vantage agora

16 Pages·2017·6.78 MB·English

ox zion
®
W H I T E P A P E R
Business Operating System (BOS)
OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE
vantage agora
Business Goals Business Challenges
Shareholder Value No Visibility to
Shareholders & Auditors
Society & Disparate Data Sources
Compliance “No Single Source of Truth”
Customer Satisfaction No Visibility
No Control
Operational Visibility Changing Market
Conditions
Top Line Growth Employee Motivation &
to Plan Learning Challenges
Empowering Employees & No Correlation Between
Learning Organization Executions & Strategy
Executive Summary
Vantage Agora, Inc. developed OX Zion to address the common struggle for business
leaders to represent, prioritize, guide, and monitor their underlying business operational
scenarios. OX Zion is the industry-leading Business Operating System and has been identified
by Gartner as having “a strong focus on the program detailed in the use case” entitled,
How a Business Operating System Can Guide CIOs to Digital Business Success, published on
October 5, 2016.
Business leaders are always looking for ways to align their business goals with the
organization’s execution of those strategies. Unfortunately, most leaders spend their
time addressing their business challenges rather than executing Operational Excellence
throughout their organization. This white paper will introduce OX Zion as a Business
Operating System and illustrate how companies can gain enterprise-wide visibility with over
35 integrated applications.
© Copyright 2004-2017 Vantage Agora, Inc. All Rights Reserved 2
Gartner Defines a
®
Business Operating System (BOS)
G00303777
How a Business Operating System Can Guide
CIOs to Digital Business Success
Published: 5 October 2016
Analyst(s): Marc Kerremans, Bruce Robertson
CIOs leading digital business transformation initiatives need a guide, the
Gartner, Inc. defines a Business Operating System (BOS) as a guide, similar to an in-vehicle
organizational equivalent of an in-car navigation system. The business
navigation system, that provides end-to-end visibility and steering for a business operating
operating system is that guide, digitalizing the business operating model,
model. In this wparoyv,i ditin dge elnivde-tros -tehned evisxipbielitcy taendd ssttaeekreinhgo CldIOesr tvoa dluigeita.l business success.
The emerging software suite known as BOS seeks to address the common struggles for
Key Findings
business leaders to represent, prioritize, guide, and monitor their underlying business
■ Most organizations that devise digital business strategies and related initiatives struggle to
operational scenarios. A successful BOS also eliminates the difficulty for organizations to
represent, prioritize, guide and monitor the underlying business operational scenarios. They also
adapt to moving fisntdr ait dteiffigcuilct t oa andadpt otop meovriangt isotrnataegli ct aanrdg oepetrsa.t ioTnharl otaurggetsh. their research, Gartner was able
to identify a ha■ndOfrugal noizaf tifounsll ypu-itntintge ing prlaactee ndew B bOusiSn epssl adetsfiognrsm thsa ta divsraupilta exbisltein gi nbu tshinees sm moadreklse ntepedlace; and only
operational indicators to measure business outcomes and customer experience. It is difficult to
a few had clients and revenue to sustain their viability.
create and align such indicators using a traditional metric-to-metric approach.
■ Organizations executing digital business strategies and guiding related initiatives need
Gartner suggests stihtuaatito nfaol ar waar esnuecssc toe ksesefpu ul pb wuiths icnheansgse sc aoffemctipnge thteinir gbu sinin etshs em ondeelsw. W IiTth-odutr itvhiesn world,
situational awareness, their risk of failure increases with the scope and pace of change.
sustaining their existing business models is becoming less likely due to the inability to
withstand market disruptions. Companies working without a BOS do not have situational
awareness andR ethceoimr rmiske nodf aftaioilunsre increases with the scope and pace of change.
CIOs building or expanding a digital business:
Gartner recommends that companies assemble and align operational metrics in a BOS to
■ Use a business operating system (BOS) — the organizational equivalent of an in-vehicle
show the progresnsa ovigfa ttihone siyr stteram n—s ftoo grumidea ytoiou inn psltarnaninteg agnyd etxoecwutaingrd yo tuhr setr attaegryg aendt eacdhie bvinugs yinouerss outcomes.
objectives. Your BOS should use a business operating model to map your journey.
