Retrospective 2023

The end of the year is approaching. It’s time to wrap up the final matters and clean up the mess that created throughout the year. This way, you can start 2024 with a clean slate. In this article, we look back on 2023 and also look ahead to 2024, where, as far as we’re concerned, an S/4HANA transition is equivalent to a clean slate, or in our professional jargon, a “clean core.” Are you also starting 2024 with a clean core?

“Never change a winning recipe”

2023 was a special year for Ideo. We celebrated our 25th anniversary at our headquarters in Den Bosch, together with colleagues and partners. Sharing knowledge out of intrinsic motivation, striving to be the best, and experiencing a personal connection are all inherent to Ideo.

The anniversary also prompted a reflection on why we have been successful for 25 years and compelled us to make new promises for the future. We concluded that we don’t want to do much differently in the future than what we have been doing: “Never change a winning team,” or better yet, “Never change a winning recipe.”

Intrinsic motivation as motor oil

“Never change a winning recipe” might be more fitting in Ideo’s case because without our colleagues, who share the same intrinsic motivation as founder Martin Maurer, we would never have come this far. We do welcome expanding our award-winning team with new colleagues who want to grow as individuals and professionals and embrace the challenge of tomorrow’s demands as team members.

As our founder and CEO Martin Maurer also said in the anniversary interview: “We do it together, with colleagues and clients. In a team, there’s no point in being the first to cross the finish line.” It’s remarkable that a major player like Ideo still feels like a warm bath in the role of an employer. We are and remain a flat organization where Martin’s door is always open.

Expert knowledge

Our ‘existing’ experts also continue to develop and put their best foot forward. We heavily invest in innovation and knowledge sharing. This way, you as a partner or (potential) client are always the first to know about the most interesting developments. You can find the knowledge in the knowledge base on our website. Do you want to stay informed proactively? Then sign up for our newsletter.

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The more challenge, the more pride?

The projects of Kiremko and Eneco (read the cases) deserve to be in the spotlight in our opinion. Our various solutions in the field of service & asset management, such as the implementation of SAP Service & Asset Manager (SSAM) and our FSM360 Packaged Solution, led to rapid professionalization and optimization of the service and maintenance process. For the big challenge, an appropriate word that also appears in our slogan, there was no hesitation whatsoever. Maybe that’s why we are so incredibly proud of these projects together. The more challenge, the more pride?

A clean core

Back to the introduction of this article: the end of the year is approaching, so we are going to clean up. An S/4HANA transition is a similar moment. Critically examine your processes and see where you can optimize. Where can you return to best practices, and where can you truly differentiate yourself from the competition and better leverage your advantage? Say goodbye to old customizations that are intertwined with the core of your SAP system. The S/4HANA transition is therefore an excellent opportunity to start with a clean core.

A Bossche Bol is obtained from Jan de Groot

Patrick van de Kamp, our Director of Operations, Alliances & Innovation, stated this year that Ideo, in terms of S/4HANA transitions, is like the Bossche Bol. If you want quality, you go to Jan de Groot. As our Sales Director John van Rooij also indicated this year: “We are heading towards a future of specialization, where generalists will increasingly lose out.”

Learnings for the future

Like every year, there were also things that didn’t go as smoothly this year. We take these learnings with confidence into the future, and our clients will benefit from them as well. Because even for our experienced experts, the age-old verb sometimes applies: “Practice makes perfect.” This is certainly true for complex, new technologies.

In any case, our people wish you happy holidays and a smooth 2024.