SAP ROI — Enterprise Architecture & Business Solutions

Manage SAP Consultants

Over the years the most successful SAP projects I have participated in had strong client side leaders. They had some knowledge and understanding of how to deliver large, complex, or difficult projects. Not just SAP projects but large complex undertakings. Their ability to deliver projects came from their ability to manage, direct, and engage with project participants. They took the initiative to directly manage their own projects.

Many of these leaders had something else in common, they understood you can become overly reliant on consultants to deliver a project –, it creates an artificial sense of security.

One project and leader in particular stands out from my past because of the attitude about SAP project delivery. That project’s senior leader used a phrase about consultants I found a little insulting but have since learned to appreciate. He had a “rented skills” attitude about consultants and frequently referred to us in that way. Along with that attitude he and the senior leadership of the company chose very strong leaders from within the company ranks to manage each module or key area of the project. And by strong leaders I mean REALLY strong leaders. During the course of the project a number of consultants were replaced when they did not perform up to the company’s expectations. That project was probably one of the best delivered projects I have ever seen:

• It had one of the largest SAP scope and functionality footprints.
• That project’s first phase replaced nearly 60 homegrown legacy systems.
• It was delivered ON TIME and WITHIN BUDGET.
• It met every business requirement.
• It was delivered across international company codes and business units (including foreign trade).
• And for similar sized companies, with similar scope, similar time frames, etc., it was delivered for probably 10 – 20% of similar projects.

That project was very different because the level of automation and how smooth the go-live went, and even the post-production support issues were far fewer than any other implementation I had participated in.

I participated in this implementation’s post production support as the SD lead and to help with reporting for about 6 months after we went live. They had slightly more support issues than many companies have with “stable” SAP implementations. This senior leader went on to become CTO and nearly all of the company’s leaders involved in that SAP project went on to senior level leadership positions.

How Clients Can Effectively Manage SAP Consultants to Deliver Results

The background I just provided illustrates one of the most important factors necessary for successful SAP project delivery. The Ivey Journal published by Harvard Press about “Leading Consultants to Exceed Expectations” (PDF file) went into detail on this issue. The key is in aggressive client management of SAP projects for companies that want meaningful results and value.

For me this involves a few critical components:

1. Develop a project or team set of values and expectations for project delivery. The expectations should be focused on action and execution.
2. Provide a training course to client participants on the latest SAP ASAP methodology. It can be made available through Solution Manager or as a stand-alone HTML download from the SAP Service Marketplace.
3. Define clear boundaries, tasks, and roles for all project participants. No one should have to try to figure out what they are supposed to be doing.
4. Every client project participant should be trained in how to manage and work with consultants. Use RACI charts to help manage consultants.
5. Every client project participant should be spelling out the specific tasks, assignments, and expected completion of deliverable for each project participant.
6. Each person on the project, whether contractor or employee, should have clearly defined deliverables, tasks, and criteria for success.
7. The client project participants should capture and regularly discuss lessons learned on dealing with consultants, including challenges and soliciting ideas on managing them.

Client and consulting leaders should accept responsibility for the delivery and execution of those they are responsible for. Be on guard for excuses, deflection, and blame-shifting. At times these are common consulting tactics to hide a skill, talent, or capability gap.

One key thing to consider is that any decent SAP consultant who has managed to deliver SAP project results can be difficult to manage at times. Because of their type “A” personality tendencies they need input and awareness of anything within their domain of influence. To manage high performing consultants the use of a RACI chart cannot be underestimated. Because of these tendencies project managers must activity work to solicit their input and feedback, and well as keeping them in the loop on what is happening in the project. If you fail to do this you are setting yourself up for trouble and unnecessary conflict. This is why a RACI chart is a useful tool on an SAP project.

