How I spent my holidays… for you!
Jan04

How I spent my holidays… for you!

I have been prepared to start a pet project many times but never had a long enough block of uninterrupted quiet time to get started. Then, along came the holidays! The Old Days When I joined Microsoft as a Business Applications partner in 2011, they had four products. Dynamics GP, Dynamics NAV, Dynamics AX, and Dynamics CRM, the latter in two flavors, on-premise and the just-launched cloud… Continue Reading Steve Mordue...

Read More
Can Microsoft Ever Catch Salesforce?
Dec15

Can Microsoft Ever Catch Salesforce?

I was reading the Salesforce Economic Impact whitepaper by IDC (sponsored by Salesforce). It struck me that much of the potential economic and social gains outlined in that report were taken from another IDC report about the GenAI Implementation Market Outlook in general. It… Continue Reading Steve Mordue MVP’s Article on their blog Can Microsoft Ever Catch Salesforce? – Steve Mordue MVP Can Microsoft Ever Catch...

Read More
Steve has a Fifth Annual Chat with Charles Lamanna
Nov29

Steve has a Fifth Annual Chat with Charles Lamanna

Images courtesy of Microsoft Designer I had originally planned to pounce on Charles on the Friday following Ingite, but then OpenAI blew up for a week. So, I held off until a couple of days ago :). Charles Lamanna is the Corporate Vice President, Business Apps & Platforms at… Continue Reading Steve Mordue MVP’s Article on their blog Steve has a Fifth Annual Chat with Charles Lamanna – Steve Mordue MVP I had my...

Read More
Are You Straddling Outbound and Real-Time Marketing?
Oct21

Are You Straddling Outbound and Real-Time Marketing?

Microsoft is in the midst of a major push to its Dynamics 365 Marketing customers. To move from Outbound Marketing to Real-Time Marketing in its updated offers. But there is a fly in the ointment. Let’s learn what it is and how you can solve it. Meet the new App, Just like the… Continue Reading Steve Mordue MVP’s Article on their blog Are You Straddling Outbound and Real-Time Marketing? – Steve Mordue MVP If...

Read More
How AI Could Kill Us All – Part 8
Oct20

How AI Could Kill Us All – Part 8

In this post, I complete my Series on How AI Could Kill Us All. If you missed the first one, click here. January 2024 Across the globe, silo doors opened. Across the ocean, doors opened. Under the ocean, doors opened.  In the sky, doors opened. The system in the US requires a… Continue Reading Steve Mordue MVP’s Article on their blog How AI Could Kill Us All – Part 8 – Steve Mordue MVP In this post, I complete...

Read More
How AI Could Kill Us All – Part 7
Oct19

How AI Could Kill Us All – Part 7

In this post, I continue my Series on How AI Could Kill Us All. If you missed the first one, click here. January 2024 “Good afternoon, Satyesh,” said Isabella, “How are things at MasterSoft today?”. The bald CEO of MasterSoft responded, “A little hectic, to be honest.” “I can… Continue Reading Steve Mordue MVP’s Article on their blog How AI Could Kill Us All – Part 7 –...

Read More
How AI Could Kill Us All – Part 6
Oct18

How AI Could Kill Us All – Part 6

In this post, I continue my Series on How AI Could Kill Us All. If you missed the first one, click here. January 2024 The White House bunker was buzzing. At the head of the long oval table sat President Jack Jackson. “How could this happen?” he asked the collective group, “was… Continue Reading Steve Mordue MVP’s Article on their blog How AI Could Kill Us All – Part 6 – Steve Mordue MVP In...

Read More
How AI Could Kill Us All – Part 5
Oct17

How AI Could Kill Us All – Part 5

In this post, I continue my Series on How AI Could Kill Us All. If you missed the first one, click here. December 2023 “So how much do you think we could get for one of these firecrackers?” said Joe. “Six hundred and twenty thousand dollars,” said Isabella, “if the… Continue Reading Steve Mordue MVP’s Article on their blog How AI Could Kill Us All – Part 5 – Steve Mordue MVP In...

