News & views - 180Systems

180 Values

June 22, 2026 | 0 Comments | Michael Burns

Our values are on our website are: Integrity – never say anything that is not true Positive attitude – always make the best of every situation Creativity – always alert to better ways to get the job done Hard work – but not at the expense of family Appreciation – We all have a lot to be thankful for Enjoy life – See Take a Break for some examples of what makes us smile or brings us inspiration I just listened to Obama speaking at the opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago. He shared his values: Honesty Integrity […]

Nobody Performs Due Diligence on the CEO

June 17, 2026 | 0 Comments | Amanda David

One of the strangest things about acquisitions is how much time we spend evaluating the company we are buying and how little time we spend evaluating ourselves. I have sat through diligence processes where teams reviewed financial statements, technology platforms, customer concentration, contracts, operating processes, management capability, and enough spreadsheets to make even the most committed Excel person consider a career in pottery. Every risk is catalogued, discussed, scored, challenged, and placed neatly into some colour-coded document that gives everyone a brief sense of control. Then the deal closes, and suddenly the organization that spent months examining someone else’s weaknesses […]

The Deal Team and the Integration Team Are Not Solving the Same Problem

June 17, 2026 | 0 Comments | Amanda David

Do you know what’s interesting? In M&A the deal team and the integration team are often running toward completely different definitions of success. None of these groups are smarter than the other, and not because they are intentionally creating problems, but because they are sitting inside completely different realities. The deal team is trying to get the transaction across the finish line. The integration team is trying to figure out whether the organization can actually absorb what is being purchased without creating operational chaos six months later. Both sides are intelligent. both sides are protecting value in their own way. […]

Most Organizations Do Not Have an Integration Problem. They Have an Authority Problem.

June 16, 2026 | 0 Comments | Amanda David

One of the things that has always fascinated me about integrations is how quickly very sophisticated organizations can suddenly start behaving like a stressed family trying to assemble IKEA furniture without instructions. Everybody is present and has opinions, but nobody wants to admit they are confused, and at least one person is quietly questioning every life decision that brought them into the meeting. At the beginning, integrations usually feel incredibly organized. The organization moves with the confidence of something that still believes planning and execution are basically the same activity. Leadership feels aligned, and the deal rationale still sounds compelling. […]

For the Love of Scheduling, and Other Affairs in Field Service

June 12, 2026 | 0 Comments | Nelofer Dawer

Scheduling in field service always starts with good intentions. Somewhere, usually the night before, a clean, logical schedule exists. It has neat time slots, sensible travel paths, and a comforting sense of order. Then the day begins, and scheduling immediately reminds everyone that it has a personality of its own. On paper, scheduling looks like a math problem. In real life, it behaves more like a relationship. It is emotional. It is unpredictable. And it has a habit of going off-plan the moment you stop paying attention. The first misunderstanding usually happens around availability. A technician appears free on the […]

Boots, Breakthroughs, and ERP: My Takeaways from Epicor Insights 2026

June 4, 2026 | 0 Comments | Nelofer Dawer

Epicor Insights 2026 in Nashville was a great reminder that ERP is not just about software, workflows, dashboards, and project plans, although, as a Project Manager, I do believe a well-maintained project plan deserves its own standing ovation. Between the sessions, conversations, product updates, and Nashville energy, Insights gave me a chance to step away from the day-to-day world of timelines, trackers, and “just following up on this action item” emails and look at the bigger picture of where ERP is headed. And spoiler alert: the future is exciting. Also, it still needs clean data. ERP Is Getting Smarter, but […]

The Integration Glass Wall

June 3, 2026 | 0 Comments | Amanda David

I watched a video about the Pike Effect recently, and because apparently my brain now turns everything into an M&A lesson, I could not stop thinking about integration. In the video, a pike was placed in a tank with smaller fish, separated by a clear glass barrier. The pike did what pikes do. It went after the fish, hit the glass, got nowhere, and tried again. Eventually, after enough failed attempts and enough bruised ambition, it stopped trying. Then the glass was removed. The smaller fish swam freely around the tank, but the pike still would not go after them. […]

DMAP 3.0 is now open for applications!

May 22, 2026 | 0 Comments | Rishi

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Sometimes We Bring Home Chickens

May 22, 2026 | 0 Comments | Amanda David

My eight-year-old son found a chicken outside and brought her home. Not from a farm, not from a neighbour we knew, not from any situation where a chicken should reasonably be collected and relocated by a child. She was just outside, wandering with confidence, and apparently that was enough to begin the acquisition process. By the time I understood what was happening, the chicken had a name. Ginger. Water had been offered. Food was being discussed. My son had already moved from discovery to emotional ownership in about seven minutes, which, frankly, is faster than most deal teams move from […]

180 Systems_Do things Rights vs Do the right things (2)

Do Things Right vs. Do the Right Things

May 20, 2026 | 0 Comments | Alex Miles

Project success is still largely defined by delivery – on time, on budget, and in scope. That standard hasn’t changed, but it is no longer enough on its own. Organizations expect projects to produce measurable outcomes, not just completed work. This is where business acumen matters. It’s the ability to understand how a project connects to the broader business – financial impact, operational improvements, and strategic priorities then make decisions with that context in mind. Most project managers operate somewhere in the middle. Data shows that many have moderate business acumen, with fewer demonstrating strong capability. The difference is visible […]