Japan - US Business News

Waking up to Business Intelligence

One of our business partners and new Guest Contributor, William Laurent,  writes about the need for Business Intelligence - skills, technologies, applications and  practices used to help a business acquire a better understanding of its commercial context to gain better maximum competitive advantage.

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The last five years has seen an exponential increase in the complexity and distribution of data and business processes for most medium-to-large size Japanese companies.

With a blatant lack of documentation and metadata on their business rules, systems/process dependencies, and poor targeted accountability, more and more of these companies are seeing a sharp decline in their ability to compete and react successfully to change. 

Yet some of these Japanese companies seem to avoid applying true best practices in governance and business intelligence which would allow them to better compete globally in their industries. In the course of my work in this field over the years with both U.S and Japanese companies, I have found that an alarming number of Japanese companies have out of control redundancies in business processes, no concept of business rules heritage, and a preposterous number of non-automated mission-critical business processes which are still being done manually.

For a country so technologically advanced, the practical application of IT and best practices in GRC (governance, risk, and compliance) is woefully absent. Talk of “business continuity” (BC) is usually narrowly focused on only certain pieces of a business supply-chain or data assets. In a country so prone to earthquakes, it makes me wonder how many organizations (large and small) would be able to truly survive the “big quake” if it finally strikes.

Proactive, not reactive

Business Intelligence (BI) is not just about performance management, it is about creating better transparency and accountability inside the corporation. It is about ensuring the survivability of the enterprise and keeping forever agile and poised to glean competitive advantage from changes in the marketplace. It is about being proactive and not just reactive. BI allows a company to prepare for major change or crisis before they happen.

BI not only gives a company competitive advantage, it often means whether or not a company can survive when a major crisis hits.

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William Laurent is a world recognized consultant, educator, lecturer, and writer involved, for almost 20 years, in Business Intelligence and Governance. He offers training to both Japanese and U.S. firms in business intelligence to help them run more intelligently. 

In his Business Excellence training, he examines how BI ties into and supports corporate governance and business continuity which can be specifically targeted to individual corporations and industries.

For more information about the Business Excellence training curriculum for companies, e-mail us at: yvonne@burtonconsulting.biz OR william@williamlaurent.com. 

Reinvention: Utilizing Technology

The information gained from Lesson 1: Assessment will help a company focus on specific areas for making changes in their day to day business operations. One of the major areas where a company can and must improve is in utilizing technology.

Technology has made it easier for smaller and larger companies to improve business and business processes to a degree never before seen.  From Internet advertising to using software to automate functions, from instituting Standard Operating Procedures to formatting e-mail communications, technology saves a company time and money.  

Global Initiative, Global Solution – Part 3

In Part 1 and Part 2, I wrote of the importance planning and of understanding the current or AS-IS state of the client’s operations. Now I will share with you how we were able to help our client get to where they wanted to be.

What is missing? This is a good question to ask whether in business or in life. If this client was doing a, b, and c and getting only x and y results but needed z results  as well, what was needed to get them there?  We evaluated the necessary changes that were required in order to bridge their current state and desired future state.

Our client was doing a great deal but was missing something in their processes. They were almost doing too much in some areas and not enough in others.  We needed to modify some procedures, get rid of ineffective ones and add new ones . For their future state, they were seeking:

1. Truly standardized processes
2. Software solutions that worked across all regions
3. Necessary add-on applications that could be integrated
4. Comprehensive training materials

There was no one software solution that could fulfill every need at this level. But we could standardize as much across the board as possible and go from there.  We designed and integrated appropriate processes across the three countries and documented the foundation practices and frameworks. Then provided add-ons that fit at least a combination of countries and finally add-ons for each specific region.

From there we fit processes to software solutions:

1. Application components that could be used across the three regions
2. Applications that could be used by at least two regions
3. Add-on applications specific to one region

As I mentioned, this client and project was a great undertaking and I am so glad I was a part of it. I applaud this Japanese company for its progressiveness in an especially traditional industry. I created my business because I knew there were companies like this out there and I wanted to use my skills and my experience of Japan to work with them.

This company took steps toward true globalization and maximizing technology usage that many other Japanese companies in their industry or other industries should note.