For an overview of the key SAP project success factors, including allocating responsibility, please see this table which provides an overview of success factors:

Critical Vendor Management Success Factors for SAP Project Success

For a detailed explanation of each of these success criteria you may wish to review the series which analyzed them from the consulting selection point of view:

• SAP System Vendor Project Success Criteria 1
• SAP System Vendor Project Success Criteria & Factors 2
• SAP System Vendor Project Success Criteria & Factors 3
• SAP System Vendor Project Success Criteria & Factors 4
• SAP System Vendor Project Success Criteria & Factors 5

Related Posts:

• SAP System Vendor Project Success Criteria 1
• SAP Service Delivery versus Value Delivery
• Phase 6 RUN SAP ASAP Methodology
• Why Use the SAP ASAP Methodology?
• SAP Offshore Development Project Experience

Managing SAP Project Conflict

If you are determined to gain and then maintain SAP project momentum you will see stress.  Part of the requirement for momentum includes asking people to reach for stretch goals which can challenge (and deepen) their capabilities but also causes tension and even conflict.

One author says conflict is “a situation of competition in which the parties are aware of the incompatibility of potential future positions and in which each party wishes to occupy a position which is incompatible with the wishes of the other.” [FN1] 

In plain English, conflict happens when there are competing expectations and priorities.  Put another way, I want what I want and you want what you want and the level of our conflict depends on just how much each of us wants “it”.

Without hands on, active SAP project management it is likely that stress and conflict will destroy your SAP project momentum.  Active SAP project management is not about micromanaging people or their activities but rather finding the right balance around task execution and delivery while working through the stress that will arise.  As a project manager part of your key responsibility is to work through conflict to maintain momentum.  At its most basic project SAP project management is like babysitting adults who at times act like squabbling children (and I’ve been guilty of childish squabbling as well at times!).

Key Phases of SAP Project Stress Which Can Create Conflict

In relation to physical and life stress Canadian Physician Hans Selye (1907 – 1982) proposed 3 stages of stress in his 1956 book “The Stress of Life”: 

• Alarm
• Resistance
• Exhaustion

On an SAP project the alarm or panic stage occurs when you attempt to create a rapid project delivery pace.  The resistance stage occurs when the alarm does not slow down or stop the momentum that is gaining. Exhaustion or “checking out” can occur when the stresses and pressures of an overly aggressive timeline continue beyond what the project participants are able or willing to deliver.  A good SAP project manager must carefully evaluate and then manage the source(s) of alarm and resistance.

The key to good SAP project management is to maintain a sense of urgency that is strong enough to keep momentum high but no so urgent or so stressful that it causes people to burn out or check out.

There is a healthy level of tension which is needed to keep momentum going but knowing where that line is requires a project manager to be directly engaged with the project participants.  Even though it is critical to gain and then maintain momentum at times you also have to know when to ease up to allow the stress level to moderate. 

It is equally important for a project manager to know whether the alarm and resistance are from unskilled project participants who are trying to hide their lack of experience, or from unrealistic demands, or from the project as a whole. 

At First Most People Try to Deal With SAP Project Stress in a Productive Manner

Regardless of the reason for the stress, and ultimately what the conflict is, most people do attempt to mitigate the initial source of the stress.  The research shows they may:

1. apply extra effort to compensate for the greater demands,
2. they may attempt to overcome the stress by fixating on the task(s) which create the stress, or,
3. they may become anxious, worry, and then avoid the tasks.

If a project manager is skilled and recognizes these signs they can quickly intervene and help to alleviate the source of the stress.  Although it is critical for momentum to keep a forward looking perspective throughout the project there are times it is more productive to pause, reflect, and allow stress levels to lower.  When you see tension and stress building to an unhealthy level it may be time for a special recognition of how much progress has been gained to help people regain a sense of perspective and give them a chance to “take a breath.”

A good SAP project manager must carefully evaluate and then manage the source(s) of alarm and resistance.

Knowing when to back off the gas and recognize accomplishments and when to press the gas and push ahead is the most difficult skill for any project manager to develop.  It is like a professional race car driver who must know when to step on the gas, when to let off, when to apply the brakes, and when to step back on the throttle.  A project manager who is able to perform that balancing act demonstrates their experience and their people skills.  This requires direct engagement with the project participants on a day to day basis. 

This type of engagement by the SAP project manager needs to be in the project participants’ work environments, not just in planned meetings where people may not be as candid or forthright.  That direct engagement requires the project manager to serve as an active umpire, counselor, decision-maker, expediter, and all around gopher to help coordinate many of the integration activities. 

