Aberdeen Group Publishes Three New Business Planning and Execution Research Reports

Research Examines Social BPM, Midmarket ERP, Planning and Forecasting Alignment


BOSTON, MA--(Marketwired - Sep 24, 2013) - Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company (NYSE: HHS), today announced the publication of three new research reports by Nick Castellina, Senior Research Analyst for its Business Planning and Execution research practice.

"Social BPM: Putting Hallway Chatter to Good Use" reveals that while businesses understand the need to manage processes by using automation, leading organizations are 65% more likely than others to have enterprise-level Business Process Management (BPM) tools in place. But BPM needs to extend beyond simply the mechanics of processes and also focus on the less tangible components of what makes a company work. For example, 34% of research survey respondents indicated having difficulty converting collaborative data into business execution. This is a concern because, for many processes, the ability for people working together collaboratively is essential for process effectiveness. Research indicates that leading organizations are 60% more likely to have real-time social streams where business users can comment and collaborate on business events. This report examines business drivers causing organizations to take a social BPM approach, as well as adoption rates and benefits. To obtain a complimentary copy of this report, visit: http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?spid=30410182&cid=8624&camp=PRES

"ERP in the Midmarket: Enabling Functionality and Simplicity to Combat Complexity" shows that when organizations reach a certain size it becomes apparent that the ways of doing business that had previously helped lead to growth are no longer applicable. While smaller organizations can successfully run on desktop systems and simple applications, enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions are an effective operational and transactional system of record for midmarket organizations as the enterprise becomes more sophisticated. But the key to success is selecting the correct ERP solution. This report contains guidelines to help midmarket organizations articulate their business needs in order to select the optimal ERP solution. To obtain a complimentary copy of this report, visit: http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?spid=30410182&cid=8631&camp=PRES

"Aligning Long-term Plans with Short-term Forecasts: Maintaining Productivity without Losing Sight of Goals" finds that while planning, budgeting, and forecasting are extremely important exercises, determining long-term company goals and short-term planning are not necessarily similar disciplines and can be difficult to align. In fact, 12% of survey respondents indicated that operational forecasts are not aligned with overall business objectives. Additionally, 48% of survey respondents indicated difficulty aligning operational execution with financial planning, budgeting, and forecasting. Leading organizations have the ability to better align their short-term operational plans, budgets, and forecasts with long-term organizational goals and initiatives. This report illustrates how top performing organizations unite long- and short-term planning through key technologies and organizational capabilities. To obtain a complimentary copy of this report, visit: http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?spid=30410182&cid=8636&camp=PRES.

Other recent research reports from Nick Castellina include "Project Management in the Cloud: Enabling the Keys to Project Success," "Solving Collaboration Challenges with Social ERP," "Delivering Efficiency, Communication, and Insight to SMBs for Financial Planning, Budgeting, and Forecasting," and "Rolling Forecasts Enable Accuracy and Agile Business Planning."

View Nick Castellina's postings on the Aberdeen Group blog Research with Results.

Follow Nick on Twitter @nickcastellina

About Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company

Enabled by its team of 40 research analysts covering 16 industry-sector categories, access to 35,000+ benchmarked enterprise decision makers, and 2.5 million research readers, Aberdeen Group -- a Harte-Hanks Company (NYSE: HHS) -- is the trusted advisor to global technology markets, providing corporations with insights that drive IT decisions. Aberdeen's independent, fact-based research and market intelligence is used by the Fortune 1000, Global 500, and Software 500.

Aberdeen has offices in Boston and London. Harte-Hanks operates 25 offices in the United States, and has locations throughout Asia-Pacific, Europe, and Latin America. 

(C) 2013 Aberdeen Group, Inc., a Harte-Hanks Company
451 D Street, Suite 710
Boston, Massachusetts 02210-1928
Telephone: (617) 854-5200
Fax: (617) 723-7897
www.aberdeen.com