This is an exciting time for natural resources planning. There are amazing technologies available to planners and a wide and growing array of resources, problems, and opportunities that need attention. Private and public interests are taking up these issues all over the world and at all levels of involvement. At the same time, inefficient planning
THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO MAXIMIZING LIMITED RESOURCES TO INNOVATE AND GROW Trying to accomplish too much with too few resources has become almost customary in business today. More often than not, though, all that we "accomplish" is delayed projects, mass confusion, and missed opportunities--not the achievement of business goals. The Resource Management and Capacity Planning Handbook helps you tackle the critical challenges of resource management and capacity planning head on by providing a proven tool for making the leap from chaos to control: the Capacity Quadrant, a framework for addressing visibility, prioritization, optimization of existing resources, and integrated planning and governance. The Resource Management and Capacity Planning Handbook demystifies the complexities of resource capacity and demand management and offers clear ways for maximizing your limited resources to drive business growth and sustainability. This groundbreaking guide includes: The latest benchmark data from a comprehensive study of resource management Case studies from organizations that have used the book's methods with great success Tools for overcoming common barriers and making decisions involving time capture, resource assignments, and competing priorities Recommendations on ownership of the organization's resource management and capacity planning functions Considerations for addressing the human side of resource management and capacity planning The Resource Management and Capacity Planning Handbook gives you the information, insight, and proven methods to take your company where it has never been before. PRAISE FOR THE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND CAPACITY PLANNING HANDBOOK "There are lots of leadership books, scores of human resources books, and plenty of project and portfolio management books. This is the first book dedicated to what is essentially the drivetrain of organizations--the effective use of its people toward its most important activities. This is Manas's best and most ambitious book yet." -- Judith E. Glaser, CEO, Benchmark Communications, Inc.; Chairman of The Creating WE Institute; and author of the bestselling Conversational Intelligence "Jerry's book and the Capacity Quadrant model he outlines give you a realistic view of your workforce and an approach to maximizing the 'people power' in your organization that's easy to understand and apply. It could very well help transform your company and make you a hero in the process!" -- Dave Garrett, President and CEO, ProjectManagement.com "Unlike lifeless products, people skills and capacity are difficult to measure and vary widely between 'good' days and 'bad' days. Manas steps nimbly through this minefield with solid evidence and practical advice--all laced together in an easy-to-read style." -- R. Max Wideman FCSCE, FEIC, FICE, FPMI "It didn't take me too long into reading when I realized how much we really needed this book. I wish we had it when we started implementing Resource Capacity Planning and Investment Planning. I will make sure all of my staff members have copies." -- Gary Merrifield, PMP, Manager, IT Project Delivery and Quality Assurance, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana "A great guide to the most important topic in management: how to maximize your limited people resources." -- Hans Heuschkel, Senior Business Intelligence Analyst/Project Manager, Swiss insurance company
Examines enterprise software in general, rather than focusing on one particular package. Readers will learn how ERP software can improve the functions of a company, how it can streamline operations, and how the functional areas of any package relate to each other.
To achieve success in today's business climate you must do more than provide high quality low cost products to customers when and how they want them. Customers and suppliers require fully integrated information - throughout the supply chain or value chain. You must integrate your organization so completely that executive decisions are implemented effortlessly. Competitive pressures often cause a reduction in prices, in spite of continually rising costs. A decrease in prices paired with increased costs quickly eliminates any profitability and threatens your company's ability to survive. This book shows you how you can reduce costs through the elimination of waste caused by poor communication and coordination throughout a company as well as between the company, its suppliers, and its customers. The author explains Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) in non-technical terms, describing how an ERP system can fully integrate all functions in your manufacturing organization. He demonstrates the system's capability to increase efficiency and profitability - and to delight the customer - as well as its current deficiencies. In addition to his thorough coverage of ERP, the author introduces Total Enterprise Integration (TEI), the process of integrating all the information required to fully support a manufacturing company. TEI represents a logical extension of complete information integration throughout a manufacturing enterprise and into the supply chain. This new concept shows you how the intelligent use of work flow allows responsibility to go to the most appropriate front-line decision makers while maintaining proper budgetary and operational controls. The power of TEI is in the integration of communication across the entire manufacturing company, and out through the supply chain to customers and suppliers. Enterprise Resource Planning and Beyond: Integrating Your Entire Organization focuses on what a fully integrated system can do for you. Features
This updated revision explains how to design, implement and manage a cutting-edge distribution system based on quick response/continuous replenishment concepts. Practical guidelines demonstrate how to dramatically improve the accuracy of product deliveries, reduce levels of inventory, lower operating costs and refine productivity.