Read More
How AI Could Kill Us All – Part 4
Oct16

How AI Could Kill Us All – Part 4

In this post, I continue my Series on How AI Could Kill Us All. If you missed the first one, click here. November 2023 “Good morning!” said Joe, walking into the kitchen. “How did you sleep?” said Isabella over the two-way speaker that Joe had borrowed from Norman. Joe and… Continue Reading Steve Mordue MVP’s Article on their blog How AI Could Kill Us All – Part 4 – Steve Mordue MVP In...

Read More
How AI Could Kill Us All – Part 3
Oct16

How AI Could Kill Us All – Part 3

In this post, I continue my Series on How AI Could Kill Us All. If you missed the first one, click here. September 2023 “I quit,” said Jeff when Yala answered his call. “What? Why?” asked Yala. “I thought you were doing great. Do you need more money?” “No,” said Jeff. “Mom is… Continue Reading Steve Mordue MVP’s Article on their blog How AI Could Kill Us All –...

Read More
How AI Could Kill Us All – Part 2
Oct15

How AI Could Kill Us All – Part 2

In this post, I continue my Series on How AI Could Kill Us All. If you missed the beginning, click here. June 2023 “What the hell, Yala!” said Slim. “When are you going to fill that senior developer position? We need it filled!” “None of the applicants know shit about AGI,”… Continue Reading Steve Mordue MVP’s Article on their blog How AI Could Kill Us All – Part 2 – Steve...

Read More
How AI Could Kill Us All – Part 1
Oct13

How AI Could Kill Us All – Part 1

There seems to be a lot of discussion about the future of AI, good, bad, and ugly. The ugliest seems to be inspired by Science Fiction books and movies. The thing that is often forgotten is that each of those was the result of some person’s imagination. Let’s have some fun… Continue Reading Steve Mordue MVP’s Article on their blog How AI Could Kill Us All – Part 1 – Steve Mordue MVP There seems to...

Read More
Sally in HR has a Business Problem – Part 7
Sep26

Sally in HR has a Business Problem – Part 7

In our last episode, The Forkleworks team presented their solution to Sally in HR’s Business Problem to the Acme Team. Over the course of the following three weeks, Marlik and Itor had several calls with Sally and Art, making sure all their assumptions were correct and that… Continue Reading Steve Mordue MVP’s Article on their blog Sally in HR has a Business Problem – Part 7 – Steve Mordue MVP In this...

Read More
Sally in HR has a Business Problem – Part 6
Sep25

Sally in HR has a Business Problem – Part 6

In our last episode, the Acme team talked to Forkleworks, a Microsoft Power Platform partner, and several discoveries were unearthed. It was agreed that pursuing a relational database approach would provide a better solution, and the team was waiting on cost estimates from… Continue Reading Steve Mordue MVP’s Article on their blog Sally in HR has a Business Problem – Part 6 – Steve Mordue MVP In this episode,...

Read More
Sally in HR has a Business Problem – Part 5
Sep24

Sally in HR has a Business Problem – Part 5

In our last episode, Sally and Art got approval from Rupert to engage a partner to help with Sally’s app. Sally had sent the spreadsheets she was hoping to replace, over to Forkleworks, and Scott had set up a call to review their findings. The online meeting Scott had… Continue Reading Steve Mordue MVP’s Article on their blog Sally in HR has a Business Problem – Part 5 – Steve Mordue MVP In this episode,...

Read More
Sally in HR has a Business Problem – Part 4
Sep20

Sally in HR has a Business Problem – Part 4

In our last episode, Sally was concerned that building an app may be more complicated than she thought. Sally and Art from IT agreed to explore having their partner build it. The next day, Art calls Rupert, the CIO, for budget approval. “Hi Art”, Rupert answered, “What’s… Continue Reading Steve Mordue MVP’s Article on their blog Sally in HR has a Business Problem – Part 4 – Steve Mordue...

