology choices in each class, help deploy them suitable to support an Internet objective safely, or help begin a project to weigh the different options available to manage same and cross industry as well as International initiatives.

Contract product management

Consider that you are an Internet software manufacturer, a consulting or technology company wishing to bring a product to market, or a non-technology company wishing to productize a software technology and re-coup an investment. You may require a short-term resource to enhance existing talent, an outsider, an expert in areas complimentary to your own, or some insurance that your product will get to market as successfully as possible.

Product management has a basket of responsibilities associated with it. These tasks to bring a product to, or manage a product in, market are:

1. Business plan development

2. Market diligence

3. Productization

4. Program management

5. Sales support

6. Evangelizing

7. Press and analyst relationship management/development

8. Pricing

9. To-market strategy development

10. Material development

JHC is available for contract product management engagements in Internet based/ERP based and internet directed buy, sell, service, finance, project and infrastructure (see 'Internet and Internet infrastructure technology evaluation' above).

Project management

Need an Internet project defined, staffed, and delivery dates and costs derived? JHC can provide temporary contract project management staff...project management with a twist...JHC can also make educated, experience based technology and approach recommendations based on 20 years in software systems and 10 years working with all aspects of the Internet.

Feasibility and business planning of Internet initiatives

Companies must focus on their own business to stay ahead of the game. Assessing the risk and rewards of a selected Internet strategy will enhance success or put the company success at risk. Letting JHC assist your own experts with an objective view of the impact of Internet initiatives on your well-being. It is a small investment of time and money to have your own Internet risks mitigated by a different perspective on the situation.

Business process re-engineering

You already have an ERP or multiple ERP systems, and an integrated Internet satellite applications. The remaining cost savings or revenue generating potential of your use of the Internet will now come from operating securely outside of your corporate boundaries with vendor, customer, service, finance, and project partnerships. In order to  successfully bridge your organizations to many others you see that you will either have to adapt your business processes to fit your partner's business processes, implement adaptors quickly and easily, or move to the high ground of best business practices.

Generally speaking the Internet economy demands companies up and down the value chain do a little bit of all types of adaptation. In addition to workflow, security, scalability, performance, and reliability considerations help form business process adaptability and survival.

JHC can help balance business process adaptability against line of business, business culture and International culture of a country.