Choosing The Right SAP Implementation

When choosing the right SAP implementation partner, the first thing you need to know is just how knowledgeable the partner really is, for example, Super Sailmakers choosing SAP Business One over Microsoft Dynamics was merely because the SAP implementation partner is more knowledgeable and focus. “The implementation company seemed very knowledgeable and very focused, and able to make this program what we would need,” said Bob Meanger III, vice president of the Fort Lauderdale-based sail maker. He also added “We really think the experience of the folks at Netsirk (The SAP Implementation provider) makes this work.”



Most companies are prefer to upgrade the current ERP into ECC 6.0 and adding more new modules such as Business intelligence, instead of implementing a new one, this way they can maximize the full functionality of the software, nevertheless, a new SAP implementation or an upgrade will require to spend a lot of money on ERP implementation partner. In my company there are 3 different ERP implementation partners when we first implement SAP system.

What we expect from a good SAP implementation partner is the ability to be proactive in suggesting the best business practices based on their past projects/experiences. This way we can adopt the best way to do business and utilize the full capabilities of SAP. But selecting the perfect SAP implementation partners is not just about how knowledgeable they are but also how they can get a long with the rest of the employees. So both technical and human aspects are a very important factors that every SAP Partner should have.

In my company, we have been using the consultants service for more than one year now, and through out the period, we’ve had our share of dissatisfaction, there were consultants being replaced because they don’t get along with the users and any other factors, so it’s very crucial for them to be able to get along with employees and fit the working culture in the company.

Last but not least is a about transparency, make sure that the SAP implementation partner is willing to share with you all the things they know related with the project, they should be able and willing to document and share the knowledge, this surely will benefit us in the long run because we don’t want to be fully dependent with the consultants forever right? At certain point we should be able to build our own SAP internal team and take care of everything ourselves, that’s way it’s very important to make the knowledge transfer process to be as smooth as possible.

“We’ve seen companies go wrong because they’re too reliant on the provider to take the reins, or they retain too much control,” Liz Herbert, senior analyst at Cambridge, Mass.-based Forrester Research.

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