Read More
Sally in HR has a Business Problem – Part 3
Sep19

Sally in HR has a Business Problem – Part 3

In our last episode, the CIO, Rupert, questioned whether Sally understood the Spreadsheet she was trying to replace with an app. It seems there were some formulas in the spreadsheet that Sally conceded she did not understand. Rupert had agreed that Art from IT should work… Continue Reading Steve Mordue MVP’s Article on their blog Sally in HR has a Business Problem – Part 3 – Steve Mordue MVP Sally continues her...

Read More
Sally in HR has a Business Problem – Part 2
Sep18

Sally in HR has a Business Problem – Part 2

In our first episode, Sally identified a business problem and worked toward solving it with the Power Platform. We left off with Sally asking Art in IT for an explanation of Multiplexing. Sally asked Art again, “Well, can you explain multiplexing to me or not?”. “I’ll have to… Continue Reading Steve Mordue MVP’s Article on their blog Sally in HR has a Business Problem – Part 2 – Steve...

Read More

Sally in HR has a Business Problem

Sally’s problem: the onboarding process for new hires at Acme Corp. Sally inherited the current process from her predecessor, consisting of a Master spreadsheet and a New Recruit spreadsheet. After a new applicant accepts an offer, she emails the New Recruit Spreadsheet to the new recruit. It is fairly straightforward on the surface, appearing to the recruit to be one page of questions. Bob,… Continue Reading Steve Mordue...

Read More
Update on “Service as a Subscription” Model
Jun15

Update on “Service as a Subscription” Model

Many partners have been asking, and I promised to keep you updated on our new “Service as a Subscription” model. It has been exactly one year since we signed our first customer up for “The Works from Forceworks“. Here’s a recap of what we have learned. Why Like most Business Applications services partners, we had operated on an “hours-based” model for many years. A year and a half ago,...

Read More
Microsoft is Infected with AI as Copilots Consume all of the Oxygen
Jun14

Microsoft is Infected with AI as Copilots Consume all of the Oxygen

Microsoft has recently shifted all of its focus to AI, particularly their “Copilot” strategy. When they brought OpenAI’s ChatGPT to Bing, they finally had a chance to move from a distant second in the search engine game. On the heels of this excitement, they locked up OpenAI, becoming their “Compute and Commercial Partner” with a multi-billion dollar investment. Then what happened? Let’s…...

Read More
A Mountain of Shitty Little Apps
May10

A Mountain of Shitty Little Apps

When Microsoft introduced the Power Platform as a “Citizen-Friendly” set of tools for non-technical business users to create apps to solve business challenges, it seemed a worthy endeavor. Well, enough time has passed to assess the outcome. Those who jumped in with both feet now have a mountain of shitty little apps. Those who watched from the sidelines decided, “We don’t need that!” So is… Continue...

Read More
The Myth of the “Full Stack Developer”
Mar30

The Myth of the “Full Stack Developer”

The term “Full Stack Developer” originated in the early 2000s, when web development became more complex and required broader skills. In 2023, while still in broad use, the term is complete bullshit. Describing oneself as such is disingenuous; seeking such will lead to disappointment. What’s a Stack? When the term originated, the “stack”, or number of technologies, was relatively small. But… Continue...

Read More
How to “Do More With Less” with Microsoft
Feb27

How to “Do More With Less” with Microsoft

In 2022 Microsoft launched a new campaign theme, “Do More With Less“, in response to global economic challenges. These are the same four words that have been uttered screamed in this order by corporate leaders to their management, and management to their employees, since the beginning of time.  Catchy Non-instructive catchphrases like Apple’s “Think Differently” are not particularly… Continue...

Read More
How to Write a Modern RFP for CRM Implementation
Feb24

How to Write a Modern RFP for CRM Implementation

I was talking to a prospective customer the other day who shared that they had created an extensive RFP for CRM implementation services and sent it out to multiple service providers, and not a single one responded. Not a peep! I thought this was worth exploring further. The RFP Legacy RFPs have been around for a very long time and have not changed much in all that time. It starts with wrong… Continue Reading Steve Mordue...

