Private Equity IT & ERP Consulting

I have had the pleasure of working with Jack on some very cutting edge enterprise technology projects.  I have found his team building / collaborative / pragmatic approach to leading these projects to be quite unique and invaluable in helping the team obtain its objectives.  All of these challenging projects had multiple stakeholders and Jack’s ability to conduct the “orchestra” is quite impressive. I hope to work with Jack on projects in the future.

In the private equity world, success depends on having trusted partners whose expertise and commitment to client service is unquestionable. For the last 10 years, Jack has been our go-to partner for all of our enterprise-level technology needs.  He has mentored, advised, and worked with a number of our portfolio companies at a variety of levels – from establishing employee technology support/Help Desk services to leading full-scale ERP integration and implementations.  Jack is a core member of our investment diligence and management network and a trusted partner in making sure technology is an enabler of business transformation and innovation within all of our organizations.

I’ve had the pleasure of working daily with Jack over nearly two years on implementing, improving, and maintaining our company’s ERP system, business intelligence, and reporting.  He’s been a great mentor and leader, and has been the undeniable key to the success of the ERP system’s implementation.   I know Jack to be a great communicator and organizer, who is highly knowledgeable and insightful in ERP and many other areas of IT.  He is very practical in his approach, emphasizing the importance of aligning company culture and business processes with the ERP system (and vice versa, when appropriate).  Besides that, Jack is just a great person to work with in general, who is trustworthy, open to ideas, and a highly positive influence on the organization.

Jack is deeply committed to maximizing the effectiveness of ERP systems and strategies. Having the opportunity to teach Jack, I’ve seen firsthand how he couples his own expertise and depth of ERP experience with research-based principles related to effective organizational change. Not only is he dedicated to the success of his own work, but he has a genuine passion to transform the field by sharing best practices broadly with clients, colleagues, and other practitioners.

I have spent 30 years of my career often engaged as an interim C level manager. Several of these assignments included ERP installations, for a variety of reasons.  I met Jack while serving as interim CEO  at a company that was carved out of a large public entity by a PE.  Jack immediately impressed me with his organizational skills in planning the installation. Then, his technical know- how was augmented with his ability to communicate both up and down the organization, he dealt with resistance intellectually rather than emotionally, constantly adjusted the schedule to account for surprises while maintaining the schedule, and did all this with integrity and transparency.  The most successful ERP installation I have ever witnessed.

My entire development, implementation and support teams have worked with Jack on some difficult and challenging projects over the past several years. As President of FACTIVITY, it is my personal observation that Jack’s discipline, experience, and value-added approach offers an insight and perspective that even experienced professionals can learn from.

Leading large-scale organizational transformation has been at the center of my entire career. Like any leadership role it can be a lonely business. Imagine my surprise and delight to find someone with Jack’s knowledge, experience, and enthusiasm who truly gets it to work alongside! Jack is a consummate professional and in the time I have known him I have already learned that he delivers results for all things ERP related. There is no substitute for the kind of expertise that Jack brings to bear in the successful and lean implementation of ERP systems.

Jack has been a panelist for us and has provided input on our research. I am looking forward to seeing the results of his book

I had the pleasure of working with Jack Nestell over a full ERP implementation as part of a corporate divestiture.  Jack’s hands-on approach truly benefited the company, as his recommendations and our strategy were driven by a bottoms-up understanding of the business.  In addition to leading the entire process, Jack worked with key functional leaders throughout the business to ensure that all business needs were contemplated.  I would welcome an opportunity to work with Jack again in the future.

I have had the pleasure of working on one of my most memorable and successful 5 Month Rapid implementation projects led by Jack. It was an amazing experience to see how his positive energy and ‘gung ho’ approach literally charged each one of us on the implementation team daily.  Besides his dedication to work and positive attitude, he has exceptional motivational and team building skills. There is a lot to learn from Jack!

Jack was able to gather and effectively communicate information in an organized labor environment. He  was able to dissect our systems, correct, and distribute information in a more effective manner, much like a surgeon.

Jack has a boundless desire to see organizations succeed. It is important for leaders to learn about their organizations and utilize applied research to address the challenges they face for sustainable improvement; this skill and approach sets Jack apart. His passion coupled with knowledge towards his field of digital transformation is quite admirable.

Nestell & Associates provides quality service and exceptional knowledge.

I have had the pleasure of working with Jack Nestell over the past few years on a significant ERP project.  I first met Jack during his ERP evaluation phase and I found him to be one of the most knowledgeable individuals in the ERP space that I have come across in my career.  He was clear in what he wanted and more clear in how he wanted to manage the implementation of the solution.  Jack employed a methodology during the implementation that led to  successful outcome and a realization of the benefits promised at the outset.  His professional style of leadership was effective as he oversaw resources from his team, the business users and the various vendors.  Always firm and consistent in his direction along with the appropriate amount of flexibility to deal with the day to day issues that you encounter in any sizable project.  Jack is a true ERP professional with the real life success to back up his credentials.  A rare breed.

I have been working with Jack for the past couple of years and have had the privilege of providing him with some great resources when needed. I have seen firsthand how well Jack manages and executes large, complex and time sensitive ERP initiatives. Jack’s success comes from not only his passion, energy and insightfulness but also how he puts as much emphasis on the human element and creating the right culture as he does with making sure he has the right technical skillset on each and every project.

To get results, people have to understand, and they need to buy in…. Jack avoids the typical overflow of consulting jargon and instead moves directly to readily absorbable concepts that work.

In my experience, getting people to understand and embrace the change is generally the most significant challenge of major undertakings. I’ve consistently seen Jack move large teams with his up-front, no nonsense approaches that brings confidence that the initiative is actually going to work.

Lean and ERP, can they co-exist? Should they co-exist? Jack has the experience and background to answer these questions and to tie these 2 powerful philosophies and tools together toachieve efficient results and to only do what matters. As an IT professional, his personal interest in understanding Lean concepts and the application of those concepts make him a great systems implementation partner.

I have had the pleasure of working with Jack Nestell over the past few years on a significant ERP project. I first met Jack during his ERP evaluation phase and I found him to be one of the most knowledgeable individuals in the ERP space that I have come across in my career. He was clear in what he wanted and more clear in how he wanted to manage the implementation of the solution. Jack employed a methodology during the implementation that led to successful outcome and a realization of the benefits promised at the outset. His professional style of leadership was effective as he oversaw resources from his team, the business users and the various vendors. Always firm and consistent in his direction along with the appropriate amount of flexibility to deal with the day to day issues that you encounter in any sizable project. Jack is a true ERP professional with the real life success to back up his credentials. A rare breed.

“I met Jack in January 2013 while he was managing an-going ERP implementation at his current manufacturing concern. He clearly indicated the urgency facing his concern and the need to “turn on” the solution in January 2013. Although there were a number of shortcomings that required immediate attention, Jack established a team of resources and a plan to correct the shortcomings and bring to pass a first class solution for the company.

Impressive was Jack’s attention to details and his concern on the impact that it would have on the human element. Training, assignment and ownership of business processes, changes to the roles from past to future was of utmost importance to him.

His ability to work through these elements and establish a sense of confidence that individuals can move forward and the “change” would be beneficial to all was amazing.