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WWW.T I TANCONSULT ING .NET972 .377 .3500
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C O N S U L T I N G
INS IGHTS JUNE 2017
THE THREE BIGGEST PROBLEMS WITH SAP!And How Titan Consulting Solves Them!
What are your biggest challenges with SAP? We have listened to our clients complain about their SAP problems, and the biggest ones fall into these three categories:
1. User Experience, 2. ToAvoidBrain-Drain,YouNeedContinuousTraining, 3. SustainmentandEvolution(CareandFeeding).
Yes, there are many other topics we could list such as ApplicationDevelopmentandCustomization,LackofFlexibility,System Maintenance and Security Patches, etc. But these three arementionedthemostfrequently.
User Experience:SAP’sGUIhasprettymuchstayedthesamesinceitsinceptionoftheR/3platformin1992.ThereweresomeenhancementswithEnjoySAPinthe1996timeframe.ButtheGUIhaschangedlittlewhichincludesfieldsandscreensequencing.
And users still complain about it!
WiththeintroductionofFiori,manyexpectedthisUItobreakthrough these obstacles and enhance the user experience. Fioridoesimprovetheexperiencefortaskorientedrequirements,butlacksintheflexibilityofhowithandlesmultipletaskwithintheentirebusinessprocess.
One of our clients, a Manufacturing Company, has a division they have wanted to convert to SAP for many years. The biggest pushbackwasthattheseusershadhomegrownscreensandwhen they saw the GUI, they resisted the change.
Thelegacysystemcouldstillsupportthebusiness,therefore, itwasalrighttoruntwosystems.Butasnewrequirements
andacquisitionsoccurred,itwasobviousthelegacysystemcouldnotcontinuetorunthebusiness:theroadmaptoSAPwas set.
When we met with the project team from the division on the legacy system, they were thrilled that we could build a UI5 front-endandlayoutthescreenstoreflecthowtheyworked. ITwashappybecausetheycouldjustifythemigrationtoSAPandtakeadvantageoftheexpandedsystemimprovements: a win-win for business and IT.
To Avoid Brain-Drain, You Need Continuous Training:Irecentlyheardaninterestingstatistic,theaverageageofITprofessionalssupportingSAPisover50yearsold.Thiswillcreateaknowledgevacuuminafewyearsastheseemployeesmovetowardsretirement.
HowareyouaddressingyourSAPKnowledgeWorkers(KWs)?AndifyouimplementedSAPmorethanfiveyearsago,youalreadyareexperiencingthebrain-drainofyourworkforce.
The math and reality according to KWs: • KWsretain80%ofwhattheylearn! • EachsuccessivegenerationofKWsretain80%. • Eachgenerationisthreeyears,theaveragetimea resource is in a role. • Conclusion:after5-6yearsintoyourSAPjourney,your SAPKWsmayunderstand50%-65%of‘what’and‘why’ youimplementedthisfunctionality–interesting statistic!
Theresultingactivitiesforusersandsuperusersdrivesinefficientbehaviorintheformofworkarounds,code-on-codefixes,misinterpretationsofbestpractices,andotherdecisionsthat drive-up the cost of ownership.
C O N S U L T I N G
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A prime example, while advising a client on their Accounts Payable processes, is they wanted to build a separate system totracksomecelebrityassets.Therequirementwastoensure paying royalty payments and contractual agreements on-time.
Ratherthanbuildingthisseparateapplication,wepointedout that SAP has this capability to set up PO’s and recurring invoiceprocessingthattracktheserequirementsandpaycelebritiesaccordingtolicenseterms.AfterareviewoftheoriginalBPML,wenoticedthatthisrequirementwasonthelist, but dropped from the scope.
AnothercommonrequestisfortrainingontheSAPReportWriter/Painter.Thefinanceteamforanelectronicscompanyhad problems with the month-end close. The volume of spreadsheets was piling up. The controller needed help and thoughtthetrainingwouldreducethetimetoclose.
We reviewed the case, and many of the reports they needed were either available or close to the format they needed. Thisfindingputaspotlightonthebrain-drainthatoccurredaftermanyyearsofperformingrecurringtasksandnotinvestingintheirknowledgeworkers.
Wherecanyoustart?Lookforwhereyouhaveabuild-upofspreadsheetsandmanualworkaroundsandseeifthereareSAPprocessesthatcouldeliminatetheseinefficientpractices.
Sustainment and Evolution (Care and Feeding):HowdoyoukeepevolvingyourERPsystems?Shouldwefollow an agile or waterfall methodology?
Agile projects are the rave in PMO circles. Agile is the way togetfunctionalityfastertousers;quicklyandefficiently.
Unfortunately,agiledoesn’talwaysworkintheSAPworld.Wheredoesitworkandwheredoesitnotwork?Wecould
probablywriteafullarticleorbookonthemanymethods and approaches for this.
We have found success with the agile approach for point solutionssuchasnewreportcubesforSalesAnalytics.Or,rollingoutsinglemobileapplicationfunctiononeitherFiori orUI5forApprovalsoftimeorvendorinvoices.
Thescopeoftheworkfocusedonasmallgroupofusers,andtheriskislimited.Wefoundapilotapproachfollowingagilemethodsworkedeffectivelyinthissituation.
Agileapproachfailswhenyouhavecross-functionalrequirements,impactorrisk.OneofourclientswasrollingoutSAPtoaplanttheyacquired.Therolloutaffectedenterprisedata,pricing,customers,materials,andvaluationarea.
Thetraditionalwaterfallmethodworksbestforscenarioswithintegratedrequirements,andallrequirementsneedtoworktogether. The plant rollout is a perfect example due to the needforeachsubsequentsteporphasehavingadependencyon the prior phase.
WehaveworkedwithourclientstodemonstratehowbothmethodscancoexistinthePMO.Havingtheflexibilitytodeliver in both the waterfall, agile or lean method can save youtime,moneyandimproveyourSLA’swithyourinternaland external customers.
WithasystemthesizeandcomplexityofSAP,therearemanyother problems that may challenge you. These are a few that we have solved for our clients.
TellusyourbiggestproblemswithSAPandlet’stalkabouthowwecansolvethemforyou?ContactKentLamb,[email protected],214.632.5621.;or,contactyourTitanConsultingDirector.YoucanseeadditionalinformationonourAdvisory Services page at www.titanconsulting.net.
Looking forward to seeing you at:
972 .377 .3500
ASUG Southwest Region Energy & Utilities Days 2017 July27-July28 CenterPoint Energy Houston, TX
ASUG Fall Focus Conference September19-September21 LoewsChicagoO’HareHotel Rosemont,IL
