Implementing SAP HR

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Costs of Maintaining the System


Another fear associated with SAP is that the project never ends…that it requires continuous maintenance by external consultants who charge for their services.


Being self-sufficient will reduce maintenance costs. This situation can be easily avoided by having well trained users. If proper knowledge transfer occurs during the implementation and adequate end user training takes place at the same time, users will quickly come to know the system very well and be self-sufficient. There will be situations where they need external help to solve a system problem but, chances are, the user will first use other sources such as the SAP online help. However, a good consulting firm would be willing to provide remote support at no or a minor cost for their clients. Remote system support is an item that should be discussed with the consulting firm prior to project launch.


Designation of an in-house support team. This is the responsibility of the Steering Committee and Project managers. It is vital to have an internal team of people providing technical support for the end users. Usually, the team is composed of the former project team members who know the system the best, together with IT.


Continuous training of users to ensure efficient and effective use of SAP. Training should not be reduced to a number of sessions during the implementation and after go-live. It is important that end users continually learn more about the system, growing gradually independent of external or internal help.

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All Non Standard Functionality Requires Programming and Costs Money and Time


Depending on your business processes, the standard delivered functionality might not cover all your needs and programming is required. While this might happen, the amount of custom programming (i.e. 'ABAP') and the costs associated with it can be kept to a minimum.


Identify all non-standard processes required prior to implementation. If you do your homework properly in the form of a needs assessment, all required system functionality should be detailed in the RFP or RFQ (Request For Proposal or Quote) and consulting firms will propose solutions. At this point, all business requirements not satisfied by the standard mySAP HR functionality should be identified and classified as essential and non-essential. Discuss each extra functionality required with your consultant and evaluate alternative solutions. Clarify up front how many days it requires implementing this extra functionality and including this in your budget and project plan. Wherever possible, opt for the standard mySAP HR solution.

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ORGANIZATIONAL FACTORS

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Besides cost and time factors, a mySAP HR implementation also involves organizational changes which might be an painful thought for many people who are used to running operations a certain way.


SAP's Software Often Forces Organizations to Change Their Business Processes


While mySAP HR might involve a certain degree of business process re-engineering this should be viewed as an opportunity to improve business processes and making the organization more efficient.


Definition of business processes prior to project launch. To ease this process, again - HR Professionals need to analyze their business processes prior to project launch. Some HR departments might need a strategic consultant to help them assess their business needs, and make process changes. Make sure you know enough about your business and your HR needs to so that you can ask intelligent questions when you interview consultant candidates.


View it as an opportunity. Your mySAP HR implementation should not be viewed as an 'IT' project, and cannot be treated simply as a 'system replacement'. It presents an excellent opportunity for the organization to change and replace out-of date business practices, improve their procedures and align these with the new system. MySAP HR will automate many processes and employees will be able to carry out many of the administrative tasks on-line. This frees up time to focus on strategy, keeping up to date with laws and retaining human capital It is necessary to involve IT and HR departments in the business process re-engineering process .

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SAP Often Involves A Restructuring of the Organization


While this can be the case, the restructuring can actually help reduce costs. With the new mySAP HR system in place, HR and payroll departments need to work together - mySAP HR alone will not allow HR to increase the contributions it makes to the bottom line of the organization.



Costs need to be reduced and processes optimized - this can only be achieved by having all key players work at the same centralized location, rather than being gathered around different offices. The overhead for several decentralized HR departments versus one centralized department need to considered as well as the fact that a centralized department will allow the consistent application of HR practices across the entire organization

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Employees Have to Perform Different and New Tasks Which Causes Stress and Resistance to Change


Some project team members and employees will undergo a certain degree of strain during the mySAP HR implementation. These include job strains associated with new responsibilities, apprehensions related to losing their job over the new technology, having to learn something they are unfamiliar with, having to work on the mySAP HR project on top of performing their normal job, having to work with new and different people, having to work in a different office, having to work with external consultants telling them what to do, etc


Project preparation essential to deal with change management issues. To deal with these issues, it is vital to clearly define roles and responsibilities of all parties involved in order to set expectations. It is also advisable to appoint an internal Change management consultant who knows the organization and its employees and who has the trust of these employees. To avoid the panic and rumors associated with redundancies, talk to you employees, being truthful and clarifying the situation.