Getting Started on Basic SAP R/3 Elements Copyrighted materiaChapter 1 At the outset, we would like to spend some time explaining the roles of the different partners who are involved in a SAP implementation. You should be aware of this factor so that as a SAP consultant, you can understand and appreciate the deliverables of each partner. A SAP implementation is a resource-hungry project in which all parties have a lot of vested interest. Every party must know the expectations and roles of the other and must perform in a synchronized manner. This effort goes a long way toward set- ting your goals and appropriately adjusting yourself in your interaction with the implementation team. The integrated and process-oriented envi- ronment that the SAP software promotes also implies that every member of the implementation team needs to understand that they work in a symbi- otic environment, where the success of one is dependent on the success of the other. There are no islands, and there is no isolation in a SAP project. You work and function as one team. ‘The most common reasons for choosing the process-oriented SAP soft- ‘ware are the need to increase efficiency in the organization, the need to focus on customer service, the need to cut down cycle times, the need to reduce idle time, and the need to optimize resources of the organization. For some clients, a speedy solution to the Y2K problem proved critical, because the lack of a solution would imply the loss of market share (and hence, a drop in profits). The Client—or SAP Customer ‘This is the organization, which has chosen SAP software to be the tool for managing all of the designated business processes. There might be several reasons why the client decides to refurbish its IT structure. The most com- mon reasons for choosing SAP are the need to increase efficiency in the organization, the need to increase accountability in the organization, the need to focus more on customer service, the need to cut down cycle times, the need to reduce idle time—and, in a nutshell, the need to optimize all resources (manpower, materials, and money) across the enterprise. This task is not simple and requires quite an appreciable amount of effort to decide that the time has arrived to upgrade the IT infrastructure of the enterprise. In recent years, the Y2K problem posed the most critical fac- tor for an organization to decide that it must act soon to transfer its operations to a Y2K-compliant system, so that the organization can sur- vive the turn of the century. For some organizations, a speedy solution toGetting Started on Basic SAP R/3 Elements 3 5 the Y2K problem proved critical, because lack of a solution would imply a loss of customers and competitiveness in the organization's market. This concern has been one of the most important issues that have forced companies across the globe to look for greener pastures. After this decision has been made, usually the client conducts an in- depth survey of the available products in the ERP market and derives a price-performance ratio of almost every software in its category in the mar- ket. This task is not simple, especially if the client has a tight budget. The integrated nature, flexibility, and extensive coverage of almost every aspect of an enterprise—and the plethora of functionality coupled with the fact that SAP is Y2K compliant—has made SAP a prudent choice as the tool to take organizations into the 21* century. Success stories worldwide have made SAP a favorite of clients. The client is well aware, however, that the benefits of SAP can be obtained only after SAP has been properly configured and tailored to suit the requirements of the organization. This decision is a big one to make for the client. The software has been procured, and now it has to be imple- mented. In order to implement the SAP system, there are two choices. First, ‘you can to train in-house personnel on SAP, which can be done by sending personnel to SAP-operated training classes for all the relevant functional areas. The second choice is to engage the services of an implementation partner to configure the system for the organization. Let’s spend some time exploring the implications of these two choices. Scope Identification In order to choose the functional areas that would be relevant for the orga- nization, the client has to understand the scope of each area as it exists in SAP. The marketing arm of SAP can help with this process, but the final call is made by the client. This understanding requires a careful review of the existing processes, followed by the process of identifying areas where a re- engineering exercise might be done to improve efficiency of operation. This process is briefly described here, but it can take months to complete and demands years of experience in such matters to accomplish the goals. « Once this process is done, the client is faced with the challenge of identi- fying in-house personnel who have a profound knowledge of the business process, the acumen to be trained in SAP functionality, and the will to return from training and implement the system. Perhaps this process sounds easy, but it is easier said than done. This implementation requires