- SAP Managed Tags
Why is it important to familiarize yourself with your solution prior to implementation?
Let me share a story about a customer I worked with who took the time to enable their team before starting the project implementation and design discussions.
This customer was new to SAP and purchased a solution that was unfamiliar to them, yet critical for their business. As we recommend to all our customers, we advised them to undergo solution enablement before project implementation. This approach would help them become more familiar with the solution and maximize its value throughout the implementation process.
You’re probably wondering how it went for that customer. Well, I can tell you—it went really well!
When we began the design workshops, we presented the standard capabilities, as we always recommend to our customers for creating a scalable solution. However, we also recognize that business-specific requirements often call for adjustments. During these discussions, our customer was not only better prepared to engage with the topics and explanations we provided, but they were also able to identify key functionalities that would help enhance their business.
These design discussions are crucial during project implementation because they define the foundation of the customer’s solution. If the design is not done correctly from the start, the customer may end up with a solution that isn’t viable. Moreover, having the right solution design in place ensures that, during the testing phase, you're validating the solution effectively—rather than testing irrelevant processes that don’t align with the business needs. And that’s exactly what happened—my customer ended up with a solution that perfectly met their needs.
Another benefit was the time efficiency. By enabling themselves early on, the workshop discussions ran smoothly and stayed within the defined timelines, allowing us to progress without any delays. And it wasn’t just in the early stages where we were time-efficient; throughout all phases of the project implementation, we stayed on track because the scope of what needed to be delivered was clear from the start.
Finally, the entire team was engaged from day one and understood the impact of implementing a new solution. Typically, when a new solution is being implemented, not all users immediately embrace the change. Senior leadership is eager to move to a new system to improve business performance, increase margins and save costs, but business users are often resistant, especially when they are unfamiliar with the new system.
However, by enabling key stakeholders early on, we were able to make a significant impact on the skeptical business users. These stakeholders were able to champion the solution, sharing the added value it brought for the business users by streamlining their daily tasks. This empowered the business users to engage during the discussions and focus on higher-value activities, keeping them motivate. It also reinforced that everyone was contributing to the overall success of the business.
In a nutshell:
Gaining knowledge about SAP solution ahead of time is crucial, allows customers to maximize the value of the system from day one.
By familiarizing themselves with the features, functionalities, and best practices before implementation, customers can ensure a smoother transition, reduce potential challenges, and align the solution more effectively with their business goals. This proactive approach allows teams to ask informed questions, make strategic decisions, and prepare their organization for a more seamless integration.
Furthermore, early exposure to the SAP solution empowers customers to take full advantage of its capabilities, ensuring they are ready to leverage its tools and insights to drive business success once the system goes live.
Stay curious and never stop learning!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Check out other blogs from the series Customer Onboarding at SAP
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
About the author:
- Ana Barreira serves as the Global Onboarding Advisor for the SAP Transportation Management (TM) solution within the Supply Chain Management area. She provides expert guidance and support to new SAP customers from contract signature through to successful go-live. With eleven years of experience—three of which have been as a Global Onboarding Advisor, and eight years as an SAP Consultant—Ana specializes in the SAP TM solution. She has successfully supported full-cycle customer implementation projects, assisted partners, and contributed to internal enablement efforts
Having questions, comments or feedbacks? Don't hesitate to comment down below or contact @Ana_Barreira or @Linh-Hoang .
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bluesky