January 2011 - Innovate. Integrate. Transform. Run.

SAP ROI through Strategic Business Transformation
SAP ROI through Strategic Business Transformation

SAP ROI through Strategic Business Transformation

By Bill Wood|January 31st, 2011|

Many business ideas and paradigms have been proposed over the years. Some of them turn out to be fads, while others have enduring legacies. While many have merit, they all have one thing in common-- they are supposed to address the marketplace in some way. Whether or not they stand the test of time depends on how well they help businesses compete in a globally competitive marketplace. Enduring business ideas generally become part of an accepted business strategy. One example is Michael Porter's [...]

Global SAP Instance Consolidations
Global SAP Instance Consolidations

Global SAP Instance Consolidations

By Bill Wood|January 24th, 2011|

Over the last several years, a number of companies have undertaken a global instance consolidation. And it's no wonder why-- a global SAP consolidation presents opportunities for significantly reducing Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). However, this type of system consolidation also brings numerous change management issues to address. As you embark on your consolidation, you will find that some major issues are easier to resolve, because the hard decisions around processes and scope were resolved [...]

ERP Education: Losing Our Religion
ERP Education: Losing Our Religion

ERP Education: Losing Our Religion

By Steve Phillips|January 17th, 2011|

Most ERP software packages are designed around industry-accepted business practices, operating philosophies, and techniques that have evolved over many years. Today, the issue is not businesses have a body of knowledge with supporting software tools; the question is, are clients educated enough to see the value or understand the proper use of the tools? The short answer is no. Education versus ERP software training Many have lost sight of the difference between education and software tra [...]

Expert SAP Consulting to Reduce SAP TCO and Improve SAP ROI
Expert SAP Consulting to Reduce SAP TCO and Improve SAP ROI

Expert SAP Consulting to Reduce SAP TCO and Improve SAP ROI

By Bill Wood|January 10th, 2011|

This is a follow-up to a previous post that introduced a fascinating study on expert performance (see Successful SAP Project Team Composition – Technicians or Experts?). The author insightfully noted that expert performance requires not experience alone, but a very special kind of experience. Expert performance requires a focused type of continuous achievement that goes beyond mere time of experience or practice. The study’s authors noted that the difference between the amateur and the [...]

How “As-Is” Process Mapping Can Damage Your SAP Project
How “As-Is” Process Mapping Can Damage Your SAP Project

How “As-Is” Process Mapping Can Damage Your SAP Project

By Bill Wood|January 3rd, 2011|

Not only can the "As-Is" process mapping damage your project, but it also adds significant amounts of unnecessary cost. Throughout my experience in SAP projects, I have participated in the "As-Is” and “To-Be” processing mapping exercises many times. Along the way, I learned a few key lessons. First, the old “As-Is” process mapping approach was (and is) critical for software engineering projects. As-Is process mapping efforts have very limited application to an SAP implementation-- or for that m [...]