In the words of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s iconic detective: “My name is Sherlock Holmes. It is my business to know what other people do not know.” Sometimes to get to the root of a problem, consulting an expert can be the best approach — we’re here to help.
May 22nd, also known as “Sherlock Holmes Day”, is the anniversary of the birth of author Conan Doyle, and also presents an opportunity to consider some of the insights provided by literature’s greatest detective.
In solving his cases, Holmes often took a step back to consider all the facts, examine the evidence, and make the right connections in order to have his moment of genius.
Conversely, when trying to tackle issues within your business, it can be easy to succumb to tunnel vision, as the drive to solve problems quickly can ramp up the pressure.
Instead, consider a Sherlock-like response, and use tools — such as Sage or CIM software — to gain a clear, transparent, overview of your business which could help you:
- Find solutions
- Reduce errors
- Boost your firm’s overall efficiency.
Read on to discover why these three famous quotes from the deerstalker-wearing, pipe-smoking detective could teach about the benefits of gaining greater visibility throughout your business.
1. “I never guess, it is a shocking habit” — use software tools to ensure your insights into your business are as accurate as possible
In your day-to-day management of your business, it’s likely you’ll need to infer information or gather insights in order to guide your decisions. The better your understanding of your business as a whole, the greater your overview, the more likely you’ll make the right choices.
It’s why it’s so important that you have a system setup to provide you with as much information, as quickly and accurately as possible. You don’t want to be in a situation where you have to fill in gaps in your knowledge or records and make “educated guesses”. It’s a surefire recipe for eventual mistakes.
Sage for Manufacturing allows for cloud-native Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and is specifically designed for small- to medium-sized, expanding manufacturing firms. It helps you to:
- Centralise your data
- Source information in real-time
- Gain a clear and detailed overview of your business.
It can also integrate with incredibly useful manufacturing industry tailored software add-ons, such as Cim50 and Cim200, which extend your ability to transform your financial processes and produce detailed, accurate data.
For example, the Bill of Materials (BoM) within CIM software, pulls key information from throughout your manufacturing process to create an ongoing and detailed costing history.
This means that you can rest assured that your build and purchasing costs are always accurate and supported by a wealth of relevant information relating to the cost of materials, labour, and machine overheads.
Every decision is smart and data-driven when you have Sage and CIM software at your disposal.
2. “Data! Data! Data! I can’t make bricks without clay” — when building future plans, access to extensive data can help you paint a clear picture
The process of planning for projects or for the long-term viability of your business is one that is likely to be infinitely smoother through access to detailed data and a clear overview of your financial processes.
To paraphrase Holmes: “You can’t make bricks without clay”. Likewise, you also shouldn’t draw conclusions without data.
It’s a point that a quote from the great detective underlines: “It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts”.
It’s vital that you don’t make uninformed choices for your business that could potentially lead to negative outcomes.
Major modules in Cim50 and Cim200, such as Planning and Material Resource Planning (MRP) could help you to make decisions in a smart and effective manner.
Planning automates end-to-end processes and provides greater oversight of your manufacturing systems
The Planning module reads demand from sales orders, sales forecasts, Works Orders, and make-to-stock items to ensure stock levels are correct based on reorder levels and existing stock records.
Throughout the planning process, it’ll make recommendations and automate MRP and Master Production Schedules (MPS) at convenient times for your business.
Cim200’s MRP will identify what steps you’ll need to take to meet Sales Order demand
Once you’ve input sales into the system, MRP will review the information and corresponding due dates; forecast what stock you’ll have and what you may need to buy or make; review the BoM; and examine existing orders and their impact on stock levels.
This ensures you have all the relevant information at your disposal as quickly as possible and reduces potential errors or delays down the line.
Alongside utilising other valuable modules, the software will provide you with the kind of oversight required to intimately understand every process within your business, no matter how little or large.
3. “The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes” — Understanding your business in its entirety at any given moment is key on the path to success
Whether you’re managing a small business, a medium-sized one, or a sprawling corporate empire, there will likely be blind spots that have gone unnoticed or important information in plain sight that hasn’t properly been given its due time.
Nobody can be everywhere, all at once, but you can take steps to get as close to that level of oversight as humanly possible.
Sage offers a range of cloud-based computing options that can allow you to access your data at any time, from anywhere, provided you have internet access. It allows you to stay informed and proactively make important decisions, rather than react to outcomes and seek to course correct.
Through providing you with as comprehensive a view as possible over your business financials, you’ll be better positioned to:
Locate issues and put in place solutions
Reduce errors and boost overall efficiency
Understand where your time and efforts are best spent in order to keep your business on track to meeting its goals.
So, consider picking up that magnifying glass and embracing your inner Holmes by reaching out to learn about our software solutions. They may give you the clarity to see the big picture and finally find the answers you’ve been seeking.
Let us be the Watson to your Holmes, and provide the support needed to get you where you want to go
In the words of Holmes: “Education never ends, Watson. It is a series of lessons, with the greatest for the last”.
Our last and perhaps greatest lesson to impart is to know you don’t have to go it alone. We’re here to help you find effective solutions to your problems and guide you on the path to modernising your business.
If you’re interested in a demo or a conversation about any of our products, please get in touch with one of our experts by emailing us at enquiries@solutionscloud.uk or calling us at 0115 840 5075.
Don’t wait, gain the tools necessary today, after all — it’s elementary.
