SAP & ERP Consulting from the Customer Point of View

The most frequent response around accountability for program or project managers was a call for ”independence.” So when I raised the issue of project manager or program manager accountability, metrics, performance, and how to ensure project messes are avoided there were no takers.  Is it any wonder so many business application projects and programs get into trouble, go over budget and time?

SAP Program and Project Management Office Success

A good Program or Project Management Office provides the resources needed for delivery project participants to be successful.  Without this focus the value of an SAP Program or SAP Project Management Office is not realized.  The U.S. Department of Energy did a good review of performance and benchmarking for project management.  And while this was applied to a government program there is a lot of valuable insight for any SAP project or business application project [FN1].  

The U.S. Department of Energy had a committee evaluate success criteria and offered four sets or categories of performance measures to cover the 30 possible discrete measurements of project or program success.  Those four sets or categories were [FN1, pg. 1]:

• Project-level input / process measures. Assess the resources provided to deliver an individual project and the management of the project against standard procedures.
• Project-level output / outcome measures. Assess the cost and schedule variables of an individual project and the degree to which the project achieves the stated objectives.
• Program- and department-level input / process measures. Assess the total resources provided for all projects within a program or department and the degree to which program- and department-wide goals for projects and their management are met.
• Program- and department-level output / outcome measures. Assess overall project performance and the effectiveness of completed projects in supporting program and department missions.

Without this type of analysis and evaluation your project may be headed for trouble before it even begins.  When you start your large business application project what type of deliverables, output, or results do you expect from those who are leading the projects?  How will you measure and evaluate their performance?  If your evaluation of their performance is focused on how well they support the success of delivery teams, along with how well the projects are delivered (budget, scope, schedule, and quality) then you will be measuring the key project delivery values for success.

That same U.S. Department of Energy study provided guidance on the key components for a successful performance measurement system of program or project managers which can be applied to business software projects like SAP.  They noted key components of an effective performance measurement system include [FN1, pg. 7]:

• Clearly defined, actionable, and measurable goals that cascade from organizational mission to management and program levels;
• Cascading performance measures that can be used to measure how well mission, management, and program goals are being met;
• Established baselines from which progress toward the attainment of goals can be measured;
• Accurate, repeatable, and verifiable data; and
• Feedback systems to support continuous improvement of an organization’s processes, practices, and results.

The Answer for SAP Program and SAP Project Management Results

Over the years I have found the SAP ASAP Methodology helps to ensure SAP Project delivery.  The entire methodology is focused on project participant success; budget, time, and scope control; and quality control for project delivery. 

My non-cynical assessment for why it is not more widely used is because many SAP Program Managers and SAP Project Managers have not be trained to use these tools (or Solution Manager which contains them).  On the other hand there are some SAP Project and Program Managers who have a financial motive that can not be ignored.  They do not use the ASAP Methodology because it makes a client less dependent on them.  After all, why do you need an expensive program manager to deliver tools, templates, resources, guidance, quality control, and measurement utilities if you have a methodology that already contains all of this with step by step instructions to use it?

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[FN1]  Measuring Performance and Benchmarking Project Management at the Department of Energy. http://management.energy.gov/documents/performance_measures_final.pdf

Related Posts:

• Why Use the SAP ASAP Methodology?
• SAP Program Management Requires a Type of CMMI
• Steering Committee Governance for an SAP Center of Excellence
• SAP System Vendor Project Success Criteria 1
• The Top 5 ERP Success Factors by Project Stage from 22 Critical Success Factors

SAP Program Management

Many may be unaware that SAP provides a broad set of tools and resources for Program Management and Competency Maturity Management (or CMM). Very few are familiar with SAP’s broad set of supports for this purpose such as the “new” ASAP Methodology Phase 6 “Run” enhancement. It is loaded with key information which aligns with Program Management responsibilities and CMMI.

So, what is CMM (or CMMI as it is more properly referred to)?

“CMMI (Capability Maturity Model Integration) is a process improvement approach that provides organizations with the essential elements of effective processes, which will improve their performance… CMMI models are collections of best practices that help organizations to dramatically improve effectiveness, efficiency, and quality” [FN1].

