Enterprise Systems Consulting

We find the root cause, not the symptom.

The CTP Group delivers solution architecture, supply chain, and enterprise asset management consulting for organizations that run on complex ERP platforms. We trace every problem from root cause through cascading consequence to business impact – then we fix it.

At a Glance

25+
Years of Experience Enterprise systems architecture, ERP implementations, and business process optimization
6
ERP Platforms Maximo, PeopleSoft, SAP, IFS, JD Edwards (E1), and Dynamics 365
3
Big Firm Alumni Former KPMG, Capgemini, and IBM – with a different approach to delivering results
Platforms We Work In
IBM Maximo
PeopleSoft
SAP
IFS
JD Edwards (E1)
Dynamics 365

We seek to understand,
then be understood.

Most consulting engagements begin with a pre-packaged methodology and a team of junior resources reading from a playbook. The CTP Group starts differently: we listen. We dig into the system architecture, the integration points, the data flows, and the business processes before we ever write a recommendation.

Said differently – we do the hard work of understanding your current state before proposing a future state. The As-Is IS the real work.

This matters because enterprise systems are interconnected. Moving one (1) function from one (1) system to another is never just "one (1) change" – it has upstream inputs, downstream outputs, and integration dependencies that must be mapped, understood, and addressed as a whole.

01

Root Cause Analysis

We do not treat symptoms. We trace every problem from what the user sees, to why it happens, to what it costs the business – then we fix the root cause.

02

System-of-Record Clarity

Which system owns the data? Which direction does it flow? We establish clear SoR ownership and reduce bi-directional syncing – because every two (2)-way data flow is a potential failure point.

03

Holistic Process Thinking

We never fix one (1) component in isolation. Every proposed change is evaluated for its upstream and downstream impact across the entire process.

04

Out-of-the-Box First

We use OOTB functionality whenever possible rather than replicating controls in a secondary system via integration. Customizations are a last resort, not a first instinct.

Deep domain experience where it matters.

We bring industry-specific knowledge to every engagement – not generic "best practices" that ignore operational reality.

Power Generation

Generation assets & plant operations

🛢

Oil & Gas

Upstream, midstream, & downstream

🏛

Public Sector

State & local government agencies

🚇

Transit

Fleet & infrastructure management

Nuclear

Regulated asset environments

🔌

Utilities

Electric, water, & gas distribution

🚢

Shipbuilding

Maritime construction & maintenance

🔧

Pipelines

Transmission & distribution assets

Let's find the root cause.

Whether you are mid-implementation and hitting roadblocks, planning a new ERP deployment, or trying to optimize a system that is not delivering on its promise – we can help.

Start a Conversation →
Architecture

Solution Architecture

Solution architecture is the foundation of every successful enterprise system implementation. We design the blueprint that defines which system is the system-of-record (SoR) for each data domain, how data flows between systems, where integration points exist, and what controls are needed to ensure data integrity.

Said differently – we answer the question that most implementations skip: "Which system owns what, and why?" Getting this wrong at the architecture level creates cascading failures in every downstream process.

We evaluate your current technology landscape, identify redundancies and gaps, and design an architecture that minimizes bi-directional data syncing, uses out-of-the-box (OOTB) functionality wherever possible, and establishes clear ownership boundaries between systems.

  • System-of-Record (SoR) designation
  • Integration architecture design
  • Data flow mapping & diagramming
  • Technology selection evaluation
  • Current-state architecture assessment
  • Future-state architecture design
Supply Chain

Supply Chain & Procurement

Our supply chain practice covers the full Procure-to-Pay (P2P) lifecycle – from the moment a need is identified through requisition, purchase order creation, dispatching, receiving, and payment. We design, configure, and optimize P2P processes across ERP platforms including Maximo, PeopleSoft, SAP, IFS, JD Edwards (E1), and Dynamics 365.

We have deep experience in multi-system P2P environments where purchasing may originate in one (1) system and financial processing occurs in another. These environments are ripe for problems: interface failures, mismatched account strings, status misalignment, and orphaned transactions. We trace each of these issues to its root cause and design processes that prevent them.

  • P2P process design & optimization
  • Requisition & approval workflow design
  • PO dispatching & interface design
  • Receiving & three (3)-way match configuration
  • Vendor & contract management
  • Inventory & materials management
EAM

Enterprise Asset Management

Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) is where the physical world meets the digital system. We configure and optimize work management processes – from work order creation through planning, scheduling, execution, and closeout – across platforms like Maximo, IFS, SAP PM, and Dynamics 365.

