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We are creating this newsgroup as an online area for you and others to discuss and exchange ideas around the use of Microsoft Dynamics and other types of business management software as a tool for environmental initiatives in your company. Many of us who work on the Microsoft Dynamics team live in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, an area known in our country for its “eco-friendliness”. We choose to live here because it is a part of the world that has close proximity to the Pacific Ocean, two mountain ranges, and abundant wildlife. I know that Darren Laybourn, GM for Microsoft Dynamics Tools, among others on the Microsoft Dynamics team have shown me photographs of bears walking around the backyards of their homes. There are a pair of eagles that nest near my own home, and I see them quite frequently. In short, the typical Microsoft Dynamics person who works here loves the outdoors and is concerned about the environment (like most people in Seattle, WA) on a personal basis, and for a living we all develop and market the business management software that makes up the Microsoft Dynamics Suite.
However most of us who work on Microsoft Dynamics (or most other Microsoft software for that matter!) never made the direct connection between our love and concern for the environment and what we do for a living. I mean, what does accounting software have to do with environmental sustainability?
Well, it turns out, quite a lot!
For me, this realization began with a series of conversations I had this summer with Nigel Montgomery, an analyst for AMR whom I’ve known for years. He kept calling me saying “James, you guys need to take a look at using ERP for environmental sustainability issues – my clients keep telling me that it’s something they are doing but few of the mainstream software companies are talking about it, let alone doing anything about it.” On a surface level, the idea makes complete sense. Global warming is a reality, it’s a top-of-mind issue for business decision makers, and it is not going away. Companies will need systems to track and mitigate the impact they have on the environment, in terms of energy consumption, clean water consumption, waste management, environmentally responsible sourcing, etc. Much of this data is either already stored or can be easily captured in their existing ERP systems; It can be unlocked by the types of business intelligence tools available in Microsoft Dynamics, and then made actionable by presenting it to everyone in the company within the context of their jobs.
So we asked AMR to conduct a series of interviews with IT and business managers throughout Europe to assess their views on the use of software as a tool for managing environmental initiatives in their company. The results are stunning. Among other things, the study shows that:
· Over 20% of existing IT budgets are already allocated to environmental sustainability projects
· The top IT technologies for this include Supply Chain Management (SCM), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Compliance Management, Financials, and Operations (in other words, the sweet spot for Microsoft Dynamics J )
· Most environmental spend happens at a local office or factory level, at which there are few standardized systems or processes in place to achieve cost savings and efficiencies for environmental management systems across companies
· An immediate next step for most firms is to deploy an environmental impact dashboard to help them identify, but more importantly, begin to systematically manage processes around environmental initiatives in a systematic and holistic way.
So what are we going to do about this at Microsoft? Well, as we said for starters we are creating this newsgroup for you to exchange ideas around the use of Microsoft Dynamics and other types of business management software as a tool for environmental initiatives. We welcome examples of best practices you may have in place today, and will try to answer questions you may have around how to best proceed down this path. I know that Nigel and others from AMR will be joining us online to discuss the implications of the research in more detail while sharing their own examples of best practices. From a Microsoft Dynamics Research & Development perspective, we have already started scoping out the specs for an “Environmental Sustainability Dashboard SNAP” that will make it easier for Microsoft SharePoint and Microsoft Dynamics customers to begin down this path. Like most SNAPs it will be available for free on the GotDotNet website, and developers will be able to access the source code as a starting point for their own products or projects. We hope to have this available in the next few months.
Please join us in the conversation. We welcome your input.
Regards,
James Utzschneider
General Manager
Microsoft Dynamics Marketing
This posting is provided “AS IS“ with no warranties, and confers no rights.
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Awesome first post James... I would add as an ex pat Kiwi member of the
Dynamics team that not only are we here in the Pacifc Northwest we are in
fact a very global bunch with large development centers in Fargo, ND and
Copenhagen, Denmark and additional team members literally all over the
world. This is an issue we all care about deeply regardless of where we
currently call home and I look forward to particpating in the dialog that
develops in this forum.
"James Utzschneider [MSFT]" <jamesu@online.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:B431CFB4-E1E1-42DB-9C77-D3BCDFF89455@microsoft.com...
> We are creating this newsgroup as an online area for you and others to
> discuss and exchange ideas around the use of Microsoft Dynamics and other
> types of business management software as a tool for environmental
> initiatives in your company. Many of us who work on the Microsoft
> Dynamics team live in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, an area
> known in our country for its “eco-friendliness”. We choose to live here
> because it is a part of the world that has close proximity to the Pacific
> Ocean, two mountain ranges, and abundant wildlife. I know that Darren
> Laybourn, GM for Microsoft Dynamics Tools, among others on the Microsoft
> Dynamics team have shown me photographs of bears walking around the
> backyards of their homes. There are a pair of eagles that nest near my own
> home, and I see them quite frequently. In short, the typical Microsoft
> Dynamics person who works here loves the outdoors and is concerned about
> the environment (like most people in Seattle, WA) on a personal basis, and
> for a living we all develop and market the business management software
> that makes up the Microsoft Dynamics Suite.