In summary, I want to reiterate some the basic lessons that were instrumental in making this project a success:

1. When dealing with different languages even if your team has bilingual staff, for technologically advanced materials, use a professional translation or interpreting service
2. Having a visual representation of processes makes it easier to understand and ‘see’ the process of how things are done.
3. Analyze a client’s current state thoroughly and determine their desired future state
4. Document everything
5. Plan, Plan , Plan
6. Be flexible because it is NEVER  possible to follow any plan to the letter.There will always be unforeseen events that necessitate changes along the way 
7. Keep in constant communication

Global Initiative, Global Solution – Part 2

In the Part 1 of this case study, I wrote about the importance of planning. After the establishment of Project and Communication plans and project scope, the first thing we had to do was to assess the current state of our client’s operations in each country by analyzing their SOPS.

Due to the technically of the SOPS, we had all Japanese SOPS translated into English by a professional translation service. I will take the time here to mention a valuable lesson I have learned over the years when dealing with different languages. Even if your team has bilingual staff, for technologically advanced materials, use a translation/interpreting firm.

We then documented the SOPs as visual workflows. Having a visual representation of processes reduces ambiguity and makes it easier for all to understand and ‘see’ the way things are done. This will help with any gap analysis later because you can actually see what is missing.

Global Initiative, Global Solution - Part 1

Japanese pharmaceutical company technology project.

The challenge that this client faced was that they lacked a truly comprehensive knowledge base where information that was stored pertaining to products and testing could be 1.) entered by all related divisions across 3 regions: Japan, the U.S. and the UK,  2.) updated by different groups regardless of who originally entered the information,  3.) accessed simultaneously by different users as well as other requirements.

As I mentioned when I introduced this project, a communication plan was very important to ensuring the success of this project. We organized and prepared by:

1. Identifying all possibilities that could be identified in advance and prepared potential solutions.
2. Creating focused agendas for all meetings and distributed in advance so that all parties were  prepared and on the same page before entering into any meeting. 
3. Clearly defining goals for the sessions and at the end ensured that we achieved those goals or revised them if we could not. 
4. Documenting decisions and actions items in all meetings in detail.
5. Standardizing documentation and other formats to ensure consistency and to take into consideration language comprehension and communication styles.

As this was a Japanese client, gaining consensus from all participants was key. Each region had input as to their specific needs as well as global needs that applied to all regions.

Simultaneously, project scope and all elements of work related to the project were defined. Our project leaders confirmed quality control details and work to ensure our path to production and project completion.

We mapped the course and our global team then began the real work . Our client was now going to see their innovative project start on the road to fruition.

We now needed to understand our client’s business. They had standard operating procedures but did they follow them?

Stay Tuned for Part 2 of Global Initiative, Global Solution on Wednesday.

Inroduction - Global Initiative, Global Solution

Last summer I was contacted by colleagues who had received an RFP for a leading Japanese company. This company specializes in creating customized technology solutions for the mainly pharmaceutical clients and this was their first foray into Japan.  This was to be a global initiative on the part of this client to consolidate software so that their offices in Japan, the U.S. and the UK could all share more detailed information about their products and related testing and reporting.

I accompanied them to make the presentation as the person who would directly work with the Japanese team if we landed the project.Once we were selected to provide services to this Japanese company, we committed fully to working to meet what we knew to be a very aggressive timeline and to work with other vendors in ensuring that the project was completed both on time and on budget.

In the course of working for other clients over the years, I have never encountered a project such as this. This was to be a truly global undertaking and this Japanese company was fully willing and prepared to not only spend the money but also utilize all resources fully to accomplish their goals. I must say I was impressed and excited.

For all us who work in Japan-U.S. business, we often encounter clients especially on the Japanese end that say they are ‘international minded’ or that that a  ‘project is international’ but this client truly meant it. Not only did they have the usual practice of sending Japanese staff on overseas rotations but they had instituted a program that required U.S. and UK staff also to do work rotations in Japan for various lengths of time.

In the kick-off meeting for this project, you saw Japanese, English, Irish, Germans, Koreans, Indians and Americans all working together. Our weekly status meetings were feats of brilliant engineering by our project manager. The commitment on everyone’s part to make this project a success was exemplified by our willingness to dial in at 6am, 7am, or 9pm depending on what country we were in.

Our most effective tool for this project was our communication plan that was established at the beginning of the project and agreed upon by all top manaegment, project sponsors and team members. By constant communication we were able to identify and mitigate risks that could have seriously affected our timelines. 

