The hidden potential and power of JD-Edwards

Although I've been working with JD-Edwards for 2 decades now, I've always reviewed JD-Edwards as "just" a typical, generic, globally supported, fully integrated, robust and reliable ERP system. It just happened to be "THE" system I was trained in and working with.

And I don't really like all the commercial pitching stuff. I am not a sales manager or consultant. I am a practitioner who simply wants to identify and analyze problems and solutions as quickly as possible. Our businesses are under an extreme pressure (Brexit, EU extension/development, COVID, Energy transitions, etc) so we need to act fast. My main goal is to quickly leverage what JD-Edwards offers and re-use that in a as creative kind of manner as possible.

But while taking my first weekend cup of coffee, I start to reflect a little bit on JD-Edwards and how JD-Edwards has been developed in these last 2 decades. When I read ERP related documents, it sometimes still sounds as if JD-Edwards is this big strange ERP product offering. We know it's available, we know it's got one of the strongest and most consistent customer base but we don't really know why? Why is it still popular and even increases in popularity?

So here's my take on the WHY. From a LEAN and 6Sigma perspective, everything that adds value to your customers should be maximized. Everything which adds concrete value to the business itself should be limited as much as possible. All other activities are considered waste. I won't go into too much details but for me this means that an ERP system MUST always be first of all super flexible but also generate a low cost of ownership! What's otherwise the added value on the longer run? Being dependent on external (consulting) knowledge for years and years doesn't really add value to your end customers or to you as a business/JD-Edwards user.

JD-Edwards has always been extremely strong in being super flexible. The concept of switching functionality on and off using the "processing options" and flexibly selecting data with the "data selection" capability was and still is a brilliant invention. It provides a huge amount of scenario's to be applied. Every application in JD-Edwards has on average 10 processing options? Multiply that with the 1000+ applications is 10000 different settings?

This traditional flexibility combined with the extension of the system's functionality in the last years has only strengthen that business flexibility. It has become more complicated which is a challenge BUT that challenge bit still doesn't offset the flexibility benefit by far.

And then the latest UDO (User Defined Objects) improvements, including the amazing Composite Pages, Orchestrator, Notification, UX analytical component and Process Recording capabilities). It's sometimes still difficult to oversee that potential. How quickly you can connect external niche solutions like e.g. "A/P invoice scanning and workflow solutions" to JD-Edwards, build APPS, connect IOT sensors, build your own data upload functionality in Excel, etc. It's truly amazing.

As a total result, the cost of ownership truly goes down. It's just an amazing flexible and easy to own system.

So.........someone recently told me that working with JD-Edwards was similar to playing a soccer match in some 2nd level championship. While working with other systems is way cooler and the true champions league level of ERP systems.

Well...... again, I don't want to pitch JD-Edwards too much. Well maybe I already did!. But I've got one strong advice to the current "champions league participants". Acting in a world which becomes more and more leaner, where the customer requirement changes explode and where the world's conditions are changing every minute, you better focus on the ultimate flexibility of your ERP system. You may play now in the champions league final, but it's just a matter of time before you will loose the game and be de-promoted to another playing field.

Oh...... and learn from the competition. Start with understanding a little bit JD-Edwards. Not too much because JD-Edwards will stay for a long time. Before you know it, it will be the new success story playing "champions league final".