Executive Summary

• This is the Brightwork Research & Analysis software rating series.
• We rate both the software and estimate the risk of implementing each application.

MUFI Rating & Risk for Delfoi Planner

MUFI: Maintainability, Usability, Functionality, Implement ability

Vendor: Delfoi Planner (Select For Vendor Profile)

Introduction

Delfoi is based in Finland. Delfoi started out as a operations research consultancy that would perform work like developing simulations for its clients – and over time Delfoi entered the packaged solution space. However, Delfoi’s technical consulting background makes them an exciting provider in this space.

Application Detail

Along with PlanetTogether, Delfoi is the only other production planning, and scheduling vendor we are aware of that can perform multi-plant planning – although it is still enhancing the functionality, whereas PlanetTogether’s functionality is more mature application overall. However, one of the major selling points Delfoi versus all other production planning, and scheduling vendors is that for buyers interested in receiving customized multi-plant planning, Defloi could adjust its application to these specific needs.

Delfoi has a decent user interface. It has easy to navigate tabs on the top and the bottom of the application as well as a series of time-saving functions. While still developing, the interface has potential. We found it superior to any all of the applications in the space except for PlanetTogether. The user interface between Delfoi Planner and AspenTech are not comparable as AspenTech provides a layout view instead of a Gantt chart. Delfoi’s application is just a few years old, and we expect it to grow into some interesting directions in the future. An example and explanation of the main Delfoi user interface are shown in the following screenshot.

This is the Delfoi Planner scheduling interface. 

The Delfoi Planner is an interesting application that deserves a look. It is particularly appropriate for buyers that are looking for the following:

1. Customization Intensive Buyers: For buyers that have customized requirements, as there is a reasonable likelihood that Delfoi could customize the application to the buyers’ needs. Buyers get the benefit of not starting from scratch – as Delfoi has an application already, but the buyer gets an experienced custom software development vendor. As Delfoi has a background in numerous analytical/exploratory projects, Delfoi can be engaged to both perform a discovery of the customs requirements, and then present how the Delfoi Planner could be implemented and customized to meet specific customized requirements.
2. Cost-Sensitive Buyers: Delfoi is currently the cost leader in the production planning and scheduling space – something which should be considered in light of the fact that Delfoi offers custom capabilities – it is unusual for both of those features to be in the same software vendor.
3. SaaS Buyers: While we expect this to change, currently Delfoi is the only software vendor that offers a SaaS solution for production planning and scheduling. This fits with point 2 above, as Delfoi can provide a fast implementation timeline and their SaaS solution, as with all application comparisons we have performed is less costly than the on-premises alternative. However, apparently, if Delfoi Planner is used as a SaaS. The solution, buyers will not be able to take advantage of Delfoi’s extensive customization capabilities. However buyers may begin with the SaaS version, and then migrate to an on-premises solution which is very customized – this allows the buyer to go live quickly, get their planners acclimated to the software while driving towards a longer-term solution that accounts for the specific customer requirements.

Long Range Production Capacity Planning

Delfoi is as of this writing developing a very interesting high-level capacity functionality into their application. It essentially uses the Delfoi Planner to provide a unique view into capacity. This is interesting to use because most capacity planning is either at an intermediate level – and merely the output of the supply and production planning system – or is more of an S&OP type of analysis at a very aggregated level. Generally packaged software does not meet the high level and long-term capacity planning needs of buyers – and we have participated in several consulting projects where we tried – unsuccessfully to reverse engineer extremely complicated capacity planning spreadsheets that took extracts from ERP systems, but built them up into the capacity view that the buyer needs to make their capacity decisions. This has been a long-running problem for companies, and we have found this issue at the client using multiple applications from different software vendors.

We think this application could be of interest to quite a few companies that are presently trying to solve this same question with a combination of planning system output and Excel. The product is currently being developed, and we will have pricing and other analysis of the application in the future.

MUFI Scores

All scores out of a possible 10.

Vendor and Application Risk

Delfoi is normally not going to be a standard packaged software implementation. Buyers drawn to Delfoi will be looking to solve custom requirement, as such, it is difficult to present general recommendations regarding risk management. In effect, buyers that have more custom requirements have in effect managed their risk by selecting a software vendor that is well versed in customizing their application.

Likelihood of Implementation Success

This accounts for both the application and vendor-specific risk. In our formula, the total implementation risk is application + vendor + buyer risk. The buyer specific risk could increase or decrease this overall likelihood and adjust the values that you see below.

Risk Definition

See this link for more on our categorizations of risk. We also offer a Buyer Specific Risk Estimation as a service for those that want a comprehensive analysis.

Risk Management Approach

There are no special rules regarding managing the risk of a Defloi Planner implementation.

Finished With Your Analysis?

To go back to the Software Selection Package page for the Production Planning software category. Or go to this link to see other analytical products for Delfoi Planner.