Stop Buying Software, Start Buying Outcomes

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This episode dives into why large CRM and ERP projects keep failing and how AI is reshaping consulting, software delivery, and platform decisions. The core insight is simple. Organisations fail when they buy software instead of outcomes. With AI, experienced teams can move faster, strip away legacy complexity, and build only what the business actually needs. The conversation explores outcome-based thinking, flawed RFP processes, and why AI is accelerating the gap between great and average practitioners. 

👉 Full Show Notes
https://www.microsoftinnovationpodcast.com/836   

🎙️ What you’ll learn   

• How to frame technology decisions around outcomes, not vendors or features 
• Why traditional RFP processes drive cost blowouts and failed projects 
• The four core business problems most systems are really trying to solve 
• How AI tools are changing the speed and shape of consulting work 
• When building custom solutions now beats buying off-the-shelf software 

✅ Highlights 

• “So many people are still buying software like it’s a software decision rather than a business decision.” 
• “You’re really only trying to solve one of four business problems.” 
• “Most organizations aren’t even thinking in terms of what is the root of what I’m trying to solve.” 
• “Your highest qualified people are not even in the game because you’ve already excluded quality.” 
• “AI is now to the developer what Visual Studio was in the 90s.” 
• “It made the good developers really good and the bad developers a lot faster.” 
• “Low code was developed because we couldn’t get enough developers.” 
• “There’s a third option now, and that is vibe code your own add-on.” 
• “I think we’re less than 18 months away from this changing enterprise software.” 

🧰 Mentioned 

• Microsoft Power Platform: https://learn.microsoft.com/power-platform  
• Microsoft Dynamics CRM (Dynamics 365 CRM):
  https://www.microsoft.com/dynamics-365/solutions/crm  
• Microsoft Business Central:
  https://www.microsoft.com/dynamics-365/products/business-central  
• Microsoft Finance and Operations (Dynamics 365 Finance):
  https://www.microsoft.com/dynamics-365/products/finance 
• Notebook LM: https://notebooklm.google  
• LinkedIn Sales Navigator: https://business.linkedin.com/sales-solutions/sales-navigator 
• DynamicConsultantsGroup.com: https://dynamicconsultantsgroup.com 

✅Keywords   
ai in consulting, outcome-based software, crm failures, erp projects, power platform, low code vs pro code, vibe coding, rfp process, enterprise software, applied ai skills, digital transformation, consulting strategy

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Thanks for listening 🚀 - Mark Smith