ERP project management Archives - Page 4 of 4 - Innovate. Integrate. Transform. Run.

ERP Failure: The Organization is More Than Partially To Blame
ERP Failure: The Organization is More Than Partially To Blame

ERP Failure: The Organization is More Than Partially To Blame

By Steve Phillips|September 15th, 2009|

You really have to wonder: Does any organization spend millions of dollars on SAP (or any other software) with the goal of failing? The scope of a typical ERP project impacts almost every aspect of the organization, and the implementation risks are real. Often, an actual project's timeline far exceeds the original schedule. The cost of consulting services alone can grow four to five times the cost of the ERP software (with even greater upside risk potential). However, we have all heard the horr [...]

SAP Development Practices That Carry Huge Costs
SAP Development Practices That Carry Huge Costs

SAP Development Practices That Carry Huge Costs

By Bill Wood|August 15th, 2009|

Anyone who has implemented SAP for any period of time has seen the classic three-tier system environment. You have a Development landscape, QA landscape, and then a Production landscape. In a classic scenario, you do your prototyping, system setup and design, and first-pass validation in the development landscape for the appropriate client. When it comes to development environments, a consistent pattern has emerged where the Basis team will ignore the potential for large profits to save a few p [...]

Protecting the SAP Project’s Budget and Timeline
Protecting the SAP Project’s Budget and Timeline

Protecting the SAP Project’s Budget and Timeline

By Bill Wood|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 SAP Go-Live Part 1
Planning For a Smooth SAP Go-Live Part 1

Planning For a Smooth SAP Go-Live Part 1

By Bill Wood|October 27th, 2008|

After you have done all the research and gone through all the trouble to make your project a success, four key areas can still cause trouble during your SAP go-live: 1. SAP Security and Authorizations. 2. Master Data. 3. Business process changes, process gaps (missed processes and exceptions). 4. SAP ABAP Custom Development. While each of these areas consistently cause trouble at go-live, resolving the first item (Security and Authorizations) and the third item (Process issues) should [...]

Planning For a Smooth SAP Go-Live: Part 2
Planning For a Smooth SAP Go-Live: Part 2

Planning For a Smooth SAP Go-Live: Part 2

By Bill Wood|October 25th, 2008|

2. SAP Master Data Ideally, your master data processing should begin early in the process. During the blueprint phase, you should identify legacy data sources, raw legacy data extracts, and key data requirements or data settings. Even though it won’t be perfect, you should determine an initial scope, and experienced developers should be able to point you to the type of raw data records they will need to begin working with. When you begin your SAP project, you should immediately ask for SAP mast [...]

Reduce SAP Project Stress: Part 1
Reduce SAP Project Stress: Part 1

Reduce SAP Project Stress: Part 1

By Bill Wood|August 25th, 2008|

Expectation Setting As one of the most overlooked consulting and management skills, expectation setting can make the difference between a good job and a mess. Expectation setting is vital for both the person who is supposed to meet the expectation (the consultant or implementation vendor), as well as those setting expectations (the customer or project manager). During an SAP implementation, project-related expectation setting comes at many points and phases of the project. The team nee [...]