>
>
>
> However most of us who work on Microsoft Dynamics (or most other Microsoft
> software for that matter!) never made the direct connection between our
> love and concern for the environment and what we do for a living. I mean,
> what does accounting software have to do with environmental
> sustainability?
>
>
>
> Well, it turns out, quite a lot!
>
>
>
> For me, this realization began with a series of conversations I had this
> summer with Nigel Montgomery, an analyst for AMR whom I’ve known for
> years. He kept calling me saying “James, you guys need to take a look at
> using ERP for environmental sustainability issues – my clients keep
> telling me that it’s something they are doing but few of the mainstream
> software companies are talking about it, let alone doing anything about
> it.” On a surface level, the idea makes complete sense. Global warming is
> a reality, it’s a top-of-mind issue for business decision makers, and it
> is not going away. Companies will need systems to track and mitigate the
> impact they have on the environment, in terms of energy consumption, clean
> water consumption, waste management, environmentally responsible sourcing,
> etc. Much of this data is either already stored or can be easily captured
> in their existing ERP systems; It can be unlocked by the types of business
> intelligence tools available in Microsoft Dynamics, and then made
> actionable by presenting it to everyone in the company within the context
> of their jobs.
>
>
>
> So we asked AMR to conduct a series of interviews with IT and business
> managers throughout Europe to assess their views on the use of software as
> a tool for managing environmental initiatives in their company. The
> results are stunning. Among other things, the study shows that:
>
> · Over 20% of existing IT budgets are already allocated to
> environmental sustainability projects
>
> · The top IT technologies for this include Supply Chain Management
> (SCM), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Compliance Management,
> Financials, and Operations (in other words, the sweet spot for Microsoft
> Dynamics J )
>
> · Most environmental spend happens at a local office or factory
> level, at which there are few standardized systems or processes in place
> to achieve cost savings and efficiencies for environmental management
> systems across companies
>
> · An immediate next step for most firms is to deploy an
> environmental impact dashboard to help them identify, but more
> importantly, begin to systematically manage processes around environmental
> initiatives in a systematic and holistic way.
>
>
>
> So what are we going to do about this at Microsoft? Well, as we said for
> starters we are creating this newsgroup for you to exchange ideas around
> the use of Microsoft Dynamics and other types of business management
> software as a tool for environmental initiatives. We welcome examples of
> best practices you may have in place today, and will try to answer
> questions you may have around how to best proceed down this path. I know
> that Nigel and others from AMR will be joining us online to discuss the
> implications of the research in more detail while sharing their own
> examples of best practices. From a Microsoft Dynamics Research &
> Development perspective, we have already started scoping out the specs for
> an “Environmental Sustainability Dashboard SNAP” that will make it easier
> for Microsoft SharePoint and Microsoft Dynamics customers to begin down
> this path. Like most SNAPs it will be available for free on the GotDotNet
> website, and developers will be able to access the source code as a
> starting point for their own products or projects. We hope to have this
> available in the next few months.
>
>
>
> Please join us in the conversation. We welcome your input.
>
>
>
> Regards,
>
>
>
> James Utzschneider
>
> General Manager
>
> Microsoft Dynamics Marketing
>
>
>
> This posting is provided “AS IS“ with no warranties, and confers no
> rights.
>
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I snip also...
Well, I'm not in anyway related to Microsoft, I am a PhD student in Qld,
Australia, or sustainable water management. Despite not being computer
fluent, lo and behold I find myself inextricably entangled with modelling and
computing issues. I think the role of software for environmental issues is
not fully appreciated. A non-computer person like me designing a modelling
system also requires a team of IT people to build it. There is no question
that this kind cross-disciplinary team work occurs frequently throughout the
globe, and that the results directly impact sustainable development and
environmental awareness at many scales, from industry, to local, to national
to global.
So, any body want to build my model?
Carolina |
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"Carolina" <Carolina@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:81878CDB-5F19-45D8-A45D-BC746D7C03C9@microsoft.com...
>I snip also...
> Well, I'm not in anyway related to Microsoft, I am a PhD student in Qld,
> Australia, or sustainable water management. Despite not being computer
> fluent, lo and behold I find myself inextricably entangled with modelling
> and
> computing issues. I think the role of software for environmental issues
> is
> not fully appreciated. A non-computer person like me designing a
> modelling
> system also requires a team of IT people to build it. There is no
> question
> that this kind cross-disciplinary team work occurs frequently throughout
> the
> globe, and that the results directly impact sustainable development and
> environmental awareness at many scales, from industry, to local, to
> national
> to global.
