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FIXING Stupid SAP Vendor – Partner Selection RFI – RFP Processes
FIXING Stupid SAP Vendor – Partner Selection RFI – RFP Processes

FIXING Stupid SAP Vendor – Partner Selection RFI – RFP Processes

By Bill Wood|February 21st, 2011|

I am always amazed at how much time, energy, money, and effort companies spend on the SAP Request for Information (RFI) and Request for Proposal (RFP) processes. Many companies spend months, and in some cases even years, evaluating, analyzing, and preparing for an RFI or RFP. During the RFI and RFP preparation stage, senior management and staff are involved. At times, a dozen or more employees may be involved. When you add it all up, it can easily cost your company tens of thousands, hundreds o [...]

More on Stupid SAP Vendor – Partner Selection RFI-RFP Processes
More on Stupid SAP Vendor – Partner Selection RFI-RFP Processes

More on Stupid SAP Vendor – Partner Selection RFI-RFP Processes

By Bill Wood|February 14th, 2011|

This is a follow-up from last week's post on Why SAP Vendor – Partner Selection RFI Processes are Stupid. Next week's post will provide insight, suggestions, and ideas on how to ensure your SAP RFI or RFP processes achieve the best possible results. SAP is a COTS (Commercial Off The Shelf) business software application. In the COTS world, solid financial statements may indicate an SAP partner or vendor who has mastered the art of "squatting" or "lock-in." They may routinely custom code non-miss [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

SAP System Vendor Project Success Criteria & Factors 3
SAP System Vendor Project Success Criteria & Factors 3

SAP System Vendor Project Success Criteria & Factors 3

By Bill Wood|November 15th, 2010|

The other day, I made a post to SAP’s Community Network on how to ensure customers get the best SAP business software integrator for their money. One of the comments to that post suggested that I was advocating for customers using only SAP as their system integrator. In my response, I stated that my goal is to encourage SAP customers to get educated so they actually achieve value and ROI from their SAP business software projects. My response sums up why I started this site and what the posts he [...]

SAP System Vendor Project Success Criteria & Factors 2
SAP System Vendor Project Success Criteria & Factors 2

SAP System Vendor Project Success Criteria & Factors 2

By Bill Wood|November 8th, 2010|

This is a continuing post in an extensive series on achieving SAP project success. For the complete series, please see the Additional Resources list at the end of this article. Last week's post looked at some of the key factors around the type of consultants you need for success, your project approach, and the structure around the project. This week, we will continue exploring details around the SAP critical success factors (SAP CSF’s) as they relate mostly to SAP project scope and SAP project [...]