Published on the 25/06/2015 | Written by Donovan Jackson

Line of business managers are taking a far more direct role in choosing the technology they use, working alongside, rather than under, their IT team…

It’s a process which started with sales and marketing, but which is becoming the rule rather than the exception in nearly every part of the business: the CIO doesn’t choose the applications, but contributes to running them. And it is in the applications at the very core of the enterprise resource planning stack that the biggest benefits of digitisation can be achieved.

That’s according to Terrance Wampler, global VP of financials at Oracle, who said this development is a fundamental step forward in closing the gap between technologists and the rest of the business.

“We see this happening very strongly, whether the line of business is human resources, procurement, financials or customer experience. Those in charge of lines of business are looking for technology to help them get things done better and faster; with a clear notion of their needs and an understanding of what technology is capable of today, they are able to play a meaningful role in making selections,” Wampler explained.

More than that, he said user experience is moving to the fore in making those decisions – and it’s being driven by social media. “When people want to do a transaction such as a performance review, creating an expense report, or putting in a requisition, they expect to be able to do so themselves. They also expect the experience to be similar to that they get on social media platforms.”

Implied in that is mobility, information availability, smooth collaboration and self-service – all wrapped up in a customer experience which is appealing, easy and satisfying to use. Wampler even said analytics – which does some of the thinking for users – has a role to play; he added that it’s enabled by the cloud. “This is what digital transformation is all about. It is putting better tools in the hands of line of business leaders and in turn, putting better tools in the hands of their ‘internal customers’ – their users.”

Making business software more enticing and rewarding to engage with is bound to drive up user acceptance. Delivering an experience which is consistent with how the majority of people engage with their (personal) digital worlds, more so. It’s a concept, Wampler said, which is being put to the test with great results across all lines of business.

But what about the financial applications? Traditionally, the general ledger and surrounding modules are recognised as the core of any business software system. They are also considered to be so mundane as to barely warrant mention.

Wampler, however, differs strenuously. “We think the application of digitisation to the financials can deliver benefits greater even than those experienced in other lines of business,” he said.

That quickly makes sense when he explained why. “If you consider many of the standard processes routinely executed by the finance office, the opportunity for improvement is obvious. Take closing the books at month-end. This is a collaborative exercise which involves inputs from people across the business, and it requires rules and regulations to be followed.”

Apply cloud and mobility, and the CFO can work on month end even while travelling. Apply social media-styled collaboration, and team members can discuss progress, view responsibilities and availability, and easily interact as they work on a common goal. Improve the experience of working on the demanding, high-accuracy task of preparing financial records, and the process becomes more appealing.

“This is about helping people to become more efficient and able to provide their input easily. It also drives up accountability as the team can quickly identify where the problems or delays are – and nobody wants to let the team down,” remarked Wampler.

He said business owners are aware of solutions available today which allow them to work better and which align with the way in which ‘digital natives’ work. “Good line-of-business people want to become value creators. For the CFO, for example, that means going beyond controlling finances, to enabling the business. These individuals start by knowing what they want, before going to the market for a solution; while the CIO might be responsible for supporting it or managing the SLA, it is increasingly the line-of-business owner who makes the selection.”