Hosted by Chandra Wobschall and Paul Houtkooper

We made it to 100!

Honestly, when we first started The JDE Connection, we did not have some grand master plan that mapped all of this out. We had an idea, a need we kept hearing from the JD Edwards community, and a hunch that maybe a podcast could be a different kind of learning space – one that felt more conversational, more approachable, and a little more human.

In this episode, we celebrate that milestone with two special guests who have been part of the story in different ways: Jon Vaughn, CEO of Quest Oracle Community, and Chris Laping, former 4-time CIO and tech CEO who many of you already know from his work (e.g. People Before Things), his speaking (e.g. BLUEPRINT4D ’25), and his ability to make people think a little deeper about leadership, influence, and what it means to be heard.

What made this conversation so meaningful for us is that it wasn’t just a “look how far we’ve come” episode. It turned into something better.

Reflections of Past Discussions

We spent time reflecting on how this podcast started in the first place – from conversations around the challenges organizations were facing in developing and supporting strong business analysts, to the realization that people needed a format that fit real life. Not everyone learns best by sitting in a classroom or reading documentation cover to cover. Sometimes learning happens while you’re walking, driving, cooking dinner, or just trying to keep up with the day.

That idea still feels true.

We also talked about how the audience has grown beyond what we originally imagined. What started with a strong focus on business analysts has naturally expanded into something bigger, something that speaks to functional leaders, technical teams, consultants, and decision-makers who are all trying to navigate an increasingly complicated ERP landscape.

And, because this is us, we didn’t keep it too polished.

A Regular Occurrence…Laughs

There’s plenty of laughter in this one. Some reflection. A little good-natured teasing. A reminder that sometimes the best conversations are the ones that go a little sideways before they come back around to something meaningful.

Chris also shared some really thoughtful perspective on his upcoming book, Unignorable: The Science of Being Taken Seriously. Without giving too much away, let’s just say the conversation touches on writing, influence, executive communication, and why leading with the point matters more than most people think.

We also got a preview of what’s coming at BLUEPRINT 4D and beyond, including some exciting ways Quest and Chris are working together to help people build practical skills, not just consume content and nod along.

More than anything, though, Episode 100 reminded us why we’ve kept doing this.

People Before Product

This podcast has never just been about the product. It’s been about the people who use it, support it, challenge it, and keep learning alongside it. It’s been about making space for practical conversations, shared experience, and the occasional moment where someone listening realizes, “OK, good, it’s not just me.”

And of course, because no milestone episode would be complete without it, we closed things out with a little regional flavor involving those enclosed walkways that let certain northern city dwellers move from building to building without ever facing the full consequences of winter. If you’ve ever thought, “There has to be a better way than stepping outside into air that hurts your face,” this one’s for you.

If you’ve listened to one episode or all one hundred, thank you. And if you haven’t tuned in lately, this is a good one to jump back in on.

Until next time, let’s keep learning, sharing, and most importantly, laughing together.

Toodles!

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Quest Oracle Community is where you learn. Ask questions, find answers, swap stories and connect to other JD Edwards customers and product experts in the JD Edwards Community, where you can also check out what’s happening in the Business Analyst SIG.