Business Philosophy
By design, Syntegrity is not a large company ... nor do we claim to be the answer to all your needs. There are plenty of “The answer is yes, what’s your question?” consulting companies out there. We’re not one of them. Instead, we pride ourselves in providing very focused services to accomplish things. Below are four of our business philosophy principles.
· Respect
· No surprises
· Change is a constant
· No matter what, get the job done
One aspect of Syntegrity’s value proposition is respect. By “respect” we mean that we understand and appreciate the privilege it is for us to do business with you. To be more specific, this means that we clearly understand that our performance is a direct reflection on you and your professional reputation. Giving respect … earns respect.
Our commitment to communicating effectively is reflected in our policy of “NO SURPRISES.”
Syntegrity accepts change as a constant. We were there when EDI’s primary value was to eliminate the re-keying of invoice data (for the Hub). We were actively involved as EDI made the paradigm shift to becoming a strategic part of supply chain management. We helped our customers implement EDI and/or UDF for their intra-company exchange of transactions. And we’ve helped our customers in their migration from legacy systems to ERP and in their efforts to embrace the Internet. The next wave of change will undoubtedly involve a migration to XML … we will be there for our customers as well.
The bottom line is that Syntegrity is a “roll-up your sleeves and get the job done” consulting company. We get the job done ... every time.
Syntegrity’s management team comprises two highly experienced professionals in the field of e-Commerce and Enterprise Application Integration (EAI). They are both original co-founders and have been the part of the primary core consultants of the business since its inception in early 1994. As equal equity partners, they also jointly form Syntegrity’s OSR (Office of Strategy and Responsibility) which guides the company … a formula that has worked well for more than ten years.
The following is a summary profile of each member of the management team. Following each profile are excerpts of their responses to questions posed by a business advisor during a recent Syntegrity planning retreat.
Ms. Amanda Whitman
In her career prior to co-founding Syntegrity, Ms. Whitman spent 6 years as a Systems Engineer with IBM helping large-scale customers implement and integrate system and application software. In addition to the excellent experience at IBM, Ms. Whitman further enhanced her knowledge of business by attaining an MBA degree.
Her strong reputation in training and interest in electronic commerce led to Ms. Whitman (then Ms. Amanda Schmeling) joining Sterling Commerce in 1991 as an EDI Technical Consultant. In addition to leveraging her training skills as part of Sterling’s professional consulting services business unit, Ms. Whitman’s work also encompassed the project management of large sophisticated EDI implementations. During her 2 1/2 year tenure with Sterling, she gained valuable hands-on experience in the areas of software implementation, application integration, EDI mapping, training, and technical documentation. Additionally, she has a strong global perspective as the result of EDI implementation assignments in Europe and the Pacific Rim.
Since co-founding Syntegrity, Ms. Whitman has developed a particular expertise in the planning and implementation of e-Commerce “clearinghouse centers of excellence” for large-scale multi-divisional enterprises operating on a global basis. An increasing number of companies in this “mega-business” category are moving to this strategy of centralizing e-Commerce processing. Ms. Whitman’s involvement in the planning process and hands-on experience in the global implementation phases has forged a strong partnership between Syntegrity and its clients.
In addition to her other duties, Ms. Whitman serves as Syntegrity’s Chief Planning & Implementation Officer. In this capacity she is largely responsible for defining the methodologies, processes, and controls that Syntegrity employs. Her efforts in these areas have contributed greatly to Syntegrity’s reputation for consistently delivering quality results.
Amanda’s perspective …
Questioner: In your profile there is a reference to an “e-Commerce clearinghouse center of excellence” strategy. Is this only relevant to huge global companies ... and does this suggest that EDI has gotten far too complicated for even the largest of companies?
Ms. Whitman: I would love to get a number of our large scale clients together to debate this question; I’m sure it would spark a spirited discussion. I’m also sure that they would quickly conclude that the question needs to be broken down to more clearly reflect the issues. I’ll also take that approach.
