The SAP Blue Book

... Preface ... 11

1 ... How SAP Discovered the New World ... 15
... 1.1 ... A Quarter Century of Partial Victories ... 15
... 1.2 ... The Accelerating Failure of Traditional Information Systems ... 16
... 1.3 ... Computerize This ... 20
... 1.4 ... Discovering the New World ... 21
... 1.5 ... SAP's Rise to the Top ... 24
... 1.6 ... Keeping Technology in Context ... 25

2 ... What Is SAP? ... 27
... 2.1 ... Reading with the SAP Alphabet ... 27
... 2.2 ... Features of SAP ... 29
... 2.3 ... Core Business Applications of SAP ... 33
... 2.4 ... Work Flow Applications ... 34
... 2.5 ... Accelerated Solutions with SAP NetWeaver ... 35
... 2.6 ... And All the Rest ... 37
... 2.7 ... Critical Distinctions Between SAP and What You Know ... 38

3 ... Are You Ready for SAP? ... 45
... 3.1 ... Red Light, Green Light ... 46
... 3.2 ... Assessing Your SAP Readiness ... 48

4 ... SAP in a Microwave ... 55
... 4.1 ... A New System Lifecycle ... 55
... 4.2 ... SAP in a Microwave ... 58
... 4.3 ... Post-Implementation: The Windfall ... 78
... 4.4 ... Accelerated SAP Implementations ... 80

5 ... There's No Such Thing as Having SAP ... 85
... 5.1 ... The SAP Long Haul ... 86
... 5.2 ... Post-Implementation Excellence ... 90
... 5.3 ... Center of Excellence Maturity ... 94
... 5.4 ... Application Outsourcing ... 99

6 ... Seizing Business Benefits with SAP ... 103
... 6.1 ... Show Me the Money! ... 103
... 6.2 ... "We Have Met the Enemy and He Is Us" ... 107
... 6.3 ... The Intangibles ... 109
... 6.4 ... Better, Faster, Cheaper ... 113
... 6.5 ... Postscript: Business-IT Alignment Is the Hero ... 114

7 ... Gain Sharing: A 21st Century Way to Partner ... 117
... 7.1 ... Negotiation Points for Gain Sharing ... 118
... 7.2 ... Key Performance Indicators ... 120
... 7.3 ... Advantages and Cautions ... 121

8 ... Selecting and Managing SAP Consultants ... 125
... 8.1 ... The Frenzy Is Over ... 125
... 8.2 ... Global Delivery Models ... 126
... 8.3 ... What SAP Consultants Do ... 130
... 8.4 ... Consulting Billing Methods ... 131
... 8.5 ... Choosing Your SAP Consultants Wisely ... 133
... 8.6 ... Successful Partnerships with SAP Consultants ... 138

9 ... Curves Ahead: SAP Education for All ... 141
... 9.1 ... Executives Are Not Trained--They Are Informed ... 142
... 9.2 ... Education for Middle Management ... 144
... 9.3 ... Project Team Training ... 145
... 9.4 ... End-User Training ... 148
... 9.5 ... Racing to the Expert Plane ... 154

10 ... Making the Most of Change Management ... 159
... 10.1 ... Change Management Element #1: Program Governance ... 162
... 10.2 ... Change Management Element #2: Risk/Readiness Assessment ... 164
... 10.3 ... Change Management Element #3: A Leadership Program ... 168
... 10.4 ... Change Management Element #4: A Communications Program ... 170
... 10.5 ... Change Management Element #5: A Job Alignment Approach ... 174
... 10.6 ... Change Management Element #6: A Super-User Program ... 176
... 10.7 ... Change Management Element #7: A Knowledge Transfer Process ... 180
... 10.8 ... Change Management Element #8: Role-Based Training ... 182

... The Authors ... 185

... Index ... 187