>
> So, any body want to build my model?
>
> Carolina
One essential thing is to construct a model that can work on paper and make
sure you know all the factors that are influential upon it. It is quite easy
to miss something and that can be costly when you get involved with custom
software design. You don't hear so much about "Systems Analysis" these days
but I guess you could call it that.
One possibility if you are talking about a "Weather - like" system is
distributed computing such as carried out by the BOINC projects.
http://boinc.berkeley.edu/
This reveals that an awful lot of people have an interest in issues that one
might not expect them to.
Charlie
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"Charlie Tame" wrote:
> >
> One essential thing is to construct a model that can work on paper and make
> sure you know all the factors that are influential upon it. It is quite easy
> to miss something and that can be costly when you get involved with custom
> software design. You don't hear so much about "Systems Analysis" these days
> but I guess you could call it that.
>
> One possibility if you are talking about a "Weather - like" system is
> distributed computing such as carried out by the BOINC projects.
> http://boinc.berkeley.edu/
>
> This reveals that an awful lot of people have an interest in issues that one
> might not expect them to.
>
> Charlie
>
Alas, my model is not yet functioning fully on paper either... as in, there
isn't a full completed story board of all screens and all commands between
screens, mainly because commands are a little out of my field, and some of
the data compartments are also for someone else to contribute to... but
still, the idea is good (if I say so myself). I'm sure it will find an
application somewhere, but the computing is rather daunting. Once you know
about computing then you think of different ways the model could have been
laid out that would have facilitated building it. My partner has a software
company (Barcoding and CRM software) and 20 years on, they are still
building, and still catching bugs... and it's perfect on paper!! I guess
microsoft is the same...
anyway, thank you for your suggestion. I shall look up that website. For
the moment, task one: finish PhD. Then two: holiday, then THREE: Get it
working!
and hopefully environmental Sustainability will benefit...
Carolina |
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Carolina,
You might be interested in what the Department of Sustainability and
Environment in Victoria are doing with Microsoft Dynamics. They have used AX
as the basis of a water accounting system that tracks the trading of water
allocations across the state. Its true water accounting.. with the chart of
accounts tracking water not dollars!
I'm no longer with the project but I can put you in touch with those who are
- jesse.rogers@oakton.com.au
"Carolina" wrote:
>
>
> "Charlie Tame" wrote:
>
> > >
> > One essential thing is to construct a model that can work on paper and make
> > sure you know all the factors that are influential upon it. It is quite easy
> > to miss something and that can be costly when you get involved with custom
> > software design. You don't hear so much about "Systems Analysis" these days
> > but I guess you could call it that.
> >
> > One possibility if you are talking about a "Weather - like" system is
> > distributed computing such as carried out by the BOINC projects.
> > http://boinc.berkeley.edu/
> >
> > This reveals that an awful lot of people have an interest in issues that one
> > might not expect them to.
> >
> > Charlie
> >
>
>
> Alas, my model is not yet functioning fully on paper either... as in, there
> isn't a full completed story board of all screens and all commands between
> screens, mainly because commands are a little out of my field, and some of
> the data compartments are also for someone else to contribute to... but
> still, the idea is good (if I say so myself). I'm sure it will find an
> application somewhere, but the computing is rather daunting. Once you know
> about computing then you think of different ways the model could have been
> laid out that would have facilitated building it. My partner has a software
> company (Barcoding and CRM software) and 20 years on, they are still
> building, and still catching bugs... and it's perfect on paper!! I guess
> microsoft is the same...
> anyway, thank you for your suggestion. I shall look up that website. For
> the moment, task one: finish PhD. Then two: holiday, then THREE: Get it
> working!
>
> and hopefully environmental Sustainability will benefit...
> Carolina |
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Carolina, not sure where you are studying. Microsoft Research has some
contacts with Paul Roe and Jim Hogan at QUT and they are doing work that may
be complimentary to yours. If you cantact them they may be able to help, or
they can pass you on to MSR.
--
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
Use of included script samples are subject to the terms specified at
http://www.microsoft.com/info/cpyright.htm
"Carolina" wrote:
> I snip also...
> Well, I'm not in anyway related to Microsoft, I am a PhD student in Qld,
> Australia, or sustainable water management. Despite not being computer
> fluent, lo and behold I find myself inextricably entangled with modelling and
> computing issues. I think the role of software for environmental issues is
> not fully appreciated. A non-computer person like me designing a modelling
> system also requires a team of IT people to build it. There is no question
> that this kind cross-disciplinary team work occurs frequently throughout the
> globe, and that the results directly impact sustainable development and
> environmental awareness at many scales, from industry, to local, to national
> to global.
>
> So, any body want to build my model?
>
> Carolina |
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