Although as with any project, there were issues, major challenges and of course unexpected happenings, this project was a major victory. Not just in terms of a successful completion, but in terms of showing how Japanese businesses can use technology and global teams to advance their businesses.

Starting on Monday,  I will write about this project as a Case Study in a three part series: Global Initiative, Global Solution.

For Japan, It’s Technology Crunch Time

I work mainly on Technology projects between the U.S. and Japan and being knee deep in it day to day feel the ups and downs in the field more than most people.

I recently read an article by Martin Fackler of The New York Times concerning the crisis that Japan is facing in technology and engineering. Due to the dwindling number of students entering these fields of study over the past two decades, there is a serious shortage of qualified talent to fill needed positions in these fields in Japanese companies and foreign companies operating in Japan. As an American who speaks Japanese and works in technology, I understand the difficulty and see if almost daily as I go about running my business.

I went to a presentation at the Japan Society in New York about a year and a half ago by the president of Microsoft Japan. In his presentation, I was very excited to hear him speak of the many initiatives that Microsoft was involved in with various Japanese technology partners. What was even more exciting to me was his mentioning the possibility of many, many more. The problem was that even though these opportunities were present, there was a lack of qualified resources to be found in Japan to take them on. A backlog of IT projects due to a lack of developers, software engineers, etc.

He also mentioned the difficulties that smaller companies are facing in Japan in terms of utilizing technology to advance business operations. They don’t have the money to attract the qualified talent that they need, and if they did, there is a very limited number of people to go around. Small companies that need technology the most to play bigger, have the lowest percent of IT usage even in the most basic form such as e-mail.

To emphasize this point, I received my first e-mail from a very close friend in Kyoto who has been running her family’s small business for the past 8 years. Our usual written communication until mid-February of this year had been by fax because that was all she had available.  Imagine how small businesses like my friend’s could expand if they could utilize technology to the same levels as small businesses do in the United States?

I wonder if there are government programs that assist small Japanese businesses comparable to the Small Business Administration and its many diverse programs (that I have benefited greatly from) in the U.S.
I am sure the Japanese government has programs but to what degree are they out there assisting Japanese entrepreneurs, especially women entrepreneurs?  

If you know, please write in and share your thoughts on this. Large and small companies alike face the same issues these days in this area. What can be done is the million dollar question?

Case Study: Large European Company's IT Project for Japan office

Large European conglomerate’s Information Technology office in the U.S. doing a software upgrade and consolidation project for their office in Japan.

The Challenge:

Software consolidation and upgrade project that involved:
1. Three countries and three project teams
2. Four cultures (American, European, Indian Tech Staff and Japanese end users)
3. Different business cultures
4. Different decision making styles
5. Three time zones
6. 20 different team members and personalities

In technology there is a vast melting pot of workers and the potential for challenges are everywhere. There are people on projects that are used to working alone at a computer and now they have to work with others and on international projects such as this one, it is usually is a co-worker or consultant of a different culture.

For this project, I interacted with the technical staff in the U.S., the Japanese end users and their technical staff in Japan and management in Europe.

As I performed analysis and designed our approach, the project manager had to make sure that all communications were designed to address the individual reader or listener.

The Solution:

Using my understanding of Japanese cultural as the foundation in creating understanding among team members while delivering our technology expertise in the software development lifecycle.

Once the client realized that this was more than a technology project and the scope of potential communication problems, I was also asked to provide cross-cultural training classes for the rest of the team in the U.S. By doing this, I was able to assist all members of the team better understand each other, communicate more effectively and work smoothly together in performing the project work.

Globalization and technology open doors for smaller businesses in the Japan-US Business arena

Japan-US Business News lives in the potential of all the possiblities for businesses in the Japan-US marketplace today.

Businesses that recognize that things have changed and continue changing. That by adapting in this ever changing environment that technology has brought about, they can revolutionize the way business is done.

There are many companies, both large and small, doing some interesting and innovative things in this marketplace. These innovations should be widely talked about.  This is what Japan-US Business News is all about.

Smaller and mid-sized companies are using technology to do business at levels unheard of in the past and succeeding. A small company in Tokyo, Osaka or some smaller town in Japan can have an idea today and be in business tomorrow due to the technology advances of today. They can put their products and services in front of anyone in the world as I did with my company, Burton Consulting International. I can be located in New York, get hired by a European client and do work for end-users in Japan without leaving my office.

There are thousands of companies out there with this potential. If you are one of them, visit us often.