Boon or Bane: SAP Survival Kit – Volunteers, Tasks and Roles

Website design By BotEap.comAre there volunteers?

Website design By BotEap.comWho is doomed to be a suitable member of the required team? Will there be countless co-workers lining up and waiting in front of the boss’s office begging to step in and enjoy their new role for now? I really doubt it!

Website design By BotEap.comAnyway, you might have to forget about those basic FAQs and imagine that certain people can be randomly chosen and not even personally or officially informed about this procedure. Does that seem to be the big shot?

Website design By BotEap.comHow can you really ensure that the project team consists of ‘Mr./Mrs. Right or Mr./Mrs. Perfect’? Sometimes you have to make decisions that are definitely not to everyone’s liking, but for ultimate business success, “beggars have no choice” anyway.

Website design By BotEap.comDue to the mammoth size of the entire project with its vast majority of consultants already involved, it goes without saying that each department is doomed to provide an adequate number of qualified representatives. This selected group is supposed to symbolize the ‘elite of SAP practical users’ who are in charge for a certain period of time.

Website design By BotEap.comSo you better be careful and accept your role, which requires deep respect, tolerance for mistakes, and honest comfort with your level of frustration. Somehow we could differentiate between enthusiastic volunteers and forward-thinking pioneers who are among the expert group.

Website design By BotEap.comEventually, there is a question to be resolved: who is going to win the race? Will the pioneers be the long-term gifted visionaries? Dilbert is actually referring to a figurehead who should be linked to the organization. However, he suggests reflecting on the fine line between participation and mockery.

Website design By BotEap.comNow let’s assume, just for simplicity, that a group of trusted and loyal colleagues have committed to the project.

Website design By BotEap.comHowever, we must also trust the right boss so that our results are duly supported throughout the process.

Website design By BotEap.comHere we go: this is a brilliant survey of some potential ‘boss types’ to help you find your favorite CEO; Single features or mixed combinations are allowed by any means:

Website design By BotEap.comThis is a brief synopsis of all the different types of bosses mentioned by Dilbert:
Hostage Taker – Traps you in your cubicle and speaks up to your ears.
Fraud: Nod vigorously to simulate understanding.
Motivational Liar: Has no idea what you do, but says you’re the best.
Over-hyped: Attempts to mask incompetence with poor communication.
Weasel: He takes credit for your hard work.
Moses: Perpetually awaits clear signs from on high.
Perfect Boss: Died of natural causes on a Thursday afternoon.

Website design By BotEap.comNow take your time and take a guess to choose the definition of your boss. May this helpful reference support you properly! I would really be interested in getting feedback on the various options in the departments in real life.

Website design By BotEap.comAnyway, the goose that lays the eggs is cooked, meaning all the vital members of the team have been chosen by luck and the decision makers are ready to take on the music.

Website design By BotEap.comRoles and Tasks

Website design By BotEap.comIn fact, the probability of success depends on the need for well-defined roles and a wide range of mandatory tasks that must be fulfilled regularly.

Website design By BotEap.comIt goes without saying that the role of the boss is supposed to be (come) the most vital part regarding the progress of the project. This is mainly due to the fact that he/she is the one in charge of handling a lot of paperwork as I have vividly experienced in my employer; signing tons of paper turns out to be a murder confession despite his need to comply with the records. Once you’re done, you can still take a closer look at that file.

Website design By BotEap.comHis role is officially called the ‘process owner’; You basically have the responsibility of keeping up with the project in terms of deadlines, avoiding motivational gaps in teams, and nurturing trust and honest belief.
However, some misunderstandings can arise regarding the justification of its function: you have to be careful about the difference of ‘clever’, ‘damned’ and ‘dumb’ based on Dilbert’s experience.

Website design By BotEap.comOne lesson to be learned is how to acquire the prerequisites for leadership and how to perceive this role according to all kinds of circumstances; Recognizing the right time for a well-deserved promotion is a must, particularly since after various evaluations, the job tends to match up to people’s talents. As Dilbert cleverly concludes, “Leadership is nature’s way of weeding morons out of the pipeline.”

