Today’s star analyst in our reasonably Barry Wilderman (blog),ex-META Group and Lawson, now running an independent firm, Wilderman Associates.
- What are your coverage areas?
I am interested in how customers derive value from enterprise applications: breaks down into package selection, managing consulting teams, post implementation success, cost management, support. Customers have a hard time demanding a value-centered project, which then leads to a strong ROI. Also cover business intelligence as a sub-specialty. - What are your opinions of the IT Analysis Marketplace and where do you see it going?
I think it remains uneven. You can only form strong, useful opinions by getting background from the vendor, and then testing your assumptions with customers’ experiences. - Now, c’mon, tell me an AR horror story?
I have a wonderful analyst story, so please forgive the license here (it is an “A” story, not an “AR” story). And, I must disguise it. Our hero, the CIO, was facing a $20M call center automation disaster, and asked me to find other similar disasters, so he wouldn’t look so bad. I found a $10M disaster, but it turned out to be the same guy at his last job! - How do you position your firm? What is your business model?
We are a new firm, but our objective is 70% user, 30% vendor - What is your research methodology?
Phone: vendor briefings, discussions with vendors’ customers, ongoing discussions with my prospects, customers. - Tell us about one good AR practice you’ve experienced or one good AR event you’ve atttended.
After a briefing, analysts tend to ask for far more than they need. A good AR practice is for AR and the analyst to come to a written agreement within 24 hours as to what is practical. - What are your offerings and key deliverables?
For end users: package selection, integrator selection, team building, project audits, benefit management, building the post implementation organization.
Vendors: Audit of current value delivery approaches – analysis and approach for improvement. Audit of marketing materials around value – critique and improvement, development of marketing collateral as required - Any hobbies or favourite restaurant / food that you’d like to share?
I have been playing competitive bridge for many years, and find new and creative ways to make mistakes every day. Long distance running/walking is less error prone, but has its own challenges. - What is your biggest challenges for the upcoming 6 months? And for the next 30 mn?
Continue to focus on blatant self-promotion. - Is there another analyst (a peer in your firm or with another firm) whose work you rate highly?
I will stick to the smaller firms and one-man shops: Ray Wang, Dennis Howlett, Brian Sommer – sorry, couldn’t manage with one.
