RPI Tech Connect

WRKdefined Podcast Network
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RPI Tech Connect brings you real conversations with the people implementing ERP and workforce technology every day. Host Chris Arey talks cloud migrations, change management, and what's working across HR, finance, and supply chain. Every episode leaves you with something you can act on to get more out of your back office.

  1. Sep 9

    Lost in Translation on Your IT Project?

    Business and technical teams typically walk into a project after the same outcomes. They just describe it in very different terms, and somewhere between kickoff and delivery it gets easy for everyone to get lost in the sauce. Sarah Wimberley, founder of Ulster Technologies, has spent 14 years in healthcare sitting between the people who run the business and the people who build the systems for it, finding language both sides can work from. In this episode of RPI Tech Connect, she walks through her five-step framework for IT project communication, built to turn strategic objectives into successful delivery: defining the problem before chasing the perceived one, bringing the right people into discovery early, designing the future state around people before picking a platform, connecting the work back to strategy, and keeping the lines of communication open once delivery picks up speed. She also shares what organizations most often discover about their current-state documentation, why a discovery session only works when the room feels safe, and the one piece of advice she'd give anyone stepping into a translator role. If your stakeholders agree on the destination but keep getting stuck on how to get there, this episode is for you! *Chapters:* 00:00 Welcome to RPI Tech Connect 2:15 Exploring The Communication Gap Between Technical & Business Teams 4:05 Step 1: Define the Problem at Hand, Document the Change 9:31 Step 2: Get the Right Personnel in the Room 16:17 Step 3: Design Your System Around People First 25:07 Step 4: Intersection of Strategy & Technology 31:26 Step 5: Institute An “Open-Door” Policy 35:48 Final Thoughts & Takeaways

  2. Aug 25

    Old Systems, New Demands: A Water Utilities Story

    The critical water management software that utilities rely on wasn't built for what they're facing in 2026, and the shortcomings are beginning to make themselves known. In this episode of RPI Tech Connect, two guests calling in from Northern California join to talk about the current state of water utilities: Bob Benstead of Infor Strategy Group and Mark Oliver, who leads the Infor Practice at VIP. Bob covers the landscape—who gets the water and who doesn't, the country's aging infrastructure and how to prioritize repairs when there's never enough money, and the multi-tier compliance maze running from the EPA down to your county. Mark picks up on the software side: why on-prem systems can't keep pace with integration and security demands anymore, what a connected cloud platform changes for billing, asset management, and financials, and why AI is only as useful as the data you feed it. Plus, the two dig into what growing data center demand means for water availability and cooling. Three big challenges, one common thread: you can't fix what you can't see. If your systems are showing their age, this conversation is worth your time. You can't fix what you can't see—and you can't see it on a system built 20 years ago. Learn how RPI implements Infor CloudSuite for water utilities 👉https://www.rpic.com/cloud-implementation/ *Chapters:* 00:00 Welcome to RPI Tech Connect 1:51 State of Water Utilities in 2026 6:06 Challenge 1: Water Availability 9: 57 How a Cloud-Based ERP Mitigates Leakage 13:18 Challenge 2: Infrastructure Investment Requirements 19:58 Data Centers & AI Through Political vs. Engineering Lenses 23:23 Challenge 3: Maintaining Regulatory & Security Compliance 27:48 How AI Bolsters Infrastructure Planning & Reduces Implementation Friction 34:10 Final Thoughts & Takeaways

  3. Aug 11

    Inside University of Maryland Medical System's Infor WFM Implementation

    Migrating to a cloud WFM platform is good from a software perspective. But as UMMS discovered, it’s also a great opportunity to optimize the processes that support it. In this episode of RPI Tech Connect, Dave Curtis, Director of HRIS at the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), talks about their recent Infor WFM implementation—including their move from a previous time & attendance system to a real-time, cloud-based environment, with RPI supporting the build from design through go-live. Dave explains how the new system's real-time capabilities pushed his team to rethink long-standing termination and workflow processes that only worked because of the old system's built-in delay. He also shares how partnering closely with RPI helped his teamwork through the technical unknowns and reshape those processes to match what the new, more capable system could do. If you're evaluating new WFM systems and want to hear how one team turned a technical transition into a chance to modernize, this episode is for you. Scheduling nurses shouldn't feel like solving a puzzle blindfolded. See how Infor WFM streamlines workforce management for healthcare organizations like UMMS 👉 https://www.rpic.com/infor/workforce-management/ *Chapters:* (00:00) Welcome to RPI Tech Connect (3:54) The Scope of WFM: More Than Time &Attendance (6:23) Why Absence Management Was a Must (8:16) On UKG Kronos, Some Changes Didn’t Show Up For Days (11:06) BODS & Going Real-Time (12:38) Why Testing Don’t Always Hold Up in Real Life (22:27) Redesigning the Termination Process (26:11) The Implementation as an Opportunity to Review Business Processes (28:07) Final Thoughts & Takeaways