The entire CMMI methodology and development is maintained at Carnegie Mellon’s Software Engineering Institute. These CMMI standards have been applied in a vast number of organizations together with various methodologies. The CMMI approach is well suited to engineering and software development, design, or implementation. SAP’s entire ASAP methodology, and especially the “new” Run methodology incorporates a number of CMMI principles.

SAP Program Management is all about Competency Maturity Management (or CMM)

The contract SAP program manager is accountable for providing the key tools, templates, techniques, and resources to ensure projects are properly managed and delivered for business benefit. If they are not providing this type of methodology guidance, including key templates and techniques to deliver business benefit, what are you paying them for?

SAP Program Management or Project Management Gaps

After all these years one of my biggest frustrations is the lack of SAP contract program or project managers use of the ASAP Methodology. They all talk about it, and during sales presentations they use lots of SAP’s material, but as soon as the project begins you never see it. They seem to have absolutely no idea what they are doing.

As I have often said, I never believe that a client / customer of project management or program management services has the primary responsibility for this knowledge. If they did why bother hiring outside help and paying the rates for this service except for that contract “expertise?”

Contract SAP program management or SAP project management that is not able to deliver on clearly understandable methodology development are fakes. Anyone can call themselves a program manager, but what does that mean? What is the contract SAP Program Manager accountable for? What are they on the hook to deliver and how is their performance measured?

Using SAP ASAP and CMMI to Mature the SAP Enabled Enterprise

The SAP ASAP Methodology, in particular the Phase 6 Run section, should be studied by every SAP program manager before they start doing project or program work. Even though it is in the last ASAP Methodology phase, its greatest effectiveness is realized when you begin your internal SAP delivery maturity planning from the beginning of your SAP project.

One of the critical benefits of starting your CMMI related planning right from the beginning is your SAP project can be structured to support business integration at the outset. Using this type of maturity model integration as part of your project guidance can have significant benefits to the enterprise:

“Many CMMI using businesses have beneficial results to their bottom line… including improvements in schedule and cost performance, product and service quality, forecasting accuracy, productivity, customer satisfaction, return on investment, and other measures of performance” [FN2].

SAP has already done a significant amount of the work for you. All your program manager has to do is adjust the plans, alter the templates, follow the ASAP Methodology instructions, and build the resources to support this transition. You really must question SAP program manager service providers who do not keep up with the ASAP tools and delivery methodology that SAP provides and supports.

SAP’s Competency Maturity Model Starting Point

The following maturity model is just one small example of a powerful tool that is critical for long term technology and business integration [FN3]:

This model, provided freely by SAP as part of their standard ASAP methodology is a great starting point. Your contract SAP program manager should be able to use this as it is, or adjust it to fit your particular organizational needs. This is just one very small component of the Run Phase and an even smaller component of the entire ASAP Methodology toolset.

In many cases you would be better off sending your own internal employees to SAP ASAP certification courses and Microsoft Project classes and making use of their new found knowledge. At least then you would have a knowledgeable employee who could help keep an integrator who claims to use ASAP honest. And if they claim to use ASAP in their sales materials or sales pitches GET THAT CLAIM IN YOUR STATEMENT OF WORK AND YOUR CONTRACT WITH THEM!

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For more information on related topics please see:

• SAP Project Manager – SAP Program Manager, Lessons from the Trenches
• Effective Results from SAP Project Managers – SAP Program Managers
• SAP IT Convergence Beyond Business to IT Alignment
• Create SAP Convergence Instead of Business to IT Alignment
• Integrating Business Stakeholders as Part of SAP IT Convergence
• Steps to Achieve SAP IT Convergence
• SAP IT Convergence is About Business Focused Integration
• Steering Committee Governance for an SAP Center of Excellence
• Using Your SAP Steering Committee for Business Transformation

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[FN1] CMMI Overview: Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon University, retrieved November 5, 2011. http://www.sei.cmu.edu/cmmi/

[FN2] Why CMMI: Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon University, retrieved November 5, 2011. http://www.sei.cmu.edu/cmmi/why/

[FN3] SAP ASAP Methodology version 7.1, WBS 6.2.1 – Table 1: Maturity Level Characteristics. For more information on the SAP ASAP Methodology please go to http://www.sap.com/services/more/servsuptech/asap.epx

Related Posts:

