Elire Strategy Summit 2021

ESS 2021 Recording Library
March 24th 2021 | 10 AM – 10:55 AM

Keynote: The Power of Business Process Improvement

Join Elire and Susan Page for our Keynote Address! Business Process Thought Leader and Author Susan Page will focus on her published process improvement approach, based on years of supporting back office processes and their associated software systems. Her process improvement approach is explained using non-technical terms so that all levels of your organization can leverage it and excel! Whether you are new to business process improvement of a seasoned pro – these simple, effective guidelines will get your process – and your business – running better in no time!

Speaker Bio:

Susan Page, Business Process Expert

Susan Page has recently retired as a senior manager of HRIS for a Major Multi-Media Entertainment Corporation where she supported several human resource systems. Prior to joining in 1997, she performed business process consulting for several years in New England and in the Southeast area. She has industry experience in the entertainment, banking, computer, and health care environments.

In addition to Susan’s focus on process improvement, she has started writing a new book on employee performance, taking into account her more than 25 years leading people. She has seen the good, the bad, and the ugly, which she shares in her work. Many stories look at how she handled poor performers (and she has seen more than her share), but she also shares insight into leading high performers (often those taken for granted). Just as she does with her process books, Susan shares the “ins and outs” of her experiences with what works and what does not work in leading human beings.

Her writing style is practical and to the point. Susan enjoys sharing what she learns and strives to help others with her easy-to-understand books.

Susan started focusing on improving business processes in the mid-1990s when there was somewhat of a clash between the total quality management and reengineering camps. She led the effort to reengineer the learning and development process for a major computer company and over the years, has stepped into countless situations when there is a lack of clarity, dysfunction among departments, unanticipated problems, or when a new opportunity presents itself. Sometimes her job description includes this work, but often it does not.

Over these years, Susan assumed responsibility for many “problem” employees. Not all were actually problems, but rather required trust, direction, and coaching.

March 24th | 11 AM – 11:55 AM

Overcoming Problems Leaders are Faced with Today

Leaders often have a high-level idea of how to resolve a problem but can’t break through the barriers preventing them from getting it resolved, such as building consensus and designing a truly transformative solution. We will dive in to discuss how to understand the root of a problem so that you are equipped to solve the true cause, rather than treating a “symptom.” This session will also offer recommendations and metrics for building consensus to accomplish business goals and ensure that change continues to improve over time.

Speaker Bio:

Richard Merrill, Management Advisory COE Lead | Elire Inc.

Richard Merrill is the Head of Service Delivery for Elire and has almost 25 years of experience in both consulting and industry. He has a proven record of developing strategic roadmaps, leading large-scale business transformations, managing

March 24th | 1 PM – 1:55 PM

Improving AP Business Processes to Make Them More Efficient

AP Departments hold the key to unlocking hard and soft dollar savings by implementing business process automation. Elire and KTech will help attendees understand the continuum of options for transforming AP invoice processing while offering tips for building a business case with an ROI. We’ll also provide a case study for successful AP Automation Implementation and a live Q&A to answer your AP Automation software questions in real-time.

Speaker Bios:

Richard Merrill, Management Advisory COE Lead | Elire Inc.

Richard Merrill is the Head of Service Delivery for Elire and has almost 25 years of experience in both consulting and industry. He has a proven record of developing strategic roadmaps, leading large-scale business transformations, managing operational teams, and managing programs and projects.

Jai Chitkara, CEO | KTech Products

Jai Chitkara, CEO of KTech Products, is a visionary leader who comes with over 25 years of experience in Portfolio Management, Customer Success, and Innovation across technologies and industries. He has a proven track record of leading customers on their digital transformation journey based on a comprehensive roadmap, rapid implementations, and in leading KTech to deliver customer-focused business transformational solutions.

March 24th | 2 PM – 2:55 PM

Prioritizing Project Management: A Case Study

Join this session for an interactive discussion of the importance of prioritizing project management as a business function. We will present a case study of a client who started a large system implementation without a project manager. The client looked to Elire to join the project mid-flight and provide project management support which led to a successful implementation. Attendees will gain a better understanding of the benefits of a project manager – including risk management, scope and budget tracking, and team member alignment.

Speaker Bio:

Michael Merrill, Co-CEO | Elire Inc.

Mr. Michael Merrill is an Elire Founding Partner, Co-CEO, and ERP Project Management Expert with 25 Years of Experience. Michael has successfully led global teams of consultant and client resources that range from 2 to 20+ members, and is well versed in many industries including Energy, Insurance, Hospitality, Retail, Non-Profit, Staffing, and Public Sectors

March 24th | 3 PM – 3:55 PM

Automating Processes with RPA & Chatbots

Join this session to learn how to optimize your business processes through the thoughtful use of Robotic Process Automation (RPA) software, Chatbot technology, and other tools. When it comes to emerging technology, one size does not fit all – so we will identify the strengths and weaknesses of RPA and Chatbots, as well as detail the difference between process automation and process acceleration. We’ll showcase opportunities within your organization to automate low value-add repetitive tasks with these automation tools.