To start with, let’s clarify the term “clearinghouse”. Virtually all medium-size companies and the majority of large companies process EDI transactions centrally. Inbound EDI transactions are translated to the appropriate application format and then routed to the application for processing … and vice versa for outbound transactions. For the most part, it is a very straight-forward process and relatively easy to control.
The “mega-enterprises” are often structured as a holding company … a composite of discrete entities that are each very large companies in their own right. Each entity often has its own MIS organization, its own computers, its own application software, and of course its own EDI translation software. I used the words “its own” repeatedly to emphasize the commitment to autonomy that most holding companies believe is critical to success.
These companies have also learned that the autonomy model breaks down when you add customers and vendors into the mix. For instance, if two or more business units use the same vendor, then they may have a better buying position. On the other hand, one business unit’s vendor may be another business unit’s most valuable customer. The situation that complicates things most, however, is when several business units have overlapping customers.
Maintaining customer satisfaction is tough even in a simple EDI relationship. Any vendor mistake can have a domino effect across your customer’s entire supply chain. Competency in e-Commerce is a key factor in selecting and keeping vendors for every major corporation around the world.
Now let me briefly explain the mega-enterprise’s challenge as a vendor in the supply chain. One of their economies of scale is to unify the sales forces of the business units to reduce cost and support the “single company” or “one stop shopping” image. Imagine one of those proud unified sales reps who just closed a huge order with a new customer that includes products spanning five business units. The customer is ready to sign but has one last question with regard to the importance of EDI and wants to hear an overview of how the order will be processed, acknowledged, and invoiced. How will that customer react when they find out they have to set up 5 different new trading partners … and create 5 different EDI purchase orders in their application system … and build 15 new EDI maps for the 3 documents … and then 5 times communications, audit trails, testing, etc.? I think you can see why it’s important to unify the e-Commerce function to support the “one face forward” image.
The “Clearinghouse” strategy embraces the “one face forward” concept and is therefore unique to the mega-enterprise with multiple and autonomous business units. The strategy can also send significant sums to the bottom line by reducing ongoing operating costs.
The solution is an EDI center (i.e., a Clearinghouse) that is equipped with outstanding people resources and a technology environment that can handle peak loads without negatively impacting the business units. The Clearinghouse handles all the trading partner relationships, EDI mapping, standards issues, etc. It is also responsible for communicating with the business units using more traditional data record formats that are technologically more digestible and alleviate the need for EDI expertise at every business unit.
Let me be clear in stating that putting a Clearinghouse solution in place is a mammoth project involving the business reengineering of business critical customer relationships. When done properly though, the benefits far outweigh the upfront efforts and investment.
Thus, in answering the latter part of your question - “has EDI gotten too complicated for even the largest companies?” - the answer is “no.” The reason mega-enterprises make the move to a Clearinghouse strategy is because they believe it will improve customer satisfaction and will allow them to take advantage of efficiencies of scale.
Questioner: I was surprised to learn that Syntegrity’s management team is quite geographically dispersed. Is this by design or a reflection of personality conflicts, or what?
Ms. Whitman: That was pretty funny. The real answer is in the “or what” category. Syntegrity was founded in Columbus, Ohio, which is where we all lived and got to know each other while working for Sterling Commerce.
Even when we all lived in Columbus, we all worked from our home offices and most of our communication was by phone or email. So their moves were not a traumatic event because we were already a “virtual business.” We maintain a standard schedule of conference calls and then meet face-to-face quarterly. We communicate extremely well which is a necessary skill for consultants. Our virtual business model also extends to include the way we work with most of our clients.
Questioner: That’s actually a good lead-in to my last question. Isn’t it difficult to do e-Commerce consulting from a remote office … or is it that your customers don’t want you around?
