Services

Four kinds of engagements.

Most projects blend more than one. Every engagement is delivered by me, directly, on Blue Yonder ESP, Demand, Fulfillment, Master Planning, and the surrounding SCPO modules. No staffing pyramid. No handoffs. The architect on the proposal is the architect on the project.

i.  Assessments & rescues

Assessments & rescues

Short-form engagements where the deliverable is judgment, not configuration. These are the projects where someone needs a senior architect quickly, for a defined window, with no ramp-up.

What's included

  • Strategy and software assessments. Is Blue Yonder the right fit? Are you using the right modules for your business? What's the realistic ROI?
  • Pre-implementation readiness reviews. Before you sign the SOW, an independent read on the scope, the timeline, the staffing, and the risks.
  • RFP and vendor evaluation support. I've sat on the customer side, the vendor side, and the implementer side. I know what to ask for and what to push back on.
  • Troubled-program reviews. A clear, written assessment of what's wrong, what to do about it, and what's salvageable. Delivered quickly, with no agenda to extend the engagement.

Typical engagement

One to eight weeks. Mostly remote. Fixed scope, fixed price.

A good fit if

You need senior judgment and you need it now. You're three months into a program that doesn't feel right and you want a second opinion. You're scoping a major investment and you want it pressure-tested before you commit. Or you've inherited a Blue Yonder footprint and need to know what you actually have.

ii.  Upgrades & re-implementations

Upgrades & re-implementations

I've worked on every major Blue Yonder version since 3.4 — through Manugistics and JDA. That history is unusual, and it matters: most architects working today started on a single version and don't know what changed underneath.

What's included

Upgrade readiness assessment. Gap analysis between source and target versions. Configuration migration strategy — what carries forward, what needs to be rebuilt, what should be retired. Data conversion approach. Integration impact analysis. Phased cutover planning. Risk and dependency mapping. Hands-on configuration of the target environment.

Typical engagement

Two to nine months, depending on whether it's a like-for-like upgrade or a re-implementation that takes the opportunity to fix decade-old configuration debt.

A good fit if

You're on a legacy SCPO version and weighing the move to v2019 or beyond. You've been told an upgrade is "just a technical project" and suspect it isn't. Or you've already started an upgrade that's stalled and you need an honest read on where it stands.

iii.  Demand, Fulfillment & ESP

Demand, Fulfillment & ESP

The core SCPO modules — Demand, Demand Classification, Fulfillment and ESP. This is the work I've done longest, across every version of the platform since the late 1990s. Most engagements in this category are either net-new module rollouts inside an existing Blue Yonder footprint, or focused optimization of modules that aren't delivering the value they should.

What's included

Module-specific design and configuration. Forecast modeling and parameter tuning. Hierarchy and segmentation design. Integration with master planning and execution layers. Planner training and adoption support. Solution health checks on existing deployments.

Typical engagement

Two to six months. Often delivered remote or with limited on-site time. Frequently follows an assessment engagement (see above).

A good fit if

Your forecast accuracy isn't where it should be. Your planners aren't using the tool the way it was designed. You're adding Demand or Fulfillment to a footprint that already has ESP (or vice versa). Or your existing deployment was configured years ago and nobody on the current team knows why it works the way it does.

iv.  Full implementations

Full implementations

The work I do most. End-to-end Blue Yonder Planning rollouts for global manufacturers and retailers — typically v2019 ESP, but also Demand, Fulfillment, Master Planning, Dynamic Allocation, and Dynamic Deployment depending on the scope.

What's included

Solution design and blueprinting. Configuration and development. Data integration design and conversion. Design third-party integrations. Custom training for planners, super-users, and IT. Cutover planning and go-live support. Hypercare through stabilization.

Typical engagement

Three to twelve months on-site or hybrid, depending on scope and the number of regions or business units. I work directly with the client's planning, IT, and supply chain leadership. On larger programs, I integrate with the client's existing PMO or another implementation partner — I'm comfortable in either the lead architect seat or as the senior architect inside a broader program.

A good fit if

You're replacing a legacy planning system, rolling out Blue Yonder for the first time, or expanding a successful pilot into a global rollout. You want a senior architect making the configuration decisions, not reviewing them.

What I don't do

A few things I leave to others, by design:

  • Pure WMS implementations. My career is on the planning side of Blue Yonder, not warehouse management. There are firms that specialize in WMS — Open Sky Group, Smart IS, Netlogistik — and they're better at it than I would be.
  • Custom development as the primary scope. I configure Blue Yonder deeply and can help design integration cleanly, but if you need a team of developers writing custom code and building bolt-on applications, that's a different kind of firm.
  • Long-term managed services. I'll support a deployment through stabilization and into early steady-state. For ongoing 24/7 managed services beyond that, you want a firm with a follow-the-sun model.

If your project is one of those, I'm happy to point you toward someone who'd do it well.

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How engagements get structured.

Most projects start with a 30-minute call. From there:

  1. 01 Scoping conversation. What you're trying to do, what's already in place, what's gone wrong before. No charge.
  2. 02 Written proposal. Scope, deliverables, timeline, fee structure, assumptions. Usually within a week of the scoping call.
  3. 03 Engagement. On-site, remote, or hybrid depending on the work. Weekly status with the project sponsor, a working cadence with the team, and direct access to me throughout.
  4. 04 Close-out. Documented handoff, training reinforcement, and a defined point where the engagement ends — not a renewable retainer by default.

Fees are project-based for assessments and rescues, time-and-materials for implementations and upgrades. Travel billed at cost.

The first conversation is free, and useful either way.

Tell me what you're working on, and I'll give you an honest read on whether I'm the right fit — or who you should call instead. No deck, no discovery process, no follow-up unless you want one.

Book a 30-min call — honest read, no pitch dan@dajcinc.com