• Steps to Achieve SAP IT Convergence
• Steering Committee Governance for an SAP Center of Excellence
• ERP and SAP Business Case for ROI, Business Benefit, and Success
• Why Use the SAP ASAP Methodology?
• SAP IT Governance, SAP Program Management, SAP PMO Metrics

Many organizations that have SAP periodically need experienced consultants to help with specialized requests, requirements, new functionality, or to occasionally backfill employees.  Because contract staffing is not a key portion of their business they turn to staffing firms or recruiters.  Unfortunately too many of the staffing firms and recruiters have only one interest–, to collect a paycheck.  Very few of these recruiters care about how they get that payday so it is up to you as the customer to ensure you are not getting ripped off.  There is no incentive for them to carefully screen candidates–, no background checks, no former project verifications, nothing.  A recruiter’s goal is to get them through the interview and have your organization hand over the cash.  The cheaper the resource they can find (i.e. read “fake”) the fatter their margin if they can convince you to use them.

The consulting fraud in the SAP arena (and ALL of the business application space) is widespread and out of control.  For more background and information on some of my experiences with this you may wish to see some of the following posts:

• Screening and Interview Methods to Find the Right SAP Consultant
• Screening and Interview Methods to Find the Right Consultant – Part 2
• A Cautionary Tale About SAP Knowledge Transfer
• Corporate and Personal Liability for Fake Consultants
• SAP Technicians or Experts
• ERP Consultants: Is the Promise of Knowledge Transfer just part of the Sales Pitch?
• Successful SAP Project Team Composition – Technicians or Experts?
• The Consultant Certification Ruckus

Just in case you think this is just complaining, take a look at an actual timeline of consulting at a real company where an internal employee periodically posts some of the horror stories they are dealing with; http://sapmesideways.blogspot.com/.  Although the employee at that company does not come out and say they are dealing with frauds, con artists, fakes or “SAP freshers,” I’ve seen this so many times that if that company checked these “con”sultant’s backgrounds I could guarantee a very high percentage of SAP fakes or “freshers.”

Protecting Your Organization from the SAP Fakes and SAP Frauds

If your organization would like something different you can do at least one small thing to protect yourself.  AFTER a staffing or recruiting firm has submitted a candidate demand they include references, from the last 3 projects listed on that consultant’s resume.  The ONLY references I accept are client resources, still at those organizations, and on an e-mail address that is clearly at that organization.  If they cannot provide these then my immediate assumption is they are a fake.  If the staffing firm doesn’t get the message you will not accept fakes then do not do business with them EVER!

The ONLY references I accept are client resources, still at those organizations, and on an e-mail address that is clearly at the organization.

Think about that a minute, even if you miss out on someone who has the actual experience you are looking for, do you really want to pay those kinds of rates for someone who was so uninspiring that no one even remembers them?  What about their consulting skills?  Were they a bump on a log that hid in the background and made little or no contribution to the direction or success of the SAP project?

Step by Step to Find the Real SAP Consultants

If you decide to use a staffing or recruiting firm, make it a hard requirement that they provide ONLY candidates who can provide an e-mail reference STILL EMPLOYED at each of that consultant’s last 3 clients.  This is basic employment verification stuff but few if any of the staffing firms do this unless you insist it is a requirement.  And nothing less than a direct verification from someone who is still at that organization will work because I have seen many “stories” about how they have some other reference or the person left and are now working at “XYZ” company instead.  Would you accept that from a permanent employee candidate?

The next step, AFTER the 3 prior project references still at those companies (on the company e-mail address / domain) is copy that portion of the resume listing that consultant’s experience at that company into an e-mail message to their reference.  Send the message with a notice they used this information on their resume to indicate their experience and you would like to know if they can verify that the candidate’s experience is consistent with what is listed.  If that cannot, or will not, then that is the end of the screen for that person.  I do not bother to waste any time with a phone screen until that verification step is complete.

What are some of your thoughts or suggestions for screening out the fakes, frauds, charlatans and con artists?

Related Posts:

• How the SAP Consulting Peter Principle Works
• Reduce SAP, ERP, or Technology Project Stress: Part 2
• Screening and Interview Methods to Find the Right Consultant – Part 2
• Some Reasons SAP Projects are Over Budget and Over Time
• SAP System Vendor Project Success Criteria 1