Budgeting & Planning for Strategic Leadership

National Executive Series: 

Budgeting & Planning for Strategic Leadership

Photo from 02/28/12 - Waterloo Event - Ideaca

Ideaca completed its first stop on the 2012 National Executive Series event tour: Budgeting & Planning for Strategic Leadership, yesterday in Waterloo, Ontario. This series is designed for senior finance leaders to connect and engage in the changing landscape of corporate finance and discuss new strategies for success in an increasingly competitive market. This event was originally sponsored by the Toronto Board of Trade as an offering to its 500+ partners, and has since been transformed into a national tour to accommodate the overwhelming demand for information on this critical topic.

Presenter Brad Blaskavitch said of yesterday's Waterloo event, 

"What a fantastic group of senior finance leaders - It was exciting to help provide them with ideas on budgeting, planning and forecasting as a catalyst for leading strategic change. I'm really looking forward to the next few stops on this tour, and connecting with business leaders from around the country."

Ideaca still has four more upcoming complimentary events and has limited spots open for those who still wish to register. Our next presentations are in Toronto, Edmonton, Vancouver & Calgary. Please visit  http://goo.gl/UX2mD  for more information on the National Executive Series, or to register today. We look forward to seeing you out at an upcoming event near you!

   

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The 2012 Professional Services Maturity™ Benchmark Report

Last week, Service Performance Insight released The 2012 Professional Services Maturity™ Benchmark. SPI puts out this report every year to help Professional Service Organizations compare their yearly results to their "benchmark of peers". There was significant growth in the last year, and the results show that the technology professional service industry is booming!

SPI mentions that some of the year's highlights include:

Revenue growth: the leading indicators for growth — annual revenue growth, headcount increases, size of the deal pipeline and percentage of revenue in backlog — were all up in 2011, almost recovering to the pre-recessions highs seen in 2007. Year-over-year revenue growth (13.7%) has consistently outpaced year-over-year headcount growth (10.1%) which means PSO’s are continuing to ratchet up productivity.

Salaries are up: After three years of layoffs, headcount and salary freezes, base salaries and incentive compensation increased across all major job categories. The average base salary for seven job titles (senior manager, project manager, business consultant, technical consultant, solution architect, account manager and training specialist) rose 4.8% in 2011 on top of an 11% rise the year before.

Productivity continues to improve: The percentage of billable staff compared to total staff has risen every year from 67% in 2007 to 73% in 2011. At the same time average billable utilization across all global geographies and verticals has increased to 70% in 2011 up from 65% in 2008

One of our Partner's Gord Smith, speaks in the article about how Ideaca benefits from using the PS Maturity Benchmark report:

“We have used the PS Maturity Benchmark for many years to measure key aspects of our firm and to gauge the progress we have made. We have made some fundamental changes based on the benchmark to improve our firm’s overall results. I have not been able to find data as comprehensive from any other source.”

Gord Smith
Partner

Have a look at the press release featured on Business Wire and check out

www.spiresearch.com for more details on The 2012 Professional Services Maturity™ Benchmark Report.

 

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When the Forecast Calls for Clouds

 

Is cloud computing right for your company? Inc. posted an article on the different ways you can use Cloud Computing, and how making the switch could benefit your company. Check out the article link below and tell us how your company benefits from the "cloud".

When the Forecast Calls for Clouds.

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BI and Analytics Top Technology Priority for CIOs in 2012

Gartner's recent worldwide survey to over 2000 CIOs conducted in the fourth quarter of 2011, noted that analytics/business intelligence was the top-ranked technology priority for 2012. Gartner notes that "CIOs are combining analytics with other technologies to create new capabilities" and that increasing enterprise growth is their top priority. 
 
Some questions to keep in mind as investments in BI and analytics continue to grow in 2012:

• How can we manage Operational and Enterprise BI initiatives without impacting the business user community?
• Can we embrace BI-in-a-box and maintain the integrity of one version of the truth?
• What does the future of BI hold for information integrity and decision making accountability?

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Introduction to Microsoft SharePoint: Features and Benefits

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Onshoring US Manufacturing - Strategies for the Future

A recent article published by The Globe and Mail indicates that large US manufacturers are reverting their offshoring business strategies. Larger manufacturers like Boeing Co. and General Electric Co. are now finding that the benefits of lower wages accrued through offshoring strategies are offset by higher material costs and logistics. Here are some interesting things to keep in mind:

• The US unemployment rate of 8.3% stands as a significant barrier towards full economic recovery from the economic downturn of 2007 - 2009;
• The resurgence of US manufacturing added 50,000 new jobs during the month of January;
• As some manufacturers begin transitioning their business processes by onshoring what was previously offshored work, CEO's will be looking to fill approximately 600,000 manufacturing jobs;
• According to The Institute for Supply Management, US factories grew in January at the fastest pace in seven months at a reported index rating of 54.1 (ratings above 50 indicate expansion).

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Software Development Lifecycle

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Mmmm...Donuts!

Social Media is finally explained in terms we can all understand!

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Ideaca Calgary's Ski Weekend in Banff

Great time at the Ideaca ski weekend in Banff on Saturday. Beautiful day and fun night with the crew!

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Calling All Retailers!

Join Ideaca & Microsoft on March 1st for a Complimentary Breakfast Seminar on How Corporate Collaboration Strategy Affects Profits for Retailers!
Attend this event to learn how your retail organzation can:

Empower store associates with the information they need on the floor to drive sales conversions and improve productivity.

Address comparison shopping on the floor with real-time competitive information.

Provide details on product information and pricing, inventory (in stock/out of stock), and more.

Deliver real-time views of the business to corporate decision makers on conversion and productivity metrics

Time & Location

Breakfast & Registration:
8:30 am - 9:00 am
Seminar:
9:00 am - 11:30 am
Tablet Draw:
11:30 am
Microsoft Missisauga Campus
Events Entrance
1950 Meadowvale Blvd
Mississauga, ON L5N 8L9

 Click to register for this event and also be entered to win a Samsung Tablet!

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Labour Availability Top Issue for Oil & Gas Companies in Canada

In a recent Ernst & Young report, 47% of Canada's leading Oil & Gas companies cited that labour availability is the top issue facing their organization. With the Alberta government predicting a shortage of at least 77,000 workers within the next decade, the ability to attract and retain talent while creating efficiencies in operations will be critical. A few things to keep in mind:

• Organizations must ensure critical information and knowledge is passed on from one generation of workers to the next with document best practices
• Identify new approaches and strategies to manage talent
• Integrate people, processes, and technologies across the enterprise with composite applications
• Become more creative in attracting talent

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