These data slices may include market data, financial measurement schemes, operational
■ Assemble and align measurement schemes in your BOS to show the progress of your digital
excellence parameters, quality data, and service level agreements (SLAs). Having a
business transformation strategy toward your targeted business outcomes. These schemes
dynamic BOS cremaatye insc lsuidteu maatrikoetn daatla ,a fiwnanacriael mneeasssu rebmye nct sochnenmeesc, otpinergat ioan abl euxcseinlleencses poarpameertaertsi,ng model
quality data and SLAs.
with real-life data. This will close the strategy-to-execution “loop.” Finally, Gartner suggests
■ Make your BOS dynamic and create situational awareness by connecting its business operating
companies will need to build their own BOS or buy one, but the challenge of building a
model with real-life data. This will close the strategy-to-execution "loop."
BOS can be cost-prohibitive for many companies. As such, Gartner introduced a handful of
technology companies that can provide a BOS solution, including Vantage Agora’s OX Zion.
* Gartner®, How a Business Operating System Can Guide CIOs to Digital Business Success, Marc Kerremans, Bruce Robertson, October 5, 2016.
© Copyright 2004-2017 Vantage Agora, Inc. All Rights Reserved 3
Gartner Comments on OX Zion
®
OX Zion, with over 100,000 users, was one of the few BOS platforms Gartner reviewed
with an existing commercial viability. Other BOS platforms reviewed by Gartner were
still in the concept stage while others were seeking capital investments to begin their
commercialization phase. OX Zion was first commercialized in early 2015 after being
launched in a beta phase in 2013.
In addition to the October 5, 2016 report, How a Business Operating System Can Guide
CIOs to Digital Business Success, Gartner also issued a detailed review of OX Zion that was
delivered to Vantage Agora. The author of the BOS report, Marc Kerremans, wrote the
detailed OX Zion review on behalf of Gartner. Mr. Kerremans’ review, written on March 21,
2017, included the following conclusions:
• OX Zion has “a strong focus on the program detailed in the use case” covered in the How a Business
Operating System Can Guide CIOs to Digital Business Success.
• OX Zion “will receive loads of attention especially because there is an increasing interest of the
Program and Project Management community in Strategy to Execution.”
• With OX Zion, Vantage Agora has ensured “the methodology is part of the product, which is a
strong differentiator.”
• Vantage Agora can take advantage of the emerging BOS messaging growing within the Gartner
community “that creates a much more accurate positioning” of OX Zion
OX Zion also scored particularly well within Gartner’s metaphor that a successful BOS acts like
an in-vehicle navigation system. To that end, OX Zion provides the following navigation to
companies looking to achieve enterprise-wide visibility:
In-Vehicle Navigation BOS Navigation
Interprets Entered Destination Stores Organization Goals
Generates Route Tracks Initiatives & Projects
Delivers Traffic Warnings Highlights Issues via Operational Intelligence
Displays Mile Markers Displays Project Status
Re-Routes in Case of Diversion Enables Tactical Contingency Plans
Notifies Arrival at Destination Guides You to Organization Goals
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OX Zion as a BOS
Vantage Agora developed OX Zion as a Business Operating System to address the
challenges that C-level executives face daily as they lead their companies: lacking the
tools needed to run their companies at a level of Operational Excellence. Even with all
the advancements in information technology, most companies do not have coordination
between their stated strategies and the execution needed. This is a direct result of executives
having minimal visibility and control.
As organizations grow, so does the number of people and the initiatives within it. For
organizations to succeed, all these initiatives must be working in harmony with each other
to execute the strategy, mission, and vision. A brief sampling of the benefits OX Zion delivers
includes:
Provides actionable dashboards and CEO Desktop that allow employees
and managers quick access to real-time data
Can replace or merge multiple old systems into one easy-to-navigate platform
Built-in forms and workflow engine that is designed to digitize paper-driven
process with e-signature capability
Allows for clarity and objectivity on key performance indicators by providing
metrics on individual and departmental measures
BOS Navigation
Customizable on-boarding features, efficient training and assessments to ensure
corporate compliance
Gamification features that provide employee & performance incentives,
leading to a more engaged, efficient, recognized and rewarded workforce
Collaborative communication features to ensure pertinent information is
quickly and easily categorized and retrievable
As the industry leading Business Operating System, OX Zion enables organization workflows to
be modeled based on values in a specific field. This feature is unique in the industry.
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OX Zion as a BOS
Command Center
Department 1 Department 2
Strategy Projects Strategy Projects
Initiative Spend Initiative Spend
Intiative
OX Zion offers users a Red/Yellow/Green (RYG) methodology to quickly identify the status of
all measured activities, projects, and deliverables. Using the universal colors of a stoplight,
users intuitively understand RYG and the status of all activities throughout the enterprise.
