Interview with Gerardo Daniel Rentería García

Senior Consultant, Technical Leader based on Microsoft Dynamics NAV and 365 Business Central, Business Analytics, Power Platform.

Project Manager with over 11 years of experience implementing integrated ERP projects in retail, manufacturing, import and other businesses domestically and internationally.

Passionate and committed to everything I believe in, self-taught, tireless worker to achieve set goals and with a great sense of valorization of human capital.

LinkedIn profile:

Tell me your experience?

My experience on the roller coaster of technology began about 20 years ago, we can have very similar as well as totally different paths. I started between lines of code, functions, variables, compilations, and production steps at different times.

Initially in the banking, trust, anti-money laundering, policies and insurance sectors, to then make a leap into the world of companies and their management, my first approach to an ERP, learning the sales and purchase cycles, warehouses and accounting impacts.

Which version of NAV did you take your first steps with and how were they?

Microsoft Dynamics NAV 5.0 enveloped me from the first minute, in which, hungry for knowledge, I discovered it from the inside, I tamed the monster from within.

But equally I learned about business flows, terms that had previously escaped me and that remain with me until now, such as: releases, projects, users, successes, failures, adaptations, gaps, in scope, out of scope, kick off, go live, support, colleagues, friends.

How was your professional evolution?

The life of a project and the people who make it up is always a unique journey, we all start pushing the boat from the same side (sometimes not all) and in the process we encounter ups and downs, some unexpected and others you already see from afar.

My cycle went from technician, developer to consultant, from project manager to manager of others and to designing complete solutions. From being a beginner and having a mentor to having resources to teach and accompany, but also demanding and holding one’s actions accountable, ignorance is never penalized, but attitudes are the best flag wherever you go.

A cycle of technologies with an important change in concepts, pros and cons, oriented towards the cloud, services and low-code platforms where experience is very important and the empowerment that the customer seeks is much greater.

My cycle isn’t over yet, I’m still on a roller coaster, I hope for good travel companions, with the ups and downs that come, the experience of enjoying the journey must be lived with all its nuances.

From what I see you have experience in international projects, what did this mean for you?

Honestly, when I started working on ERP implementations, I didn’t think I would travel so much and have this opportunity. We were the first to bring Microsoft Dynamics NAV to the market but clearly we were not the only ones who had already implemented similar solutions, we had a path of recognition and learning which resulted in implementations in companies in multiple sectors such as education, retail, services, automotive, restoration, telecommunications, mining, food and others.

This diversity has allowed me to travel to countries in the region such as Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, Mexico and further afield such as Spain and Andorra.

Each country has a different culture, but for each of them I took as a badge the advice of a great friend, that is, to integrate wherever you go, not to tirelessly search for my food, my tastes and my colors.

And certainly what has worked for me is learning from the culture of the country that welcomes you, whether for a few days or for many months as I am now. It means taking an interest in their customs, respecting their rules, appreciating their cuisine (I’m Peruvian and sometimes it’s strange, it’s true), trying to learn their language in some cases. You would always like to carry your family and friends with you in your suitcases.

The key to success?

Just as important as all of the above is recognizing people and their way of seeing work, breaks, projects, times, costs, opportunities, technologies. To bosses, employees, colleagues, customers, suppliers. They are not the same, all with different nuances from country to country.

Wherever you go, attitude is your flag, your predisposition to face work, your ability to solve problems, to acquire knowledge and apply it at the right time, to be updated with technology, to pay attention to news, blog, for gurus, recognized mvps, any source of first hand information always helps, knowledge stored on your machine is useless.

You must have a clear idea and objective that drives you to work outside your country, hold on to that idea and fight to realize it because the reward will certainly be worth it.


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