Succession planning wasn't new to us. But on-demand software gave us a cost-effective way to move from a three-inch binder stuck in a closet to a fully automated system.

Who Knows Whom, and Who Knows What? You need to focus on helping these people advance as quickly as possible.

The risk of knowledge loss will always be there because there will always be unexpected departures. But if you have a solid process to map out who is in your leadership pipeline, you'll be better prepared to fill job openings, retain top-performing employees and prepare for retirement.

Neither traditional ERP applications nor project planning software is designed to meet these needs. Making low-volume prototypes and managing a complex array of suppliers, designers, and marketing initiatives requires software that can link all these activities together within a project planning framework.

This capability actually allows us to do software upgrades immediately without production downtime or waiting until a scheduled maintenance window.

They were involved in about a monthlong planning cycle with us. And they were well-integrated with us. ... I've heard nothing but positive things about how they performed,