Enabling Companies to Make Informed Decisions Driven By Timely and Relevant Data: Column5

“In transitioning your organization from where it is today to achieving "column five", we start with a comprehensive understanding of your organization's culture, management style and appetite for change.”

Enterprise Performance Management [EPM] has become a must-have for competitive organizations that seek to outperform their peers in the global marketplace. The evidence is clear in every industry sector; the agility, transparency, and efficiency derived from an EPM strategy simply can't be realized by cobbling together legacy systems and protocols, or without an experienced partner who specializes in implementing EPM technology aimed at delivering an exclusive competitive advantage.

While the value of an effective Performance Management capability is undisputed, Gartner believes "…more than half the investments in Business Analytics will be wasted." This somber prediction underscores the criticality of partnering decisions for companies seeking to address performance management capability gaps. Every company with initiatives designed to advance the maturity of their performance management capabilities will want to ensure all potential value is realized from those investments.

Enter Column5, the world's elite consulting firm dedicated to providing leading-edge solutions leveraging the SAP Enterprise Performance Management Suite. The company was founded in 2005, by key players from the team that made OutlookSoft an international success, with the sole goal of creating a team uniquely equipped with broad capabilities to properly deliver high-value solutions to an elite list of prominent clients.

In subsequent years, the Column5 team has partnered with SAP to create tailored solutions that address performance management needs across a wide range of industries and client types. In addition to our prepackaged solutions, Column5 has developed a team, knowledge base, and level of thought leadership that are unparalleled to deliver creative and high-value solutions for any size client in any industry.

The Column5 Difference

The ultimate goal in any competitive pursuit is to achieve peak performance—and in the enterprise performance management world, that means reaching "column five" in the EPM Maturity Model. Column5 is that elite stage in which the EPM process marries strategic, operational and financial plans to enable company leadership to execute strategic goals, immediately address changes in the market, and strengthen the organization. It's when business insights are updated in near real-time for rapid and frequent analysis and on-the-go decision making. Most important, it's the point when your EPM effectiveness transforms into an elite competitive advantage that maximizes the value returned to your business and its shareholders. Of course, Column5 recognizes that organizational change is challenging – it is our job to provide the vision, talent, and tools that make the journey as painless as possible. Throughout the process, we ensure that your organization gets the most from its EPM investment by transforming your process, technology and team's capabilities into an integrated solution that delivers outstanding enterprise performance, while positioning your company to achieve:

• Prompt return on investment
• Lowest possible total cost of ownership
• Long-term independence

The Services

Consulting and Implementation: By making better, more timely decisions based on trusted data, organizations can improve every element of their operations—whether reducing costs, identifying opportunities, taking the right products more quickly to market, weathering economic turmoil, procuring better, or improving customer service.

While the transition to a high-performing organization doesn't happen overnight, Column5 employs change management techniques that facilitate the process. As a result, you can regain some of the things you've compromised away over the years, and obtain the most from your EPM solution.

Improving Organizational Effectiveness: Column5 approaches organizational effectiveness in manageable stages, starting with the burning issues and bottlenecks. Common challenges include a lack of confidence in the numbers, delayed access to key information, or an inability to efficiently access and analyze the existing volumes of data because of spreadsheet proliferation.

Changing Behaviors: Improved management techniques create little-sustained value unless they change how people behave and make decisions. Column5 starts by defining the gap between existing beliefs that impede progress—such as "never submit your real budget the first time," "avoid being held accountable for specific measures," and "always get the most people reporting to you"—and desired behaviors.

Based on an understanding of the root causes of current dysfunction, our consultants can ensure the redesigned processes encourage desired behavior. Indeed, many Column5 clients are amazed at how quickly the transformation takes place, based on well-designed processes and appropriate enabling technology.

Clientele Testimonies

 "Column5 has always taken a very professional approach with our engagements. They are thorough in the project planning and project management process, which has resulted in our upgrades coming in on time and on budget."

- VP, FP&A, Global Banking Institution

"Through transformation of our reporting process, we have introduced simplicity and accountability around a single set of numbers while improving the quality and speed of the information we report to the board and our external stakeholders. We have used the time-saving made in preparation of the numbers to reduce our external reporting timetable and improve the quality and depth of our internal analysis."

- Group Financial Controller, Global Sporting Goods Company 

CEO Corner

Ian Thurbon, CEO: Ian Thurbon, a highly experienced executive with an extensive leadership track record, joined Column5 as CEO in early 2018. Ian has spent nearly 30 years in the IT and software industry, and his experience spans roles with start-up companies across systems integrators, software companies, and managed services firms. Most recently, Ian served as President of Business & Decision, North America. He specializes in helping companies to break through growth inflection points and taking them to the next level. As CEO of Column5, Ian will continue the company’s drive toward consistent evolution and innovation to keep pace with its sophisticated customer base.

“We pride ourselves on an approachable, friendly style, and unwavering commitment to sharing our deep expertise in business process design and execution.”