Ms. Whitman: It must be the latter since over the last six years we have performed most of our work on a remote basis. I know you were being funny, but in fact, if we can be just as effective or more effective working remote why would they want us around? I’ve never had a client tell me that they were way under budget and needed me to come on-site to rack up additional travel, lodging, and meal expenses. Let’s be more serious about this topic though ... it's an important issue that is part of the change in the way companies conduct business.
The virtual office is no longer just a concept or experiment, the stigma or fear of losing control or productivity is gone. What started out as a movement to tap into home-based workers (remember the term “cottage industry”, to stuff envelopes and other mundane tasks has come a very long way.
In today’s world we have professional telecommuters, remote virtual offices, and even virtual businesses. The proliferation of email, easy Internet access, all the Web content/commerce, and web-based collaboration sites have all contributed to making the virtual office a practical option. Even the application software companies are web-enabling the user interfaces of their products. Some companies have even turned to telecommuting to improve employee retention and resolve office overcrowding.
We believe our virtual business model is successful because of our personal effort mixed with the right office technology. From a personal standpoint, you have to be a “self-starter” and be disciplined in your work ethic business routine. On the professional side, communications skills need to be combined with a clear understanding of the client’s expectations of how and how often to communicate. On the technology side, we have high-end computing equipment, back-up computers and, independent phone lines for data, voice, and fax. In addition, we have writable CD-ROM units for daily data backups.
Syntegrity is a strong proponent of professional remote consulting even to the extent that it is our preferred method of doing business. Now that doesn’t mean we won’t go to the client’s site! Often, our remote jobs start with some number of days on-site to establish working relationships and clarify project details … and then there are times when periodic physical meetings make sense. The key is to find the right mix: if working remote still gets the job done, saves money, and increases the talent pool ... then you do it.
Ms. Donnie Pannell
In her career prior to co-founding Syntegrity, Ms. Pannell spent over 15 years as a business professional and has worked on both sides of the customer and vendor equation.
Her involvement with e-Commerce started in the transportation and logistics industry where she worked for a subsidiary of the First National Bank of Chicago. As part of the bank’s cash management division, the business unit was responsible for processing and auditing thousands of paper and electronic freight invoices and the resulting electronic remittance of millions of dollars on a weekly basis. In her capacity as a quality control analyst and supervisor, she was responsible for working with FORTUNE 1000 companies to define, document, and implement business rules to facilitate the accurate processing and reporting of transportation invoices. She then played a key role in extending the business units' services to include processing EDI invoices and corresponding bills of lading.
Ms. Pannell gained additional experience when she moved to an application software vendor. The company specialized in providing application software to the distribution market. The suite included order processing, inventory management, inventory forecasting and replenishment, invoicing, and accounts receivables. As a Field Implementation Product Specialist, her responsibilities encompassed training and configuring the application software to meet customers requirements.
By 1989, Ms. Pannell’s background positioned her as an ideal candidate to join Sterling Commerce as a customer implementation and support representative for their high-end EDI translation software and professional services business. Her ongoing success led to an emphasis on customer training and onsite implementation/application integration with large-scale global enterprises. Her tenure at Sterling included a one-year assignment in Europe as the Manager of Technical Support. She restructured the technical support infrastructure and established a firm foundation for Sterling Commerce’s international operations.
Ms. Pannell is considered an expert in the evaluation, training, and implementation disciplines of inter and intra company electronic commerce. Along with her partners, she is an expert in hands-on mapping and has a passion for project progress.
In addition to her other responsibilities, Ms. Pannell acts as Syntegrity’s Chief Relationship Officer. In this capacity she is largely responsible for managing business relationships with existing clients. Projects do change, and she is usually the "point person" when previously defined plans, and expectations, suddenly don’t make sense any more. With over ten years in e-Commerce serving hundreds of clients, she has encountered and dealt with the majority of issues that can disrupt even the best of plans.
