IT Management Archives - Page 5 of 22 - Innovate. Integrate. Transform. Run.

Sustained Business Value from SAP Business Software
Sustained Business Value from SAP Business Software

Sustained Business Value from SAP Business Software

By Bill Wood|February 20th, 2012|

From time to time, I review academic literature about the application of technology and offer my SAP experience-based perspective. A while back, I was reviewing one of these studies, which was about enterprise software. In this study, the authors made a key clarification. They recognized two types of implementations: problem based (i.e. address your “pain points”) or innovation based. Their suggestion was that some elements of both would be present on any large-scale IT project, but each type o [...]

SAP Landscape Consolidation
SAP Landscape Consolidation

SAP Landscape Consolidation

By Bill Wood|February 13th, 2012|

For any number of reasons, many companies that run SAP end up with fragmented and piecemeal landscapes. This problem happens for many reasons: roll-outs, independent Business Units, mergers and acquisitions, immature software procurement processes, lack of a Software Asset Management program, etc. The results can leave your SAP application and business solution looking like someone set off an explosion with scattered pieces everywhere. More and more, I am seeing companies work to consolidate on [...]

Key Design Considerations for SAP Reimplementation
Key Design Considerations for SAP Reimplementation

Key Design Considerations for SAP Reimplementation

By Bill Wood|February 6th, 2012|

Whether you are doing a single instance reimplementation, a system consolidation, or an upgrade rollout, you will to blueprint the differences between your current state and what needs to change for your future state. Depending on your SAP reimplementation approach, you should make several key considerations in the SAP reimplementation blueprint. All three approaches require a few key steps: Rationalize your landscape, Consolidate your functionality scope, Eva [...]

SAP Reimplementation Method Key Considerations
SAP Reimplementation Method Key Considerations

SAP Reimplementation Method Key Considerations

By Bill Wood|January 30th, 2012|

Among the three variations for SAP software reimplementations are two key approaches. You either make the changes to your existing production system (or a cloned copy of it), or you make the changes in a pristine, newly designed environment. SAP Cloned Production System “Re”-Implementations Making changes in your existing production system (more likely in a cloned instance of it) ensures data consistency and ease of adjustment. However, several difficulties are involved. If you have a significa [...]

Why Use the SAP ASAP Methodology?
Why Use the SAP ASAP Methodology?

Why Use the SAP ASAP Methodology?

By Bill Wood|January 16th, 2012|

ASAP Methodology Background In the mid 1990’s, SAP had gained significant bad press and publicity around several high-profile project disasters that the company knew were completely avoidable. At that time Oracle, Baan, JD Edwards, and PeopleSoft all had salespeople making the case that SAP was too expensive, too complicated, and too time-consuming to implement. In response, SAP released the ASAP Methodology in the mid-late 90’s (around 1996 or 1997). R&D resources and efforts have since re [...]

SAP IT Governance, SAP Program Management, SAP PMO Metrics
SAP IT Governance, SAP Program Management, SAP PMO Metrics

SAP IT Governance, SAP Program Management, SAP PMO Metrics

By Bill Wood|January 9th, 2012|

On this forum, the most frequent response from the project and program managers was a call for independence. However, when I raised the issue of project or program manager accountability, metrics, performance, and avoidance of project messes, no one addressed the problem. Is it any wonder so many business application projects and programs get into trouble, go over budget, and exceed the allotted time when the individuals responsible for coordinating and evaluating them don't want clear accounta [...]