PP or PM

[Former Member]

Hi all, i am seeking your advices on choosing the module between PP and PM.

Which module has higher market demand and in terms of compensation which module offer the best?

[former_member183818]

Hi,

What I feel is there is no module less important in SAP. Proceed to where your intrest and passion is leading you. Both PP and PM are of high demand and I think PP is more in demand.

All depends on which are you have the expertise.

Regards

[Former Member]

it basically depends on the industry that you are in, explore abit of both modules before you dive deeper in any of them.

[Former Member]

Ranjit John is completely correct (don't forget to mark him as having answered your question!). There is always room (i.e. steady employment at top rates) for consultants who are passionate about their craft. Passion is the key. If you have interest in PP but chose PM because someone tells you the market is "hot" there today, what happens in 5 years when market conditions reverse? If you select your module based on your interest and passion, then learning more and more is not a chore, it's a pleasure! Compensation in SAP is based on how much you know, how much value you can provide. If you pick arbitrarily, you may get a job in the short term, but you won't want to do the extra research that will make you valuable in the long run, regardless of the market conditions!

Hope this helps!

Best regards,

--Tom

[Former Member]

Hi ,

My understanding is that SAP MM and PP module there are comparitively lesser jobs when compared to new modules like SRM, and moreover most of the companies require mandatory end-to-end implementation experience . There are so many people who have created and still are creating fake certificates and have managed to get an implementation project using these fake documents . Now these fake individuals have implementation experience and are the first to be recruited . 

On the other side people like us who have invested close to 10,000 USD and had to go through a rigorous exam preparation process for clearing the certification are "SAP freshers" , as we do not hold a fake implementation experience or a fake certificate . We are behind these fake,unethical guys in the queue .

My point is, reduction in opportunities for guys who really deserve it .

[Former Member]

Mridul,

SAP Enterprise Central Component (formerly called SAP R/3) contains all of the business functionality that most companies need, regardless of industry. SAP Materials Management and SAP Production Planning are modules within SAP ECC and therefore represent core functionality that most companies need. More need translates into more demand translates into more people/consultants doing this kind of configuration.

SAP Supplier Relationship Management (SAP SRM) is MM on steroids. Most companies do NOT require this level of materials management functionality, but some do. SAP SRM consultants generally start out as SAP MM consultants and then move to SAP SRM because SRM is the logical extension of MM. (SAP SCM is the extension of PP.) Having a strong SAP MM base is incredibly helpful if you want to become an SAP SRM consultant.

So... SAP MM/PP is comparatively lesser jobs to SAP SRM? Depends on what you're talking about. There are currently, and will continue to be, far more openings for SAP MM/PP consultants than there are/will be for SAP SRM consultants. If you're talking about the general experience level, then yes, in general, SAP MM/PP consultants, on average, are not going to be as experienced as SAP SRM consultants. (This is not to say that there aren't incredibly senior MM/PP consultants out there who are happily busy in their field and raking in top compensation. I'm saying that the ratio of fresher to senior is higher for MM/PP than it is in SAP SRM where you'll have fewer freshers and more experienced folks.)

As to folks with fake credentials and/or fake experience...

I hear this a lot from folks in Asia Pacific (AP). I can't imagine that AP is all that different from the US in this respect. I've screened thousands of resumes. I've seen a small percentage of resumes with fake experience or credentials. They are often incredibly easy to spot. (I've gotten the same resume from two different applicants before!) 

I've had a much smaller number actually make it to the interview stage. Even a rudimentary phone interview is usually enough to weed them out. I check every reference for someone I'm going to bring onto a project or into a company. SAP is a pretty small world in the end. If I don't know someone who was on a project, I usually know someone who knows someone. One fishy reference and they're excluded automatically.

I've only ever had one person make it all the way through the interview process and onto a project. We knew within a week that something was wrong and in a little over a month he was off the project. There is NO ROOM for dead weight on an SAP project. If folks with fake credentials/experience are making it all the way through an implementation in AP, there is something else at work (bribes, nepotism, something).

I don't know your personal situation, but my advise to folks who want to pursue a career in SAP is always the same. (This assumes you've already missed the getting-hired-while-still-getting-your-degree boat.) Get hired at a company who runs SAP in an non-SAP domain job first (e.g. work in generic server support before you try for Basis, work in non-SAP programming, work in a finance department, etc). THEN, over time, work your way to the support side. If you prove your worth on the business side (analyzing the system for inefficiencies, suggesting improvements, and volunteer to lead the improvement effort), then eventually you will make it to the SAP support side. THEN get certification. Usually the company will pay for it at that point.

The Institutes in AP do their students a severe disservice by convincing kids right out of college that SAP certification is all it takes to get a job in SAP. If you are in that boat, then you're better off just looking for a job as an SAP end user at a company that already runs SAP. I'll post a blog about how to find companies that run SAP in a week or two. In a nutshell: SAP case studies, user groups, job sites, and google. Once you find companies near you that run SAP, hit up their direct career opportunities on their own web site rather than looking through web job aggregator sites (like dice or monster). Look for SAP end-user or non-SAP jobs for which you are more than qualified. Once hired, work your tail off and keep your eye on the goal. It's a long slow ride, but it's your only option since you didn't get picked up while still in school.

Hope this helps!

Best regards,

  --Tom

[Former Member]

Thanks a lot Sir , for your valuable inputs . I already have worked in SAP MM support group, with Sr. SAP consultants during implementation & also have been an end user for  4.5 years  , MM largely, and partially on SRM and BW . So, my certification validates my skills gained till date.

So, I personally do not have any issues regarding getting a job role as an SAP consultant and moreover I really like the ERP and I want to keep learning more about it everyday for the next few decades.

I mentioned about people whom I have known has been waiting for 3-4 months , and at the same time also have known people who chose the unethical ways to get a job role & did not have to wait even for a week . But as you also said these days background checks & other methods to eliminate these exists, people are unable to do such acts .

Thanks again, for the response and highly valuable inputs .