The SAP Blue Book
A Concise Business Guide to the World of SAP
1st Edition
Published on 28. May 2012
Book
Paperback/Softback
190 pages
978-1-59229-412-1 (ISBN)
Description
"SAP is just a piece of software." - If this sounds familiar, this book is for you. Learn from bestselling author Michael Doane what it means to implement SAP, and how SAP will change your business forever. Benefit from his advice on how to prepare your organization for the transition: How to assess your "SAP maturity," how to instill the necessary mindset, and how to build a Center of Excellence for continuous Business/IT alignment. Countless managers were poorly prepared for the challenge-don't become one of them!
Highlights include:
What is SAP?
Challenges in SAP projects
Assessing an organization's readiness for SAP
SAP project and system life-cycle
Post-implementation pitfalls
Center of Excellence
Measuring business benefits
Selecting and managing external consultants
Management and end-user training
More details
Person
Author
Michael Doane has 35 years of business and information systems experience, including 12 years of industry, 16 years in enterprise application consulting and six years as an industry analyst.
Since 2001, he has been advising clients on strategies, implementation and integration strategies, service provider selection and management, and best practices and methods for deriving value from enterprise applications investments.
Michael Doane has been publishing information about SAP since 1996.
Content
... 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
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