Unfortunately, many SAP Supply Chain or Production Planners stroll in to a really unsettling feeling at work each day. Despite having heard how a lot simpler life can be after the SAP go-live, and having administration tout some great benefits of an built-in system as being a win-win for all concerned, they can not escape it: the disconcerting feeling that they have to be “missing” one thing when utilizing the SAP ERP Central Component or R/Three for manufacturing planning (PP).
‘I really feel like I’m placing MUCH extra into SAP than I get out of it!’
‘I can not discover the data I want, and I’m compelled to keep up info I do not care about!’
‘How would I do know to do this? I can by no means discover what I want to search out!’
‘There’s bought to be a greater approach to do that than having to course of every of those manually’
After listening to constant quotes like this from SAP planners, one has to surprise the place the disconnect lies. When we take a look at the advantages of an ERP system like SAP, they so clearly leap off the web page that it’s no surprise that SAP’s ERP merchandise are essentially the most universally used and applied world-wide. The enforced finest apply processes via self-discipline in transactions, the system suggestions to proactively plan, the flexibility to leverage SAP’s exception administration and planning output instruments to make life less complicated for a planner: how may one not obtain main advantages when utilizing this sturdy system?
Well sadly, due to poor implementation methodologies, accelerated go-live deadlines, and lack of knowledge and emphasis on enterprise course of, many firms must dwell with an unsuccessful SAP implementation. From a Supply Chain Management perspective, this ache manifests itself primarily within the planning operate, which drives many different useful issues within the system, in every single place from execution to gross sales, to monetary accounting. These issues are sometimes pushed off of one of many following 4 SAP implementation pitfalls:
1) Poor implementation
While SAP could be configured to work at a transactional degree, it’s typically poorly built-in into the enterprise to ship significant enterprise advantages. If no enterprise re-engineering is finished to enhance a foul course of, then all an SAP implementation has carried out is automated a foul course of. Meeting key value saving goals via course of transformation have to be part of a profitable SAP Implementation.
2) Poor Training/Change Mgt
A standard subject with SAP implementations is that key customers do not need a enough degree of understanding of the SAP system and its related procedures to successfully execute a finest apply enterprise course of.
3) Inaccurate Master Data
SAP is run based mostly on configuration and grasp information settings. If these settings are inaccurate, the SAP planning system will FAIL.
4) Lack of Perform. Measurements
Performance measures will drive course of behaviors. Many implementations ship an SAP-enabled course of, however with out placing in metrics to drive consumer conduct.
So the transactions are configured, documented, and examined, the safety profiles are arrange, and “point and click” coaching has even been delivered to point out customers the right way to run the transactions. Go-live profitable proper?
Wrong…offering a enterprise course of design via SAP with significant enterprise advantages, clear enterprise course of procedures and guidelines, with related efficiency suggestions is a really totally different and extra entailed animal than merely assembly a go-live with a technically working SAP system. In the planning space, firms of all sizes wrestle with leveraging this planning system to their benefit, and plenty of planners discover themselves eager for their previous legacy programs, the place issues had been easy and “made sense.”
The excellent news right here is that this isn’t a operate of the system itself. While each system has its strengths and weaknesses, and customized and better of breed planning programs present some distinctive advantages that some ERP package deal merchandise don’t present out of the field, SAP ECC and R/3 (is determined by your model) is certainly a strong planning system that may (and is) used efficiently. However, the oft-neglected prerequisite for this profitable use is a strong understanding of the entire instruments, studies, and choices obtainable inside it, each for current planners utilizing the system, in addition to implementors. Getting this information, which matches far past the watered down “point and click” SAP Planning coaching programs seen all around the internet, is completely critically to driving a finest apply provide chain planning course of.
The lecture pushed, hands-on SAP planning coaching course seen at learnsapplanning.com is geared straight in the direction of addressing the aforementioned SAP planning issues. Driven by a Platinum SAP guide with over 15 years expertise, it drives to the center of how the system can finest be used to assist finest apply planning.
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