A Good SAP project manager GENUINELY UNDERSTANDS that their success depends on every other project participant’s success and will directly engage in activities which help promote the success of project participants.  Sometimes this means giving some project participants the opportunity to be successful on a different project  :)

As a final thought, an SAP project manager who needs a separate “integration manager” should be more carefully considered.  It may be necessary but do you really need a Microsoft Project administrator or a meeting monitor or do you need a manager for your project?  Needing an ”integraton manager” may be a way to avoid the day to day involvement that is critical for SAP project success.

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[FN1]  Capozzoli TK. Conflict resolution-a key ingredient in successful teams. Supervision (60:11), 1999, pp 14-16

Related Posts:

• 5 Leadership Tips for Successful SAP Project Management
• SAP Project Manager – SAP Program Manager, Lessons from the Trenches
• 5 More Leadership Tips for Successful SAP Project Management
• SAP System Vendor Project Success Criteria 1
• Some Reasons SAP Projects are Over Budget and Over Time

Of the previous 5 tips I reviewed last week the first 3 are all related to project momentum. Let’s look at a key to maintaining that momentum while also reducing the impediments.

One key to maintaining momentum requires an SAP project manager who is fully integrated in the day to day project activities.  That hands on approach to project management is crucial for overall project success.  Unfortunately there aren’t very many SAP project or program managers who are engaged in the day to day project execution activities.

“An SAP project manager or SAP program manager must focus aggressively on removing obstacles, encouraging success, and fighting against those things that would slow momentum” (SAP Project Manager – SAP Program Manager, Lessons from the Trenches):

1. Develop project deliverable and task tracking tools that are simple, easy to understand, and forward looking.  If a status tracking tool has more than 10 columns for a deliverable or particular task it is probably getting too involved, if it has over 15 columns (not task rows but details, status, and note columns) it will probably kill any momentum.
2. Set, then communicate, then reinforce an expectation that anything slowing down project momentum must be raised by project members immediately.
3. Create a formalized but simple decision escalation process.  If any project execution process is overly complicated it will reduce momentum or not be used.  This is especially true for decision making. 
4. All project activities MUST focus on execution because it is execution and action that maintain momentum. 
5. Keep the project focus FORWARD looking.  Continue to communicate the timeline, and use presentations for all key upcoming project activities–, have templates, deliverables, and instructions in plenty of time for project members to transition to the new tasks (a RACI chart can help here).

A Key Psychological Affect on SAP Project Momentum

Some time back I read an interesting study by a researcher about high performance teams that consistently met “stretch” goals.  The key difference between consistently high performing teams was in how they approached their assignments.  High performance teams consistently looked ahead at what needed to be done next to achieve their goals.  One of the interesting discoveries was when these same high performers were allowed to focus on their achievements and accomplishments their performance suffered.  They discovered when people stop to reflect on how much they have achieved and how far they have come they tend to become more satisfied where they are and naturally slow down.  That sense of achievement causes them to pause and become more content and therefore their forward looking productivity suffers.  However, as we will explore next week, there are times this is an effective project strategy to reduce tension and stress.

We see this all the time in the high performance area of professional sports.  How many times have you seen a professional team start out strong and gain a lot of ground on their competitors only to ease up and then lose that ground by the end of the game.  Sometimes these large gains are even erased and the other team wins!  The team that started strong started to look at where they were and relaxed a bit while their opponents, who were behind, started to look ahead and focused on how to turn things around.  The coaches and players of the team that was behind started looking ahead and planning for how to systematically win the game.

You SHOULD celebrate SAP project milestones and achievements but ONLY as a passing measurement point.  Part of that celebration or recognition of a milestone must be about the passing of that mark and looking forward to, or celebrating, how the next upcoming milestone or major achievement will be met.  You can also use  these recognition events to relieve project stress and pressure at the appropriate times.

Related Posts:

• More SAP Project Leadership Tips for Managing Conflict
• 5 Leadership Tips for Successful SAP Project Management
• SAP System Vendor Project Success Criteria 1
• SAP Customer Responsibility for SAP Project Success
• Series on SAP ERP Project Success Factors