e-BAT: a simple process for a complex problem

Citation

Norman Schofield, D. (2002), "e-BAT: a simple process for a complex problem", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 74 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.2002.12774aaf.002

e-BAT: a simple process for a complex problem

Keywords: E-business, Business processes, Business

To deliver its e-business assessment tool (e-BAT), the UK Council for Electronic business (UKCeB) has undertaken a thorough design and development programme, funded by the Department of Trade and industry, Rolls-Royce, BAE Systems and Marconi, with significant input from PA Consulting Group.

e-BAT was designed in the context of an extended manufacturing enterprise, participating in full collaborative business, supporting the breadth and depth of the supply chain and lifecycle. It can address the needs of a large company at the project or divisional level or a small company operating in this type of collaborative environment. Properly conceived, e-Business can be a powerful element in supporting all aspects of an organisation's involvement in the product lifecycle, from concept through to operation, support and disposal.

e-BAT... electronic business assessment tool

e-BAT was designed initially as a Strategic Assessment Tool. It enables a team in a project, division or small company to give focus to those elements of an e-business strategy which will match it's primary business drivers and the gaps which need to be closed in key areas of competence.

It provides a comprehensive structure, data collection facility and all the logical business cross-checks to enable a multi- disciplinary team to develop the strategy in a day, with some additional preparation and closing activities from an accredited facilitator. Its most natural fit is in the manufacturing and engineering industries, typically for aerospace, defence, shipbuilding, automotive, mechanical machinery, heavy engineering and rail transport manufacture.

The market

The market for e-BAT is reinforced by repeated surveys which show that 90 per cent of engineering and manufacturing companies believe that electronic business is necessary and would help to transform their business... but fewer than 20 per cent are doing anything about it. This gap is often explained by a lack of understanding of what is achievable and a lack of confidence by senior management on where to start and frequently leads to technology solutions rather than business led ones. e-BAT's uniqueness is that it is aimed precisely at closing that gap.

E-Business versus E-Commerce

Most analysts agree that there are significant differences between e-Business and e-Commerce. Most media time is still given to e-Commerce rather than e-Business, but it is e-Business, as described below, which is going to transform the productivity and globalisation of UK industry at all levels in the supply chain.

To be successful means getting geared up for the particular needs and issues arising in e-Business, which means enabling intra- and inter- enterprise collaboration and information sharing. This involves not just the transfer of information between businesses, but also the aligning of in-house systems (often older systems referred to as legacy systems) and the sharing of data across different systems environments.

Business-to-Business (B2B) versus Business-to-Consumer (B2C)

The shift of emphasis from B2C to B2B has started to happen, but not properly. It is important to articulate clearly the B2B business benefits and give greater awareness to senior managers of what's involved in full B2B e-Business, because the forecasts of B2B value are 10 times the forecast of B2C value.

The consequences are not just more complex IT and data sharing standards, but very different ways of working. Proper examples might include a full supply chain for an industry being run on the Internet (GE, Ford, GM, DaimierChrysier etc) or a shared data environment (SDE) for the MoD working with key Prime Contractors and their suppliers using Integrated Project Teams. e-BAT is intended to help companies to clarify the opportunities, set priorities, and decide how best to operate in these new complex virtual enterprise environments... e.g. companies working together electronically at several sites that may be in different countries.

Large and small companies

Successful e-business can transform the cost models and lead times for large companies and transform the international competitiveness and business-winning capability of small businesses. Everybody who grasps the opportunity will gain.

If we set this in the context of the survey response identified at the start of this section, then it becomes clear why e-BAT can play such an important part in closing the gap between senior management awareness of the "problem" versus their capability for purposeful action in developing a viable e-Business strategy.

Overall, e-BAT contains all the ingredients to make a team of senior people aware of what full e-business really is, to give them reasons to act quickly in their businesses and to help them to understand what to do First.

Broad vision for future development

e-BAT as it exists today solves a large number of real problems in determining e-Business strategy, but we recognise that there will need to be a process of continual improvement, updating and development to keep pace with e-Business progress. The following are some of the development ideas currently being planned:

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  Vertically, into analogous sectors where the language needs to be adjusted to match, for example, the natural language of a food or pharmaceuticals or construction enterprise.

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  Vertically, into different types of sectors and segments, where some logic and process changes will be needed as well as language, for example, to suit a retail or services enterprise.

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  Horizontally, upstream from the current starting point, to enable a more rigorous facilitated discussion about business strategy and business drivers, particularly where the enterprise will be impacted so fundamentally by e-business, that the result would be revolution rather than evolution.

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  Horizontally, downstream from the current finish point, to enable further facilitated sessions, which will take the output from the strategic analysis and develop that into an implementation plan, with milestones and good practice advice about 'how" to do it, as opposed to "what" to do.

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  As e-BAT becomes used extensively, a database will grow automatically from the data uploaded at the end of each session. This data can be used in many ways, but particularly as a realistic set of structured benchmarks for a wide range of companies and projects. This will enable comparisons by industry profile of key business drivers, "as is" and "to be" competence achievements and the different e-business profiles. Because this is date and country coded, we shall also be able draw comparisons on time and geographic axes. This information could become one of the best structured, practical benchmark databases for e-business, enabling an infinite number of analyses to be performed for academic and marketing purposes.

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  As this database grows, so the underlying case study information will grow and the already planned collection of follow-up visit data for each case will start to give a clear picture of the benefits which are being achieved in the world of e-business.

In conclusion

The e-BAT process, supported by the software tool, is a powerful method for getting a company started down the complex and sometimes difficult path to successful e-Business. It has been proven in many different situations and industries in several countries. Executive teams and project teams have found a new way of working together using e-BAT, to produce a strategy for the optimum use of e-Business processes and technologies. The result will transform their future business performance and potential.

E-BAT... a simple process for a complex problem!

Details available from: UK Council for Electronic Business, Tel: +44 (0) 1494 601066; Fax: +44 (0) 1494 601001; E-mail: secretariat@ukceb.org; Website: www.ukceb.org

Dr. Norman SchofieldUnited Kingdom Councilfor Electronic Business