Shortening the path from ERP problem to solution

For public-sector finance, technology and transformation leaders, the next ERP improvement may depend less on discovering a new feature than on knowing how to turn existing capabilities into practical improvements. Three moves can help: start with operational friction, connect with people who have relevant experience, and turn that knowledge into a tested, measurable change.

Knowing where a process breaks down is not the same as fixing it.

Consider an approval that needs repeated follow-up or a report that requires another hour of spreadsheet work. For the public-sector leader accountable for that work, understanding the problem is important. But diagnosis alone does not create value. The goal is to remove the unnecessary steps, delays and workarounds that make it harder. 

That distinction came into focus at CGI Forum 2026, where we brought together CGI Advantage users, product specialists and peers to explore capabilities and share implementation experience. The most valuable conversations went beyond what the software can do. They connected people who understand an issue with people who know how to address it.

One conversation about process improvement reinforced the point. Mapping the workflow and identifying the root cause are useful. Still, the next question is whether that understanding can lead to a supported change, how quickly it can be implemented and whether it actually improves the work.

The real value of an ERP solution goes beyond its capabilities. It also depends on the practitioners, product experts, partners and peers who can help move an organization from "we have a problem" to "we have a solution that works." 

Start with friction, not the feature

In his Forum keynote, Chris Barton, founder of Shazam, spoke about removing friction. His point was simple: a process that seems straightforward to the person who designed it can still require significant effort from the person using it. 

In enterprise systems, that effort may sit between the formal process steps. Someone looks up information in another application, asks a colleague what a field means, or checks repeatedly to see whether an approval has moved. None of these steps may appear as a formal process failure. Together, however, they create friction that consumes time, introduces risk, and makes the system hard to use. 

Start by observing the work. Where does it wait? Where is information re-entered? What needs correcting? Distinguish the visible symptom from the cause. A request to automate a spreadsheet, for example, may really be a need for reliable budget information without recurring manual adjustments.

Then consider the response: better use of an existing capability, a configuration change, clearer responsibilities, integration or a new solution. The technology decision should come after the process problem is understood. The answer should follow the problem, not the other way around.

Understanding the process first helps narrow the choices and focus action. Process mapping should move the work forward; if it only produces another document, it has missed the point.

Find the experience behind the capability

A user conference like Forum offers something a product catalog cannot: the opportunity to bring practitioners, product experts and peers into the same conversation and connect their different perspectives.

The practitioner understands where the work becomes difficult. The product specialist can distinguish available functionality from configuration, additional development or plans. A peer can explain what implementation required, where adoption proved difficult and what they would do differently.

"Does the system have this feature?" is only the starting point. A more useful question is: "What would it take to make this work here?”

Ask who has addressed a similar problem, what changed in their daily operations, and which conditions made the result possible. A successful example should be examined, not copied without considering whether it fits.

Our work with Olmsted County illustrates this connection. The county used CGI Advantage Cost Accounting to move away from complex spreadsheet-based project tracking and improve visibility into funding and spending. They also credited our practitioners with understanding their business processes and explaining the rationale behind the implementation approach.

The lesson is not simply that the capability existed. The value came from bringing business understanding, product knowledge and implementation experience together to apply it to a specific problem. 

Sometimes the relevant expertise sits outside the immediate ERP footprint. That is where an ecosystem can extend the platform's value. For example, our partnership with U.S. Bank brings public-sector payment expertise into the conversation. U.S. Bank's public-sector payment offerings include purchasing and virtual card solutions. For an accounts payable challenge, bringing that expertise together with ERP and delivery knowledge can help a team consider the full process, from how a payment is initiated and approved to how it reaches the supplier. 

Any option still needs to fit supplier requirements, existing arrangements, integration needs, costs and controls. The goal is to connect the right expertise to the right problem and keep that connection intact through implementation. 

Move from possibility to proof

Discovery creates an opening. Delivery turns it into value. Many promising ideas lose momentum between those two stages. Moving forward requires an owner, a supported approach, a date and a way to measure results. 

From friction to outcome: A four-step working plan

1. Find the friction
Choose one recurring problem and establish a baseline: time spent, rework, exceptions or user effort. Define the improvement in business terms. Reducing the time needed to resolve a payment exception is a clearer goal than adopting a new payments feature.

2. Find the experience
Bring together the process owner, the appropriate product or delivery specialist, and a peer or partner with relevant experience. Include someone who can authorize the change. Leave the discussion with a decision or a specific test, not just another meeting.

3. Choose and implement the fastest supported path
Confirm what can be used today, what requires additional work, and whether the approach fits the environment and available resources. Assign responsibility for configuration, testing and adoption. Agree on a near-term test date proportionate to the scope, including the controls and exceptions that must be in place before release.

4. Prove the improvement
Compare the result with the baseline in actual use. Confirm that effort was removed rather than shifted to another team. Decide who will maintain the change and check that it continues to work. A successful demonstration is not the same as a repeatable operating improvement.

The same discipline applies to AI. Our public CGI Advantage AI direction emphasizes embedded capabilities with role-based controls, auditability and people retaining responsibility for decisions and approvals. For an individual use case, the test remains practical: does it improve a defined task, within appropriate controls, in a way users can sustain?

The same principle applies whether the change involves a familiar ERP capability or a new AI-enabled one: speed should come from reducing uncertainty and avoidable handoffs, not from bypassing validation or creating another fragile workaround. 

Make the connection count

ERP capabilities create more value when they are applied to a real operational problem. That takes more than knowing a feature exists. It takes people who understand the work, the technology and what implementation will require.

When business knowledge, product expertise and implementation experience come together, organizations can move more quickly from identifying an option to testing, implementing and sustaining a meaningful improvement.

Whether you attended CGI Forum 2026 or are working through similar challenges, we'd be interested in hearing what resonated with you. If you're looking to reduce unnecessary steps, rework or delays, or turn ERP capabilities into measurable improvements, connect with us to continue the conversation.