The Command Center model shown above represents the architecture of an organization’s
departments and the measured activities within each department. Each level of detail has
individualized metrics that offer real-time visibility on the status of each item, as well as the
aggregate status.
By looking at the color-coded methodology, business leaders can quickly determine
proactive tactics before deadlines are missed or budgets disrupted. The purpose of a BOS
is to offer enterprise-wide visibility so leaders can navigate the challenges and opportunities
faced by their staff, suppliers and other stakeholders. OX Zion delivers on that requirement.
The true strength of OX Zion is the multiple levels of detail that it provides users. These details
are needed to understand the specifics of activities that are not functioning at an
optimized rate.
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OX Zion Workflows
As a Business Operating System (BOS), OX Zion, provides a built-in workflow engine that can
be configured to model the workflows required to operate business’s at optimal levels. We
can model the simplest to the most complicated workflows with different approval levels and
branch points. Because of the flexibility it provides in mapping processes, our system can also
aid in any standard compliance requirements in real-time to real-work projects. All business’s
run on three fundamental workflows: Forecast to Cash (F2C), Procure to Pay (P2P), and Result
to Report (R2R). Our product OX Zion, models workflows to fit your needs to ensure that your
business can achieve Operational Excellence.
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OX Zion Capabilities
The newest capabilities introduced to OX Zion include:
• Internal and External communication.
• Enhanced search capabilities.
• More intuitive alignment of applications.
• Improved graphical user interface.
• Additional editor functions.
• Next generation spreadsheet functionality.
With our integrated spreadsheet feature, it is no longer necessary to use other software programs
such as Microsoft® Excel to transfer or import data. All data entry, storage, and analysis can now
be done directly in OX Zion.
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Because seeing is believing.
Integrated E-mail System
Group Communication
Project
One-on-One Chat
Management
Company-Wide Announcements
Communication
Operational
Create, Assign & Track Tasks
Link Assignments & Documents Together
Intelligence
Gantt Chart
Matrix
Pivot Tables
Actionable Dashboards / Data Visualization
Executive Desktop - Track Annual Plans
Drill-down, Real-time Data from External Systems
Application Program Interface (API) External
Import/Export Between Mainstream Software Systems
System
Insurance AMS Integration
Employee Benefits Integration
Company Handbook
Onboarding / Offboarding
HR Requests
Expense Reporting
Payroll
CRM - Prospect & Info Tracking
Human
Geo Mapping of Prospects
Resources
Legal - Invoicing, Contracts, NDA
Work Orders
E-Signature
Root Cause Analysis
Sales
Standard Operating Procedures
Audits
Compliance / Training
Employee Quality Management
Automated System Alerts
Excellence System
Operational Excellence Certification
Automated Point System Connected to Job Roles
Employee Excellence Leaderboard
© Copyright 2004-2017 Vantage Agora, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Mapping Your Journey With
End-To-End Visibility
Integrated E-mail System
Group Communication
Project
One-on-One Chat
Management
Company-Wide Announcements
Communication
Operational
Create, Assign & Track Tasks
Link Assignments & Documents Together
Intelligence
Gantt Chart
Matrix
Pivot Tables
Actionable Dashboards / Data Visualization
Executive Desktop - Track Annual Plans
Drill-down, Real-time Data from External Systems
Application Program Interface (API) External
Import/Export Between Mainstream Software Systems
System
Insurance AMS Integration
Employee Benefits Integration
Company Handbook
Onboarding / Offboarding
HR Requests
Expense Reporting
Payroll
CRM - Prospect & Info Tracking
Human
Geo Mapping of Prospects
Resources
Legal - Invoicing, Contracts, NDA
Work Orders
E-Signature
Root Cause Analysis
Sales
Standard Operating Procedures
Audits
Compliance / Training
Employee Quality Management
Automated System Alerts
Excellence System
Operational Excellence Certification
Automated Point System Connected to Job Roles
Employee Excellence Leaderboard
9
OX Zion Technology & Hosting
OX Zion is built upon a traditional LAMP web service. Vantage Agora has a team of in-house
developers that build, maintain and develop OX Zion to exceed the latest BOS standards.
Vantage Agora fully owns the intellectual property for OX Zion including the code, workflows,
and the BOS applications.
In addition to building and maintaining the intellectual property for OX Zion, we rely on
trusted partners to ensure a seamless user experience, optimum security protocols, and
scalability for the growing number of OX Zion users. To that end, our network is hosted at
different locations. A snapshot of our server footprint is included.
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