Tackle this list of JDE World tasks while you have the time. We’ve discussed a few of the ways that your JDE World team can stay productive during this uncertain and potentially quiet time for your company. Let’s dig a little deeper: what’s been on your list for years? That task you’ve been pushing off until you have more time? Here are a few of the things that commonly get set aside for more pressing matters but will help maintain and grow your JDE World environment.
Are you running an older version of World? Have you considered moving to EnterpriseOne? A World to World or World to EnterpriseOne upgrade is a huge effort; from planning to implementation there are so many moving pieces. Now is a good time to start that process. We suggest starting with considering whether an upgrade to E1 makes sense for you. If it doesn’t, then consider a World update to 9.4.
Even if your organization isn’t completely prepared for an upgrade, we still suggest starting the process. Even if all you do is the planning and analysis, you’ll be way ahead of the curve when management approves the budget for the project. Speaking of budget, this is a great time to start this process not just in terms of free time, but because you can probably score a good deal from a consulting company.
If you aren’t quite ready to tackle an upgrade, there are still plenty of projects to work on in your existing World environment. To get your system cleaned up for a future upgrade, put any freed-up developers to work looking at modifications in the system. Can you eliminate some and replace them with base World functionality? How can you get back to vanilla code? Now is the time to find out.
If you are on a version of World below 9.4, pay particular attention to sales order entry. JD Edwards rewrote the program in 9.4, splitting it into several program modules. Mods may be difficult to retrofit to the 9.4 programs in the future (especially if you are pressured by tight upgrade timelines) so take advantage of the time now to do the analysis.
We mentioned previously that this may be the perfect time for you to conduct a Business Process Review. A BPR is a great idea in general, so you can see what software is being used where and figure out what you can do for process improvement. It also builds a good foundation for an upgrade, whether World to World or World to E1.
But right now, a BPR also offers another benefit: a point of connection. Get your operational leaders together on a call and walk through the current business processes. And if the session ends with everyone sharing a virtual cocktail, all the better. A BPR is a good way to stay connected in this time of isolation.
There’s really no way around it; scheduled jobs are always a pain. Job schedules are always long, detailed, and fraught with interdependencies. So, while we can’t promise that it will be fun, a newly-free schedule is a good time to take a look at your scheduled jobs, clean them up, and figure out what’s critical and what’s not.
See if you can optimize the schedule to reduce your nightly window of downtime. Identify jobs that should be running but aren’t (a lot of people forget about credit analysis refresh, for example). And, be sure to check both job schedulers. We've seen clients that had both JDE World Sleeper and IBM Job Scheduler running without coordinating the two. See if you can clean that up and make it easier to manage.
If you have an existing Disaster Recovery plan, it’s time to practice it. Sometimes you can do it internally, sometimes you need help from a third party, but either way, see what still works and what doesn’t. While you’re at it, revisit some security best practices, especially if you’re running World on IBM i.
Whether you’re prepared to tackle all of these tasks or just cross one off the list, taking this time to evaluate the foundation of your JD Edwards World environment will make sure that your system is in top shape for the future.
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