No Shortcuts to a Better ERP Solution

Well, not really anyway, but there may be a few tools to help you with the journey. 

 

Take for instance the recipe for “Spaghetti alla puttanesca” (literally "whore's style spaghetti" in Italian) which is a tangy, somewhat salty Italian pasta dish invented in the mid-20th century. The ingredients are typical of Southern Italian cuisine: tomatoes, olive oil, olives, capers, and garlic.

 

Various accounts exist as to when and how the dish originated, but it likely dates to the mid-twentieth century. The earliest known mention of it is in a 1961 Italian novel which mentions spaghetti alla puttanesca come li fanno a Siracusa (spaghetti alla puttanesca as they make it in Syracuse).  According to the Professional Union of Italian Pasta Makers the sauce became popular in the 1960s.

 

The 1971 edition of the Cucchiaio d’argento has no recipe with this name, but two which are similar. The Neapolitan Spaghetti alla partenopea, is made with anchovies and generous quantities of oregano, while spaghetti alla siciliana is distinguished by the addition of green peppers.

 

According to Annarita Cuomo, writer for Il Golfo, a newspaper serving the Italian islands of Ischia and Procida, sugo alla puttanesca was invented in the 1950s by Sandro Petti, co-owner of Rancio Fellone, a famous Ischian restaurant and nightspot.

Basic recipe

 

The sauce alone is called sugo alla puttanesca in Italian. Recipes may differ according to preferences; for instance the Neapolitan version is prepared without anchovies, unlike the version popular in Lazio, and chili pepper is sometimes added. In most cases, however, the sugo is a little salty (from the capers, olives, and anchovies) and quite fragrant (from the garlic). Traditionally, the sauce is served with spaghetti, although it also goes well with penne, bucatini, linguine and vermicelli.

Chopped garlic and anchovies (omitted in the Neapolitan version) are sautéed in olive oil. Chopped chili peppers, olives, capers, diced tomatoes and oregano are added along with salt and black pepper to taste. The cook then reduces this mixture by simmering and it is poured over spaghetti cooked al dente. The final touch is a topping of parsley.

  

So, thanks to Wikipedia for the insightful recipe.  Our family version is a little different as it is likely different in many homes.  What is consistent here is the recipe for a quick, filling, hot meal for a hungry family.  It is a quick dinner sauce served over pasta.  Pasta, a starch staple of so many people, like rice and potatoes.

 

So how does this relate to Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions?

 

We so often look for a quick solution, something easy, something to ease the pain.  And sometimes we luck out and find an individual or organization that is worth the investment that takes your company on a new journey, like a tour guide.  As you can imagine there are all different levels of competency in tour guides and associated budgets. 

 

The key is finding a guide or trusted advisor that you feel comfortable with that takes the time to get to know you, your business and objectives and balances that with the available solutions and is able to recommend and show you potential solutions to your challenges.

Just a good guide can make your journey enjoyable and a quick meal filling, a bad guide or a guide that goes too quick or does not invest the time needed or simply just does not understand your industry, your business, your people or culture, can make a ERP search seem like the something from the dead zone. 

 

At Dolvin Consulting, we are proud to receive your requests for help.  That is why we are here.  To help your company navigate the seas of constant change and flux in technology.  We leverage our industry relationships to bring comprehensive solutions to you.  Contact us today to see how we can help.