Ms. Pannell is also the point person for formulating new client relationships. She readily admits that her consulting skills far outweigh her ability to sell Syntegrity’s services … but, on the other hand, if you want a straight answers ... you'll get them. Ms. Pannell prides herself on providing accurate forecasts, and quality on-time deliverables.
Donnie’s perspective …
Questioner: I’m intrigued by your 15 years of experience in e-Commerce. What, in your opinion, are the three most significant changes you’ve seen over that period?
Ms. Pannell: Wow … there has been so much change!
First and foremost, I would have to say that the acceptance and proliferation of EDI was a huge change. What we’ve seen is a revolution … the migration of the world’s economy from a paper-based manually operated postal environment to a highly efficient electronic system.
Second on my list would probably be the change in focus. The early business reasons for doing EDI centered around reducing the cost of redundant data entry and the associated errors. Those reasons are all but museum pieces. Today the focus is on the entire supply chain and making intra and inter-company communications highly efficient and a competitive advantage.
Technology is number three ... it’s changed EVERYTHING! It’s amazing … and chaotic … and fantastic … we are actually watching the world reinvent itself.
Questioner: Do your customers feel the same way?
Ms. Pannell: I think everyone’s pretty optimistic about all the improvements. It’s just very frustrating when ALL the pieces seem to change at the same time.
Questioner: What do you mean by “ALL the pieces”?
Think about it this way. Suppose you’re the CIO of a major company in the 1995 timeframe … and that I am a senior member of your technical staff, and you’ve tasked me with putting together a technology roadmap for the next 3 years.
Two months later I present my recommendation to you that calls for a complete re-engineering of the technology infrastructure and the replacement of all of our legacy systems. My report recommends a distributed ERP system that is integrated with 5 major websites to support our business units … and briefly addresses the pending Y2K issue. It further states our need to embrace and integrate CRM (Customer Relationship Management) technology and processes. And finally, I report that we need to participate and be a leader in the new wave of “Procurement Cooperatives” for our raw materials and MRO (Maintenance Repair and Operations) purchases.
I finish my presentation and eagerly await your response. What would be your response?
Questioner: I would probably start questioning you about your sanity.
Ms. Pannell: Exactly! But it gets worse. Now it’s 1998 and the new “technology-oriented” CEO and Chairman meets with you to discuss why the company hasn’t converted to an ERP system … is not fully integrated with the Internet … and why he didn’t see XML mentioned in your departmental business plan.
Questioner: I get fired, right?
Ms. Pannell: Maybe, but it doesn’t matter... the job still has to be done. The frustration comes with the immenseness of the job and the fact that you are dealing with so many “mission critical” variables. Having to get 3 years of work done in 18 months just adds to the fun.
Questioner: How does Syntegrity help?
Ms. Pannell: Migrating to a new ERP system on a new hardware and operating system is a huge effort. Configuring the new application modules, determining new system schedules, training end-users, processing in parallel, reworking disaster recovery, … the list of internal projects can seem endless. One good thing about these internal or “intra-company” projects is that you have control of all the moving parts. We have helped a number of our clients identify and accomplish the internal projects.
Syntegrity’s primary focus, however, is our client’s focus. The names are numerous … e-Commerce, eBusiness, EAI, B2B, etc. Our particular expertise is in EDI and application-to-application data translation … and we are now getting involved in XML solutions as well. We are experts at the translation process. It is very complex, detailed, and often tedious work, but more than anything, it takes tremendous cooperation and understanding between the e-Commerce professionals of the client and each of its hundreds or even thousands of trading partners.
We tell our clients to strategize all they want, but when it comes down to putting a “plan” together and getting it done … that’s how we help … it’s our primary value proposition.
Questioner: So you’re quick to get into the boat and start rowing?
Ms. Pannell: We are quick at understanding the direction, we already know which end of the oar to grab, and we don’t waste time getting underway. We are “expert” rowers!
Questioner: OK, any other nautical value?
Ms. Pannell: Yes, we help make the Captain look like an Admiral.