Our EAM work includes preventive maintenance (PM) program design, asset hierarchy structuring, failure code configuration, and the integration between maintenance and procurement (the "Maintain-to-Procure" handoff that many organizations struggle with).

  • Work order lifecycle configuration
  • Preventive maintenance program design
  • Asset hierarchy & classification
  • Failure code & root cause structures
  • Maintenance planning & scheduling
  • MRO inventory optimization
Documentation

Functional Specifications & Gap Analyses

We write the documents that other consulting firms skip or underinvest in – and that organizations rely on for years after an implementation is complete. Our functional specifications, gap analyses, and process documentation are written with the precision required for enterprise systems: every field is named, every status is defined, every decision path is documented.

Said differently – our documents are built to be used, not filed. A developer should be able to build from our spec without asking a single clarifying question. A business user should be able to follow our process guide without guessing which button to click.

  • Functional specification documents
  • Gap analysis (As-Is | To-Be | Gap | Impact)
  • Use case documentation
  • Integration specification documents
  • Decision-tree troubleshooting guides
  • Step-by-step training materials

Built on direct observation,
not theory.

The CTP Group was founded by Joseph (Jay) A. Graff – a senior enterprise systems consultant with over 25 years of experience designing, implementing, and optimizing complex ERP environments across six (6) major platforms.

Before founding The CTP Group, Jay worked as a practitioner inside three (3) of the world's largest consulting firms: KPMG, Capgemini, and IBM. That experience taught him how big firms operate – their methodologies, their staffing models, and their limitations. It also showed him what clients actually need versus what they are often sold.

Said differently – The CTP Group exists because there is a gap between what organizations pay for and what they receive from traditional consulting engagements. We close that gap.

When Jay arrives on an engagement, he does not send junior resources to "gather requirements" for six (6) weeks. He is the person who shows up on day one (1), digs into the system architecture, the integration points, the data, and the actual business processes – and identifies what is working, what is not, and what needs to change. Every recommendation is grounded in direct observation, system evidence, and a thorough understanding of the upstream and downstream impacts.

The CTP Group's approach is built on a simple principle: seek to understand, then be understood. We do the hard work of understanding your current state before we ever propose a future state – because the As-Is IS the real work.

Career Timeline

Present

The CTP Group

Founder & Principal Consultant

Previously

IBM

Enterprise Systems Consulting

Previously

Capgemini

ERP & Supply Chain Practice

Previously

KPMG

Management Consulting

Why clients choose us over the Big Four.

Big Firms

Send junior resources to gather requirements for weeks. The senior partner who sold the engagement disappears after kickoff.

The CTP Group

Jay is the person who shows up on day one (1) and stays through delivery. No bait-and-switch. The person who diagnoses the problem is the same person who designs the solution.

Big Firms

Apply a pre-packaged methodology regardless of the client's actual system landscape or business processes.

The CTP Group

We start with your reality – your systems, your data, your processes – and design solutions that fit your architecture, not a template.

Big Firms

Deliver polished slide decks with high-level recommendations that leave the implementation details to someone else.

The CTP Group

We deliver functional specifications detailed enough for a developer to build from, process guides precise enough for a user to follow, and gap analyses thorough enough to expose every downstream impact.

Big Firms

Optimize for billable hours and extended timelines. Scope creep is a feature, not a bug.

The CTP Group

We scope the work, do the work, and deliver the work. Our goal is to make you self-sufficient – not dependent on our continued presence.

Maximo | PeopleSoft Power Generation

P2P Process Redesign Across a Dual-System Environment

A major power generation company was experiencing chronic interface failures between their procurement system (PeopleSoft) and their asset management system (Maximo). Purchase orders were failing to interface back to Maximo, causing receipts and vouchers to fail downstream. The root cause: account strings dispatched from PeopleSoft were not set up in Maximo, and there was no validation at the point of dispatch.

We mapped the entire P2P process across both systems, identified every failure point, and designed a new integration architecture that included pre-dispatch validation, error-handling procedures, and clear system-of-record (SoR) designations for each data element. We also delivered a comprehensive gap analysis documenting the As-Is state, the To-Be state, and the impact of every proposed change on upstream and downstream processes.