Speaker Bio:

Stephen Kwiatkowski, Strategic Process Consultant  | Elire Inc.

Stephen Kwiatkowski is a Strategic Process Consultant with a breadth of experience in organizational change management, process automation, testing, project management, and strategic decision making. He has developed the tools and methodology used in Elire’s Change Management approach, created bots across multiple RPA applications (UiPath, Automation Anywhere), and led client implementations of OCR automation tools.

March 25th | 9 AM – 9:55 AM

Maximizing the Value of a Project Management Office

With the need for continued innovation and process improvements, many organizations have created a Project Management Office (PMO) to prioritize and lead new initiatives. We’ll cover the true functions of a PMO, as well as the framework for an effective implementation. We’ll also provide insight into how to make a PMO more of a strategic partner to the business, maximizing the value gained from the PMO.

Speaker Bio:

Robert Harrell, Solutions Architect  | Elire Inc.

Robert Harrell has 22 years of experience as an IT Solution Architect, Program Manager, Project Manager, and functional lead on enterprise applications. He has held project roles spanning the entire implementation life-cycle including sales, fit-gap analysis, design, development, application testing, deployment, and production support.

March 25th | 10 AM – 10:55 AM

Improving Data Analytics and Visualization for your Organization

Without a comprehensive analytics framework, the multitude of data your organization has can fall flat, missing out on key insights for your business goals. We’ll give attendees an introduction to modern business analytics and discuss the various tools available in the technology landscape. We’ll also explore common strategies utilized by companies for reporting and analytics, providing use cases for selecting the right reporting tool for your type of data.

**This session also includes a live demo of Kibana by an Elastic Certified Analyst!

Speaker Bio:

Dayton Paul, Senior Consultant | Elire Inc.

Dayton Paul is a Senior Consultant in the PeopleSoft Treasury practice. Focusing on implementing multiple product suites, he's a seasoned consultant specializing in treasury business processes and client implementations. Outside of his extensive experience in Treasury, he's implemented data analytics products for clients of various sizes, including leading hospital systems in the US.

March 25th | 11 AM – 11:55 AM

How to Select the Right Technology for Your Business: Building an Application Roadmap

The uncertainty of the last year has driven technology and strategy to evolve faster than ever before. With this trend, it has become increasingly more important to understand how to be prepared for these changes and to be strategic and effective in evaluating the future of your technology investments.

This session will provide organizational readiness metrics and introduce key considerations for upgrading your current application or selection of a new application. We’ll give attendees a structured approach to define criteria – including priority, complexity, cost/benefit, impact, and risk – to build an Application Roadmap and ultimately yield a successful implementation or upgrade to improve your business processes.

Speaker Bios:

Jason McCabe, Cloud ERP Practice Lead | Elire Inc.

Jason McCabe is the Oracle Cloud ERP Practice lead for Elire, responsible for managing all clients using Oracle Cloud ERP Applications. Jason delivers ERP solutions for clients looking to strategically align business strategy and organizational objectives through cloud based application implementations.

Edmund Glasenapp, Practice Lead | Elire Inc.

Edmund Glasenapp serves as Practice Lead with over 9 years of experience in project management, treasury management systems, business process design, data analysis, and system configuration. He has helped standardize and enhance clients’ treasury management by upgrading their treasury operations into cloud-based TMS solutions.

March 25th | 1 PM – 1:55 PM

Testing Strategy – Using End-to-End Testing to Ensure Success

Thorough testing is the key to success during any software implementation or upgrade. We’ll introduce industry best practices for testing – including automation tools to shorten your testing cycles and reduce manual error. We’ll also discuss ways to address the lack of testing strategy at your organization, how to build buy-in from your users and create more repeatable, consistent testing cycles.

Speaker Bio:

Valentin Todorow, PeopleSoft Test Framework Focus Area Lead | Elire Inc.

Valentin Todorow has 10 years of Testing Automation experience developing tools, features and implantation methods to help Oracle customers use automation efficiently.

March 25th | 2 PM – 2:55 PM

Building a Successful Change Management Strategy

Creating an environment where ongoing change is expected and minimally disruptive requires a proven organizational change management strategy. In this session, attendees will learn how to apply change management fundamentals to improve the success rate of internal initiatives, reduce risk, and accelerate time to value. We’ll demonstrate the value of including change management as an integrated part of large projects or internal initiatives and also how to use fundamental change management tools to identify and measure change.

**This session also offers a complimentary Change Management Toolkit with templates built by Elire Experts!

Speaker Bio:

Stephen Kwiatkowski, Strategic Process Consultant  | Elire Inc.

Stephen Kwiatkowski is a Strategic Process Consultant with a breadth of experience in organizational change management, process automation, testing, project management, and strategic decision making. He has developed the tools and methodology used in Elire’s Change Management approach, created bots across multiple RPA applications (UiPath, Automation Anywhere), and led client implementations of OCR automation tools.