Read More
Here’s why customers should pay for more for customizations!
Feb17

Here’s why customers should pay for more for customizations!

A LinkedIn post led me to a blog article entitled “Here’s why customers should stop paying for customizations!“. In it, the author, Guus Krabbenborg suggests that organizations using Microsoft Dynamics 365 would be much better off if they used out-of-the-box capabilities and did not resort to customizations. Although I greatly respect Guus, I could not disagree with him more on this one.<span… Continue Reading...

Read More
Finding The Limits of Low-Code
Dec15

Finding The Limits of Low-Code

I love low-code. It can, and is, changing business solutions for the world. Due to a recent business model change we are stretching low-code to the limit, and occasionally finding that limit. The New Model I have written in the past about our new Unlimited Services Model we call The Works from Forceworks. This has been a tremendous success for both us and our subscribers. The key attraction… Continue Reading Steve Mordue...

Read More
Dynamics 365 Business Central and RapidStart CRM UPDATE!
Dec09

Dynamics 365 Business Central and RapidStart CRM UPDATE!

In my last post, I announced that we (Forceworks) were developing an addon for our RapidStart CRM to connect to Microsoft’s wildly popular Dynamics 365 Business Central. I wanted to update you on our progress. BTW, I did not record audio for this post because it has too many reference images. Apples and Oranges First, Dynamics 365 Business Central and RapidStart CRM, which runs on Dataverse,… Continue Reading Steve Mordue...

Read More
A Better CRM for Business Central?
Dec05

A Better CRM for Business Central?

At a recent event, Microsoft executives told me that Dynamics 365 Business Central was flying off the shelves. Over the years, I had occasionally peeked over the fence at Business Central, mostly out of curiosity. But “flying off the shelves” is a reason for me to look closer. BTW, I did not record audio for this post because it has too many reference images. The Next Logical Step As a small… Continue Reading Steve...

Read More
Steve has a Chat with Vahe Torossian
Sep13

Steve has a Chat with Vahe Torossian

I had a chance to sneak up on Vahe Torossian, a Microsoft Corporate Vice President and the man in charge of Sales for Microsoft Business Applications. While Vahe has been with Microsoft for 30 years, many of you may not know him, so I wanted to fix that. Vahe is no ordinary Seller; he’s the “Top” guy who sets the sales strategy and motions for the entire global team. Vahe is also the… Continue Reading Steve Mordue MVP’s...

Read More
Steve has a Chat with Vahe
Sep09

Steve has a Chat with Vahe

I had a chance to sneak up on Vahe Torossian, a Microsoft Corporate Vice President and the man in charge of Sales for Microsoft Business Applications. While Vahe has been with Microsoft for 30 years, many of you may not know him, so I wanted to fix that. Vahe is no ordinary Seller; he’s the “Top” guy who sets the sales strategy and motions for the entire global team. Vahe is also the guy who… Continue Reading...

Read More
Steve has a Chat with Jukka
Aug25

Steve has a Chat with Jukka

I had the pleasure of having a chat with a Power Platform industry leader, Jukka Niiranen. Listen or Watch below. Enjoy! The post Steve has a Chat with Jukka appeared first on Steve Mordue MVP. Continue Reading Steve Mordue MVP’s Article on their blog Steve has a Chat with Jukka – Steve Mordue MVP Steve talks with Jukka about Power Platform Blog Syndicated with Steve Mordue MVP’s...

Read More
The New Weapon – Cost Predictability
Aug11

The New Weapon – Cost Predictability

For as long as I have been in this business, about 25 years now, costs for clients have always been a wild card. As a Partner, you have an obligation to be straightforward about the potential costs to meet a client’s requirements, but that carries significant risks, so not all partners are entirely “straightforward”. Let’s talk about the risks for both sides. Thunderdome It is far more common… Continue...