Results

~72%
Reduction in P2P interface failures within three (3) months of go-live
100%
SoR clarity established for all P2P data elements across both systems
1
Comprehensive functional specification – detailed enough for the development team to build from without clarification
IFS | JD Edwards (E1) Utilities

Receiving Function Migration & Integration Redesign

A large utility company needed to move its Receiving function from IFS to JD Edwards (E1) for new construction-related purchases. The initial scope was presented as a simple migration – move receiving from one (1) system to another.

Upon analysis, we identified that this was not an isolated change. Moving the Receiving function required simultaneous modifications to the entire P2P process: requisitioning, PO creation, dispatching, inventory management, AP voucher processing, and the integration layer between IFS and E1. We documented the full scope through a detailed gap analysis and designed the To-Be architecture that addressed every upstream and downstream dependency.

Results

14
Additional process impacts identified that were not in the original scope – preventing downstream failures
Full
Gap analysis delivered (As-Is | To-Be | Gap | Impact) covering every affected process area
$2.1M
Estimated cost avoidance by identifying scope gaps before development began
SAP | Maximo Transit

Enterprise Asset Management Optimization & Training Program

A transit authority was struggling with poor work order completion rates, inconsistent use of failure codes, and a preventive maintenance (PM) program that existed in the system but was not being followed in practice. The agency had invested significantly in their Maximo implementation but was not realizing the return on that investment.

We conducted a thorough assessment of the current-state work management process, identified the root causes of low adoption (a combination of overly complex workflows, missing training, and misconfigured business rules), and redesigned the work order lifecycle. We then built a complete training program with step-by-step process guides, decision-tree troubleshooting documents, and hands-on exercises.

Results

3x
Increase in properly closed work orders within six (6) months
40+
Pages of training documentation delivered – step-by-step, screenshot-by-screenshot
PM
Compliance rate improved from ~45% to ~88% through process simplification and training

We believe in transparent communication from the start. These are the questions we hear most often from prospective clients.

Ask Us Directly →
The CTP Group provides solution architecture, supply chain, procurement, inventory management, materials management, work management, and enterprise asset management consulting services. We have over 25 years of experience across six (6) ERP platforms – Maximo, PeopleSoft, SAP, IFS, JD Edwards (E1), and Dynamics 365 – and have worked in the following industries: Public Sector (state and local governments), Oil & Gas, Power Generation, Pipelines, Utilities, Transit, Nuclear, and Shipbuilding.
Any organization that relies on enterprise systems to manage its assets, supply chain, or procurement processes. We work with organizations of all sizes – from mid-market companies running a single ERP to large enterprises managing complex multi-system environments. Our sweet spot is organizations that are either mid-implementation and hitting roadblocks, post-implementation and not getting the ROI they expected, or planning a new deployment and want to get the architecture right from the start.
Three (3) things. First, Jay is the person who does the work – there is no bait-and-switch where a senior partner sells the engagement and then disappears. Second, we start with your reality, not a pre-packaged methodology – we understand your current systems, processes, and data before we design a future state. Third, we deliver documentation that is precise enough to build from and use operationally – not polished slide decks with high-level recommendations.
The cost depends on the scope and duration of the engagement. We offer competitive rates and work with clients to find a pricing structure that fits – whether that is a fixed-fee engagement, time-and-materials, or a blended approach. We scope the work honestly upfront and do not build business models around scope creep. Contact us for a conversation about your specific needs and we will provide a straightforward estimate.
Every engagement starts with understanding – we dig into your current-state systems, processes, integrations, and pain points before we propose anything. From there, the engagement typically follows this pattern: current-state assessment and documentation (the As-Is), future-state design (the To-Be), gap analysis and impact assessment (What needs to change? What breaks if we do?), and then detailed specifications and / or implementation support. The length varies – some engagements are four (4) to six (6) weeks for a focused assessment; others are six (6) to twelve (12) months for a full implementation.
Both. Many engagements are a blend – on-site for discovery, workshops, and key milestone meetings, with remote work for documentation, design, and ongoing support. We are based in the Greater Houston area but work with clients nationally and have experience managing engagements across time zones and geographies.

Joseph (Jay) A. Graff

Owner & Principal Consultant

Phone

713.586.9319

Location

Kingwood, Texas
Greater Houston Area

Hours

Monday – Friday: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM CT
Weekends: By appointment