News & views - 180Systems

180 Systems Summer Get-Together: Growing Together

August 25, 2026 | 0 Comments | 180systems

This summer, the 180 Systems team had the opportunity to step away from our usual project work and spend some time together in person. As our team continues to grow, these get-togethers are an important opportunity to reconnect, exchange ideas, and strengthen the relationships behind the work we do every day. The day brought together a mix of team discussions, activities, a few surprises, and plenty of time to catch up outside of our regular meetings and client engagements. For a consulting firm, growth is about more than adding new projects or expanding capabilities. It is also about continuing to […]

180 Systems Status Report Project Management (3)

A Green Status Report Can Still Hide a Red Project

August 21, 2026 | 0 Comments | Nelofer Dawer

One of the biggest risks in project management is not always an obvious issue. Sometimes, it is a project that looks healthy on paper. The status report is green. Milestones are technically on schedule. Meetings are happening. Action items are being closed. Leadership sees progress. But underneath the surface, the project may be carrying unresolved decisions, weak stakeholder engagement, incomplete testing, unclear ownership, resource constraints or risks that have not yet translated into a missed deadline. In other words, a project can be green today and still be heading toward red. Green Should Mean More Than “Nothing Has Failed Yet” […]

Maybe They Aren’t Resisting Change

August 19, 2026 | 0 Comments | Amanda David

I have heard the phrase “resistance to change” so many times over the years that I rarely questioned it. A new system is introduced, people start pushing back, and somewhere in a meeting someone inevitably concludes that we have a change management problem. The diagnosis usually arrives remarkably quickly, followed by familiar prescriptions involving more communication, more training, and perhaps another town hall explaining why everyone should be excited about the transformation. Meanwhile, some of the people actually doing the work are sitting there thinking that enthusiasm is wonderful, but it still takes them twice as long to complete Tuesday’s […]

AI Is Everywhere

August 11, 2026 | 0 Comments | Michael Burns

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When Good Decisions Produce Bad Outcomes

August 6, 2026 | 0 Comments | Amanda David

One of the things that has always fascinated me about integration meetings is that you can leave the room feeling surprisingly optimistic while unknowingly creating tomorrow’s problems. Everyone has contributed and every concern has been addressed: the meeting ends on time, action items are assigned, and there is a quiet sense that real progress has been made. If someone had wandered into the room during the last five minutes, they probably would have assumed the integration was in excellent shape. Then, a few months later, people begin asking why the expected value hasn’t materialized. Over the years, I’ve started to […]

The Best Integrations Leave Some Things Alone

July 29, 2026 | 0 Comments | Amanda David

I have always admired people who restore old homes. Not the television version where someone walks through the front door, knocks down three walls, installs a kitchen the size of a small airport, and declares the house “modernized.” I mean the people who spend hours carefully restoring the original hardwood floors, repairing old stained-glass windows, or bringing century-old brickwork back to life. They understand something that is surprisingly easy to forget. Just because something is old or different doesn’t mean it needs replacing. Sometimes the goal isn’t to make the house look new. Sometimes the goal is to preserve the […]

What an ERP Implementation Means for Employees

July 28, 2026 | 0 Comments | Alex Miles

When employees hear about a new ERP system, the first concern is often learning new software. While training is an important part of the journey, ERP implementations are really about improving how work gets done across the organization. The goal is not simply to replace existing technology, but to give employees better tools, better information, and more time to focus on higher-value work. Many organizations rely on spreadsheets, manual reconciliations, duplicate data entry, and disconnected systems to operate their business. Over time, these workarounds become part of daily operations and consume significant time and effort. As routine and manual activities […]

Compare ERP Systems

July 23, 2026 | 0 Comments | Michael Burns

We have enhanced our system comparison tool to allow our website visitors to easily compare systems by: System Application Industry Tier – Enterprise, Mid Market, Entry Level Data/categories in our database You can see the comparison for all systems at our ERP Comparison page or for each of the industries we support: Apparel Construction Field Services Financial Services Food & Beverage Hospitality Manufacturing Nonprofit Professional Services Retail & ECommerce Transportation & Logistics ERP system vendors can register to have their information included. Please let us know if you think any ERP system should be included that is currently excluded. We have so […]

Every Acquisition Tells Two Stories

July 23, 2026 | 0 Comments | Amanda David

I stumbled across this painting while visiting Halifax and found myself standing in front of it much longer than I expected. For those of who know me, know that I am an art enthusiast who takes great joy in interpreting art as it fits my current situation. In this case, I should probably apologize to the artist because I’m almost certain my interpretation has very little to do with what they intended. Then again, perhaps that’s the beauty of art. We all bring our own experiences with us, and sometimes the painting says more about the person looking at it […]

The Best Integration Leaders I Know Are Professional Translators

July 15, 2026 | 0 Comments | Amanda David

If you ever want to understand an organization, don’t start by reading the project plan. Sit in on the first integration meeting instead. Within twenty minutes you’ll hear Finance talking about synergies, IT talking about systems, Operations talking about continuity, HR talking about people, and Sales talking about customers. It’s the same acquisition, but everyone is describing a different reality. The first few times I experienced this, I assumed people simply needed to communicate more clearly. Surely if everyone sat in the same room long enough, the misunderstandings would disappear and the project would naturally move forward. It seemed like […]