Brian Sommer

AI was everywhere (no surprise) but quantity of AI enhancements won out over quality of AI innovations. Bad managers can still escape scrutiny. And, lots of vendors had piles of news to impart. Here are the top observations from the 2024 HR Technology Conference.

AAAAGH!!! If vendors don't like how I made (an honest) mistake in reporting their product's name, can't they at least come up with simpler, straightforward product names? How about some shorter names? Here's how ridiculous this has gotten…

IFS wrapped up its 2024 user conference, Unleashed, last week. AI, especially Industrial AI, was a key discussion item at the event. Here’s my recap and the top stories from it.

Managing projects successfully is more than a technical challenge. It also requires project leaders to be empathetic as well as focused on the tasks, timeline and budget. But the tools to help project leaders and their employers have been deficient and changes to where work happens have further complicated matters. Kantata is now bringing new tools to the fight.

HR strategy is more crucial for people leaders to focus on today than AI strategy, writes expert Brian Sommer.

Like last year’s event, Dayforce’s user conference was full of product news. But, the real headline might have been the progress the company made with its AI initiatives this last year and what’s coming next. There was a lot of focus on productivity gains but a newer set of managerial capabilities is in the offing, too.

Summary: here are some persistent or long-term issues in the ERP and related software spaces that never seem to go away or get fixed. Wouldn't it be something if they did? Well, here's a partial list of some of those vexing matters and what industry watchers would love to hear. Could 2025 be the year for some of these thorns in our sides go away? Read on…

The tech soothsayers, prognosticators, and hyper-scaling ninjas are at it again - but so are we. If you're eggnoged with vapid tech predictions, then let Jon and Brian serve your holiday revenge piping hot, via the ultimate prompt injection: the annual un-predictions.

Software contracts have grown materially over the years to accommodate different pricing mechanisms, computing environments and other factors. But the introduction of AI into numerous applications (and parts of applications) will likely add more content and complexity to software contracts. Bigger contracts will likely require more scrutiny, time and care from software buyers. Is your firm up to the task?

A busy year in ERP with vendors racing to get in on the AI revolution.