Website design By BotEap.comAlso, don’t forget to literally inhale the essence of leadership in the way Dilbert puts it: “You’re supposed to make superficial claims about how good the company is and then hope something lucky happens and profits go up.”

Website design By BotEap.comHowever, due to the multitasking requirements in our business world, we have to differentiate between the so-called “thought leader” and the “team leader”, which is always closely related to the CEO level.

Website design By BotEap.comI guess being a team leader is like floating “in the clouds”, don’t you think?

Website design By BotEap.comDilbert sums it up beautifully like this: “I have responsibility, but no authority. I feel like an animal in a study of involved behavior.”

Website design By BotEap.comTo make ends meet, I must not fail to mention the role of the ‘lead business of the group’, whose role is to serve as a ‘red thread’ between the finance departments and the process owner.

Website design By BotEap.comIt could work like this as Dilbert says: “I started by reasoning that everything I don’t understand is easy to do.”

Website design By BotEap.comIn addition, we have other interesting and challenging roles, such as:
Program Management: This group is made up of several VIP’s from the consulting team who are supposed to professionally accompany the project through the management of distribution lists, vacation plans, invitations, agendas, and all kinds of agendas.
I’d like to mention a well-proven example from Dilbert that can certainly occur in many companies: “Your task is terribly difficult and probably unnecessary. If you need me, I’ll complain about you to your boss.”
In this context, could the notion of ‘fast track manager’ who has no real experience be considered accordingly?

Website design By BotEap.comBasically, the boss’s job is to determine the perfect range of team members, as long as they are fully aware of the importance of their ‘physical treasures’ – receiving the title of ‘project team’s most valuable asset’ definitely feels good to less than the factor of money turns out to be the main treasure.

Website design By BotEap.comHere is a ‘handy way’ on how to proceed in this regard; Why not relate to the famous Myers-Briggs personality types? According to Dilbert, it works like this: “If you don’t have a personality, HR will assign you one. It may be that we need a quiet, goofy guy to pair with an outgoing thinker.”

Website design By BotEap.comWith this knowledge under control, the following team structure has been established:
User password [KU]: The key user basically represents the classic SAP user who is an essential part of the test team. These people are considered the first level contact persons for the business in the long term. In fact, there is a differentiation between the daily user (SAP), the key user (SAP) and, last but not least, the power user (SAP), whose main task is to monitor and evaluate the process after the date ‘Go Life’ limit. Surprisingly, I have not yet come across a so-called hyperuser (SAP), which would fit perfectly into this routine.

Website design By BotEap.comUser Main Speaker/Spokespersons [KUS]: This special function has been implemented in order to maintain a cross-current based communication between the business and the program management. Therefore, the ‘KUS’ is assumed to be a link pin without any directive rights. This makes the importance of this role quite challenging, but almost impossible to decently meet the needs and requirements of all the people involved.

Website design By BotEap.comBusiness Coordinator [BC]: Last but not least, I must emphasize the role of the business coordinator. In fact, the entire project was built around two such good roles, one for each subproject unit. Through this dual-structure strategy, the intention to achieve and even maintain continuous, rigorous and up-to-date communication and coordination should have been taken for granted. The most essential task of the ‘BC’ was to be ready immediately if the mere hint of any kind of conflict disturbed the progress of the project. The general notion is called escalation and I can tell you that there have been a lot of those difficult meetings throughout the process. It sometimes seemed to me like a real ‘conflict tourism’ that had taken place within our hallowed halls of daily wisdom.

Website design By BotEap.comEventually, figuring out the ideal team structure turns out to be the real test of the pudding. Anyway, there should be challenges, but there are no problems!
This sensitive issue basically becomes a real challenge for many employees once such a large project has been committed. Do you seriously know how the mandatory selection process works?

Website design By BotEap.comDisclaimer – All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real people, living or dead, is purely coincidental. This writing has adult content. Reader discretion is requested. Since I have used excerpts or parts of other people’s works for reference purposes, I would like to give credit to the author, Scott Adams, respectively.

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