  4. Jul 28

    Strategic Workforce Planning in the Age of AI Agents

    AI agents promise big savings but bolting them onto messy processes is a fast way to burn money. In this episode of RPI Tech Connect, Marcus Mossberger of LYTIQS and Melissa Olson, Director of Infor Solutions at RPI Consultants, break down why strategic workforce planning is now urgent for any organization weighing agentic AI. They explain why standardized processes have to come before automation, how to balance the real cost of tokens against full-time talent, and why modeling multiple futures beats trying to predict one. As Marcus puts it, you can't be right anymore. You have to be ready. If strategic workforce planning is on your radar, or your finance team is already counting the savings from AI agents, this episode is the place to start. AI agents are changing how the workforce gets planned—starting with the systems underneath it. Learn how RPI's cloud implementation services get your ERP ready for what's next 👉 https://www.rpic.com/cloud-implementation/ *Chapters:* 00:00 Welcome to RPI Tech Connect 1:10 How Does Agentic AI Impact Finance & IT? 5:23 Why Standardization Must Preclude Automation 8:53 What is Strategic Workforce Planning, Anyway? 11:35 Talent vs. Tokens 12:58 Losing Leverage to LLMs 18: 33 AI Exposure Rates & Their Impact on Headcount Planning 22:20 The Deskless Workforce is Building AI Infrastructure 25:25 Why HR Needs to Take On Workforce Ownership 34:06 Final Thoughts & Takeaways

  5. Jul 27

    AI Tools in Modern Neurology

    Most conversations about AI in healthcare focus on the back office but what happens when it enters the exam room? In this episode of RPI Tech Connect, board-certified neurologist and epilepsy specialist Dr. David Stewart shares how AI shows up in his daily practice, from dictation tools that let him face patients instead of a screen to quantitative EEG software that helps him screen hours of brainwave data in minutes. He explains why these tools work as a companion rather than a replacement, how they're chipping away at the administrative burden behind physician burnout, and what clinicians should know before bringing AI into their own workflow. If you've wondered what AI adoption looks like on the care delivery side of healthcare, this conversation offers a firsthand view. When a neurologist makes the case for AI, it's worth listening. See how RPI supports healthcare organizations navigating the future of patient care 👉 https://www.rpic.com/healthcare/ *Chapters:* 00:00 Welcome to RPI Tech Connect 1:38 One Toolkit, Three Ways to Deliver Care 5:10 EEG vs EKG: What’s the Difference?? 7:01 How Persyst Streamlines the EEG Review Process 9:18 Tools Are Complementary, not a Fail-Safe 12:35 The Future of AI Usage in Healthcare 17:21 In 2026, Wait Times, Deserts, & Strain Define the Patient Experience 19:39 The Importance of Getting Face Time Back 29:51 Final Thoughts & Takeaways