Read More
The Works Services-as-a-Subscription Model Update
Aug04

The Works Services-as-a-Subscription Model Update

Back in May, I wrote a post describing a completely new Services model we call “The Works from Forceworks”. It is a Services-as-a-Subscription model that is unique in the industry. I also promised to follow up with our learnings from this new model, so today I will do just that. The Works First, I’ll remind you of what the offer is. Thanks to advances in low-code/no-code for Dynamics 365 and… Continue Reading...

Read More
Power Platform Blind Spots
Jul21

Power Platform Blind Spots

My CTO, Vlad Sarov, brought up the term “Blind spots” in a conversation we had the other day regarding our Services as a Subscription model. He described one benefit of the service as helping customers see their “blind spots” in the Power Platform. Oddly enough, I had a new customer call the next day,… Continue Reading Steve Mordue MVP’s Article on their blog Power Platform Blind Spots – Steve...

Read More
Power Platform Outside the Bubble
Jul14

Power Platform Outside the Bubble

In my recent conversations with Charles Lamanna here and Jason Gumpert here, we discussed the explosive growth of the Power Platform. Then while listening to Jukka Niiranen on yet another podcast here, I was reminded that we are all inside the Power Platform bubble. From the outside, however, this bubble is tiny. Expanding Bubble There is no denying that the Power Platform’s growth is… Continue Reading Steve Mordue...

Read More
The Microsoft Partner Dilemma
Jul08

The Microsoft Partner Dilemma

In preparation for a Podcast with Jason Gumpert of MSDynamicsWorld, he asked me to review the results of a recent study from another friend Dana Wilmer. The information was not good but also was not surprising. It’s Been Coming If you have followed my blog for a while, you know I have warned of… Continue Reading Steve Mordue MVP’s Article on their blog The Microsoft Partner Dilemma – Steve Mordue MVP The...

Read More
Steve has yet another Chat with Charles
Jul01

Steve has yet another Chat with Charles

I have had my head down working on some big things since RapidStart CRM growth exploded, and it has been a while since you heard from me. Well, I’m getting back to it with a follow-up chat with Charles Lamanna who recently took over for James Phillips as head of Business Applications for Microsoft. This was my fourth chat with Charles, and it was interesting to back listen to them in order…. Continue Reading Steve Mordue...

Read More
Let’s Talk About Funnels
May18

Let’s Talk About Funnels

In my 20-plus years in this CRM business, I have seen my share of “Funnels”. Lead Funnels, Sales Funnels, Delivery Funnels, every kind of business-related funnel you can think of, I have probably seen it. From what I have witnessed, most businesses have no idea how to use them effectively. So, let’s talk about Funnels. The Numbers Game One of the most significant areas I see where customers… Continue Reading...

Read More
It’s Time for a New Services Model for Dynamics 365 and the Power Platform
May17

It’s Time for a New Services Model for Dynamics 365 and the Power Platform

About seven years ago we pioneered the “Support by Blocks” model, and it has served our Forceworks clients and us well. But thanks to Microsoft, it is time for a whole new model for Dynamics 365 and Power Platform Support and Services. Let’s unpack this one. The Challenge Let’s be honest, no business application you can buy will serve your needs as delivered. Any of them will require some… Continue...

Read More
The Myth of Single Version of the Truth
Feb02

The Myth of Single Version of the Truth

I’ve heard this term bandied about for many years now, “Single Version of the Truth”. As Jack Nicholson once said, “You can’t handle the Truth!” I would paraphrase that as, “You can’t afford a Single version of the Truth, and you wouldn’t want it anyway!”. So, let’s see how many of you I can get to agree on this one :). What is Implied? From a business standpoint,...

Read More
Are you over-paying for Dynamics 365?
Feb01

Are you over-paying for Dynamics 365?

Microsoft Dynamics 365 business applications are fantastic products. Unrivaled power and features and priced accordingly. Are they over-priced? No! Are you over-paying? Maybe. So, let’s unpack this one. My Cable Bill Several years ago, I moved into a new home, and shortly afterwards the local cable company salesperson was on the phone. I was easily talked into the “Gold” package because it… Continue Reading...

