SAP and Waste Management Finally Settle

By |May 12th, 2010|

After a contentious battle that started brewing in March of 2008, SAP and Waste Management have reached a settlement agreement. While they have not disclosed the details, it appears that the whole issue was becoming so expensive to litigate that they found moving on more cost effective. According to a CIO article published on April 9, 2009, SAP had 25–30 contract attorneys working on the litigation, which cost them millions. SAP also claimed that their legal discovery process had cost over a mi [...]

Screening and Interview Methods to Find the Right Consultant – Part 2

By |November 18th, 2009|

Previously, I wrote on the subject of finding the right SAP consultant and how you can avoid getting ripped off. That previous article, Screening Methods to Find the Right SAP Consultant, has been widely read and well accepted. Companies are tired of being ripped off with the lack of results or ROI from their large IT systems implementations. At the foundation of SAP or any IT consulting is communication: clear, concise, easy-to-understand communication. If your SAP candidate cannot speak clear [...]

Protecting the SAP Project’s Budget and Timeline

By |July 11th, 2009|

  For years I have heard stories about blown SAP budgets and blown SAP project timelines. Personally, I have experienced a few project overruns [FN1], and a few where we came in under budget. However, I can’t say any of the projects were ever early. While I believe that coming in under budget is often possible, reducing the time frame is much more difficult because of the planning and coordination processes. You need to adjust all of the parallel work streams and get the coordination and [...]

Planning For a Smooth Go-Live: Part 4

By |October 12th, 2008|

4. SAP or ERP Software Modification - Custom Development Ultimately, every project needs some development work. And by development work, I mean custom-coded programs to address “FRICE” or “RICEF” objects (Forms, Reports, Interfaces, Conversions, and Enhancements). When you have the right developers, your project will greatly benefit, delivering on time and on budget. On the flip side, inexperienced developers bring significant hidden costs to a project that can cause slipped timelines, blown bu [...]

Reduce SAP, ERP, or Technology Project Stress: Part 2

By |August 20th, 2008|

A good SAP project with solid performance requirements will often be a stressful experience. Anyone who has been through an ERP implementation has experienced this stress. And although this may sound counter-intuitive, if you’ve chosen the right people for the project during the course of the implementation, you will experience conflict. Why do tempers flare with the right people? They are usually the people who care the most about the business and are passionate about their responsibilities. I [...]

Screening and Interview Methods to Find the Right SAP Consultant

By |April 14th, 2007|

Whether you are a business or a consulting firm, you want to get what you’re actually paying for. Often, this requires avoiding the cons who present promising resumes. Unfortunately, software consulting fraud today is rampant and overwhelmingly involves H1B fraud. High salaries with few entrance requirements make SAP consulting a prime software consulting fraud target. SAP implementations provide crucial competitive advantages in business, including efficiency, integration, and automation. To a [...]