Author: Eric Kimberling

Eric is recognized globally as a leading voice in digital transformation and ERP strategy. Over the past three decades, he has helped hundreds of organizations, including Nucor Steel, Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, Kodak, Coors, Boeing, and Duke Energy, define their technology roadmaps, modernize complex operations, and deliver real business value from large-scale transformation initiatives. As Founder and CEO of Third Stage Consulting, Eric leads an independent, technology-agnostic advisory firm focused on helping clients navigate the shift from traditional ERP to more flexible, AI-enabled Digital Enterprise Operations (DEO) models. His work spans ERP selection, implementation quality assurance, organizational change, and operating model design across a wide range of industries and geographies. Eric is also a prolific thought leader, known for his pragmatic takes on AI, cloud, and enterprise software trends, as well as his firm’s benchmark research and frameworks for de-risking transformation. He is dedicated to helping executive teams cut through vendor hype, make confident investment decisions, and successfully reach the “third stage” of their digital evolution.

Top ERP Systems for Large Companies

Before we list out the top ERP systems for large organizations, let’s first touch on how we define a large organization. The line we use that defines a larger organization is whether the company has a billion dollars in revenue or a thousand employees. Of course, all businesses have their edge, but at this scale, […]

Top 10 Digital Transformation Predictions for 2021

Looking forward to 2021, there are a number of predictions and trends that should inform your digital transformation initiatives. Whether you are embarking on an ERP implementation, CRM or HCM software initiative, supply chain transformation, or some other digital or business transformation, these are the top 10 trends that you should be aware of in […]

SAP S/4HANA vs. Infor CloudSuite: An Independent Comparison

SAP S/4HANA and Infor CloudSuite are two of the most common ERP systems in the market. Like most head-to-head ERP software comparisons, they have distinct strengths, weaknesses, and tradeoffs relative to one another. This comparison is especially common in mid-size to larger manufacturing and distribution companies. Companies with complex supply chains, engineer to order manufacturing […]

Top 10 Manufacturing ERP Systems

When you’re at the point of upgrading or switching to a new ERP system for your organization, it’s important to be aware of the many options available at your fingertips. Depending on the nature of your organization and general operations, some of the leading ERP systems may end up inhibiting you from fully optimizing your […]

How to Write the Perfect Business Case for your Digital Transformation

Many organizations skip the business case entirely when starting a digital transformation. Sometimes it is because they believe the justification is self-evident. Other times it is because they see the business case as a check-the-box exercise for approval rather than a strategic tool. Either way, they are missing out on one of the most valuable […]

5 Keys to a Successful Business Software Deployment

There are a lot of pitfalls to consider when embarking on a business software deployment. While the need for and benefits of new technology may be obvious for your organization, the path to achieving that future state is not as clear. Perhaps the most important thing to remember about business software deployments is that they […]

Top 10 Benefits of Digital Transformation

Comfort zones are a pleasant place until you realize you’ve outgrown what is currently in front of you. We’ve all felt this personally, and it’s important to be in tune with your business to figure out when your company is feeling it too. You may be at the tipping point – silos from team to […]

What is Business Intelligence?

Over the years, organizations have invested billions of dollars in new ERP systems and other enterprise technologies. However, most fail to extract better information, decision-making, and overall business value from these investments. We recently wrote about a common dynamic along these lines: most organizations fail to achieve the last mile of digital transformation. They focus […]

Independent Review of Odoo

Formerly known as Open ERP, Odoo is one of the leading ERP systems and the only open-source ERP to make our Top 10 ERP Systems for Small Business list. Below is a product review of the Odoo ERP suite, including positives and considerations to support your software selection process. (NOTE: Third Stage Consulting Group is […]

Is Your Organization Suffering from Transformation Change Fatigue?

When we see opportunities for improvement in our organizations, it is tempting to swing for the fences with a big transformation. After all, if things are broken, why wait to fix it? But there is a problem with this approach: people inherently don’t like to change. Even if they are excited on the surface for […]

Independent Review of Microsoft Dynamics 365

Microsoft Dynamics 365 (D365) occupies a unique spot in the enterprise software market. It is used by organizations across virtually every industry and geography, scalable enough for some of the world’s largest enterprises and flexible enough to fit higher-growth mid-market companies. But is it the right fit for your organization? As independent advisors with no […]