  6. Jul 7

    Fresh Off the Floor of Infor Connect 2026

    Infor Connect 2026 just wrapped up, and there was a lot to talk about. In this special edition of RPI Tech Connect, Chris sits down with two guests who were on the conference floor: Jeremy Stoltzfus and Melissa Olson. Jeremy covers the usability story—the new Notification Center, Velocity Suite AI use cases, and why the Consolidated WebApp deadline this October is something you don't want to ignore. Melissa picks up where Jeremy leaves off with the bigger picture: agentic AI going from buzzword to live functionality, a unified experience that finally puts HR and WFM in one place, and how Infor's try-before-you-buy model makes it easier than ever to start experimenting. Couldn't make it to Infor Connect 2026? We brought the highlights back for you. Catch RPI at our next event 👉 https://www.rpic.com/events/ *Chapters:* 00:00 Welcome to RPI Tech Connect 00:47 Fresh Off the Floor: Infor Connect 2026 2:33 A Larger, More Engaged Crowd 3:21 Infor Genius Bar: Interactive Demos on the Conference Floor 5:14 Takeaway #1: The Notification Center 11:36 Takeaway #2: The Latest on Velocity Suite & Agentic AI 18:01 Takeaway #3: Stay Close to Base 29:33 Why Attend Infor Connect? 31:53 Transition to Speaker 2, Melissa Olson 32:17 A Different Kind of Energy on the HR Track 36:29 Presenting a More Unified Experience & Mobile-First Design 52:44 Infor Listened: Drill-Around Is Back! 54:51 Final Thoughts & Takeaways

  7. Jun 16

    What KLAS Research Says About Healthcare ERP Outcomes

    KLAS Research has interviewed hundreds of healthcare decision-makers about their ERP experience, and the same patterns keep showing up. In this episode, Kevin Huang, PhD, Principal Healthcare Consulting Lead at KLAS Research, joins to share what his team has uncovered in recent years. He shares what the data reveals about why outcomes diverge, and why the biggest gaps tend to show up around training, communication, and how well organizations and their implementation partners work together. Kevin also previews forthcoming KLAS research on what health systems are doing after go-live, including where organizations are finding quick wins through tools like AP automation, and what the broader shift toward optimization looks like across the market. If you're in healthcare and wondering whether your ERP is delivering what you were promised, this one's worth your time. The data doesn't lie—ERP outcomes hinge on strategy, not just software. See how RPI's project strategy services set healthcare organizations up to win 👉 https://www.rpic.com/project-strategy/ *Chapters:* 00:00 Welcome to RPI Tech Connect 4:20 The State of the Healthcare ERP Market 8:18 The Shifting of ERP Priorities 9:28 The Roadblock That Kills ERP Implementation Momentum 13:05 Why Client Culture & Governance is a Wildcard 18:02 Don’t Skimp on Training & Change Management 21:58 Change Should Be Communicated Like an Internal Marketing Campaign 32:58 Same System, Worlds Apart Experience 36:19 Forthcoming ERP Optimization Research 40:38 AP Automation, An Easy Post-Go-Live Lever 44:55 Final Thoughts & Takeaways

  8. Jun 2

    Back to Basics at GHX 2026

    Conferences can feel like a lot, but this year's GHX in New Orleans had a clear message. In the latest episode of RPI Tech Connect, Principal Supply Chain Consultant Stephanie Marquez returns to share her three biggest takeaways from the summit; why the industry is getting back to process fundamentals; how cross-functional collaboration is finally getting the attention it deserves; and why small experiments often beat big plans. She also shares a few quotes from the event that remind us that while technology and systems play a key role in supporting healthcare supply chains, it's still a human-centered process. Beyond the sessions and panels, what stayed with Stephanie was simpler: healthcare supply chain professionals everywhere are wrestling with the same challenges. If you've ever wondered whether you're focused on the right things, this episode might be the validation you didn't know you needed. If you work in healthcare supply chain and want to know how your peers are building resiliency in their operations, check this one out. Sometimes the fundamentals are exactly what a project needs. Catch RPI at our next event 👉 https://www.rpic.com/events/ *Chapters:* 00:00 Welcome to RPI Tech Connect 2:37 GHX Summit Overview 4:25 Takeaway #1: Back to the Basics 8:37 Takeaway #2: Breaking Down Healthcare Supply Chain Silos 14:09 How A Cyberattack Fortified an Organization’s SCM Resilience 19:19 Takeaway #3: Why Small Wins Beat Big Plans 22:17 In SCM, AI Serves as a Bridging Tool 26:13 Final Thoughts & Takeaways

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About

RPI Tech Connect brings you real conversations with the people implementing ERP and workforce technology every day. Host Chris Arey talks cloud migrations, change management, and what's working across HR, finance, and supply chain. Every episode leaves you with something you can act on to get more out of your back office.

Information

  • Creator
    WRKdefined Podcast Network
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    65
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved by WRKdefined
  • Show Website
    RPI Tech Connect