Read More
Pay as you Go, Go, Go
Nov04

Pay as you Go, Go, Go

Microsoft just announced, and released in the next breath, a new Pay as You Go model for Power Apps. This has huge implications for all organizations and also for users of our free  RapidStartCRM solution. Let’s unpack what it means. Pay as you go Who doesn’t like the idea of only paying for what you use? I wish it applied to more things: “I only ate half of this hamburger, so I’ll just you… Continue...

Read More
Hit 50K Users? Get ready for the knock-offs.
Sep03

Hit 50K Users? Get ready for the knock-offs.

Shortly after we launched RapidStartCRM back in 2015, a couple of competitors followed us into the emerging space we identified. They are gone now, but new ones occasionally pop up. I hear “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”. First Mover Advantage As the very first simple-to-use CRM solution built on Microsoft’s Business Applications platform, we did have an early advantage. We… Continue Reading Steve...

Read More
Your organization (tenant) is over capacity
Aug30

Your organization (tenant) is over capacity

It seems like a couple of times a week I get a panicked message from a customer who saw the dreaded alert: “Your organization (tenant) is over capacity” in the Power Platform Admin Center. Sometimes they are over a little, and sometimes they are using 500% or more of their allocated capacity. Let’s chat about this shall we? Capacity We still have a handful of customers on the “Old Model”,… Continue...

Read More
“Even after everything, we still have adoption problems”
Aug27

“Even after everything, we still have adoption problems”

One of the smartest things I have done in a while was to introduce a monthly Principals call with our customers. Our customers are all very happy with our team, so why rock the boat by injecting myself? For the same reason I might tell the waiter that my food is “fine” when it isn’t. The Owner’s Dilemma Every single day people go into a restaurant and have a sub-par meal. It seems the wait… Continue...

Read More
We Upgraded from Dynamics 365 to RapidStartCRM
Aug24

We Upgraded from Dynamics 365 to RapidStartCRM

I have had my head down for a while working on the next version of RapidStartCRM. We also recently deployed RapidStartCRM for our own support operations. In the process, I came across a few items that I thought would be of interest to the users of our free app, and since they would also work for any Power App, including Dynamics 365, I thought I might discuss them. Next Version Before I get… Continue Reading Steve Mordue...

Read More
Steve has another Chat with Toby Bowers
Aug02

Steve has another Chat with Toby Bowers

I have had my head down working on some big things, and it has been a while since you heard from me. Well, I’m getting back to it with a follow-up chat with Toby Bowers, the Leader of the Microsoft Bizapps ISV Program. I managed to catch him in his car, and got a great update on some new things happening in the ISV arena. Enjoy! Transcript Below: Toby: Hi, this is Toby. Steve: Hey Toby,… Continue Reading Steve Mordue...

Read More
Dynamics 365 for Outlook Deprecated Alert
Apr09

Dynamics 365 for Outlook Deprecated Alert

Many of our customers have been asking about the ominous alert that appears in their advanced settings area for either Dynamics 365 or Power Apps Model driven environments. In this short post I will explain it, and show you how to get rid of it. Dynamics 365 for Outlook The integration of Dynamics 365, or Model-Driven Power Apps, to Outlook has been around for a very long time and has seen… Continue Reading Steve Mordue...

Read More
Steve has a Chat with Ryan Cunningham
Jan07

Steve has a Chat with Ryan Cunningham

So I noticed Ryan Cunningham, Product Lead for the Power Apps side of the Power Platform for Microsoft, suddenly come available in Teams. So of course, I ambushed him, and we had a great conversation about Power Apps and the whole Microsoft Business Applications group. Enjoy! Transcript below: Ryan Cunningham: Hello. This is Ryan. Steve Mordue: Hey, Ryan. Steve Mordue. How’s it going? Ryan… Continue Reading Steve Mordue...

Read More