This book introduces the fundamental principles of understanding business requirements to apply enterprise resource planning (ERP) in order to meet business needs. The book also helps readers understand the usage of ERP for monitoring and controlling business processes, while providing practical oriented solutions to the design and implementation of ERP. Using the provided framework, a business can decide to provide more value at lower cost which increases its competitive advantage. This should be an ideal reference for executives, researchers and consultants in project management of ERP. ERP can be considered to be an integrated package of business process. The scope of ERP determines the extent of automation of business process. For example if ERP covers Human Resource (HR) and finance business processes only, then business process related HR and finance are automated. Typically business process that are automated in HR and finance employee entry and exist process, allocation of employee ID, payroll, processing , income tax planning and actual deduction etc. There is seamless flow of employee data and information is available at an effectively faster rate to take appropriate decision. As custom demand increases, there is a need to meet the changing scenario with speed and efficiency. While there is a need to increase productivity, there is also a need to reduce cost of operation. The repetitive business processes can be handled effectively by automating them and freeing human resources for meeting other uncertainties. These automations not only should be done for each department, but also should cut across different departments. Thus there is a need for automating business processes at enterprise level. This enterprise level automation started with MRP, then MRP II, ERP and then finally open source ERP have taken centre stage. Out of the standard products available in the market, an organization can chose an ERP product for implementation, depending on the features available and the total cost of ownership (TCO). This comparison helps an organization to choose the product that best suits the needs for the organization. Enterprise Resource Planning: Fundamentals of Design and Implementation highlights these concepts while discusses different good practices to design and implement ERP.
Electric Utility Resource Planning: Past, Present and Future covers the balance of renewable costs, energy storage, and flexible backstop mechanisms needed in electric utility resource planning. In addition, it covers the optimization of planning methodologies and market design. The book argues that net load, ramping and volatility concerns associated with renewables call into question the validity of almost a century of planning approaches. Finally, it suggests that accounting for flexibility helps optimize the efficiency of the entire fleet of assets, minimizing costs and CO2 generation simultaneously, concluding that a flexible, independent backstop mechanism is needed, regardless of renewables or storage. Case studies provide a mix of hypothetical "what if" scenarios and analyses of real-life utility portfolios drawn from international examples. Examines how resource planners and policy specialists can plan to incorporate renewable generation technologies, thus uniting considerations of technology, methodology, business and policy Focuses on the reality of long-term decision-making and planning processes in working utilities Reviews novel approaches towards resource planning that yield lower costs and CO2 Emphasizes the need for flexible backstop mechanisms to maintain reliability
Most people—including many legislators, regulators, and other decision makers in the electric utility industry—have misconceptions about how electric utilities really "work" and plan for the future. This lack of understanding can lead to poorly informed decisions and policies that directly affect the choices utilities must make. Using easy-to-understand text and examples, Electric Utility Resource Planning: Economics, Reliability, and Decision-Making clarifies how utilities operate their systems and prepare for the future. This explanation will show readers that both expected and counterintuitive results can occur (i.e., conservation might result in higher air emissions, or lowering costs could lead to higher electric rates). Taking readers step by step through this process, the book (in the following order): "Creates" a hypothetical utility Explains how and why a utility operates its system of generating units Discusses the planning methods that a utility would (or should) use Guides readers through each stage of a planning analysis for the hypothetical utility, examining various resource options (conservation, new power plants, and solar) In addition, the author introduces four Fundamental Principles of Resource Planning that should guide utilities. He also offers opinions on how certain trends in utility regulation and legislation can hinder utility planners’ efforts to identify and select the best resources for the utility’s customers. With this book, author Dr. Steven Sim applies his experience and insights from more than two decades of resource planning for Florida Power and Light (FPL). As one of the largest utilities in the United States, FPL has faced a multitude of resource planning challenges, and Dr. Sim has performed and supervised thousands of analyses designed to meet these obstacles. He has also served as an FPL witness in regulatory hearings on a wide variety of topics, ranging from the economic implications of nuclear, conservation, coal, gas, and other resource options, to the non-economic impacts (air emissions, fuel usage, system reliability, etc.) they present.
For courses in Graduate MIS, Decision Support Systems, and courses covering the principles of enterprise resource planning systems. This text takes a generic approach to enterprise resource planning systems and their interrelationships, covering all functional areas of this new type of management challenge. It discusses the re-design of business processes, changes in organizational structure, and effective management strategies that will help assure competitiveness, responsiveness, productivity, and global impact for many organizations in the years ahead.
