SAP Programme Discipline, how Command and Control enables delivery success
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SAP Programme Discipline, how Command and Control enables SAP delivery success
From a rambling mind, written on the London Tube
The number one way to ensure a successful SAP business transformation programme is to instill programme discipline orchestrated through the art of command and control from the get go, ouch 😩 sounds painful
Why is this so important,
The Art of War is often seen as the playbook to successful transformation, it isn’t because implementing SAP isn’t the same as fighting a war….(more on that)
But it does stress the importance of getting the best out of the number one commodity consumed by the generals for meat grinder to follow, and for a SAP programme people are the number one risk.
PEOPLE….
People matter:
So much so that they are the critical success factor on any programme
I spend most of my time in the trenches doing SAP delivery turn around, and what I see time and time again is really good people from both the SI and the customer put into a really difficult situation, often leading to burn out and worse.
A programmes success is often simply down to the way its resources are marshalled, nurtured and shielded from the toxicity arising from a poorly calibrated programme.
This is where command control enabled discipline is a 🏆 winner.
We often talk about the shock a SAP programme has on the organisation and go to great lengths to mitigate it,
But organisations often overlook the shock and impact joining a hot 🥵 SAP programme causes individual team members.
More often than not business resources whether SMEs or from the COE are asked to support the programme and continue to do their day job.
There is a very basic rule in ERP universe which states the programme will run at the speed of the business.
By the time I arrive its normally far too late in the day or impractical to seek business backfill so its critically important as part of the command and control exercise to:
identify all business resource dependencies
align to a detailed business resource RACI linked to deliverables and the plan
develop a business resource heat map showing
Redefine the critical path so it’s clearly running at the speed of the business
recalibrate your SI to the new reality and question why neither SAP or the SI took onboard clear resource constraints during phase zero
put in place the mechanism to identify burnout and to mitigate, every business resource on the programme should have an identified substitute.
put in place resource monitoring and follow up loops, by simply asking "how are you" how can we help will positively benefit both the resource and programme alike.
Governance is enabled by command and control
Good Governance = Good Command and control = a disciplined programme
Command and Control is more than just reporting and endless steercos; command and control must run through every element of the programme, its holistic and agnostic and encompasses the total transformation undertaking and it guarantees success 🏆
So what does command and control mean ?
Programme command and control refers to the exercise of authority and direction by the designated programme lead over all holistic elements of the programme, essentially all caps badges, in the successful accomplishment (delivery) of the programme. It involves planning, organizing, coordinating, directing, and controlling all elements of the programme to achieve the expected required outcomes. Command and control structures vary depending on the size and nature of the programme, but they typically involve communication, decision-making , risk management, monitoring, and the allocation of resources.
So no splitting the programme into separate IT and business silos / programmes !!!! One team one leader, get over the politics do what’s right for colleagues and investors not egos.
Command and Control is enabled by an appropriate programme organisation structure, clear RACI and embedded PMO.
You need discipline to
- get a blueprint singed off
- UAT completed on time
- data cleansed ready for ETL
- an organisation trained
- cutover complete
- exit hyper-care on time
So good programme disciple starts at the top with the onboarding of the Programme SRO and Sponsors, establishing their commitment and obligation to the success of the programme as well as the all-important "why" are we doing this.
And here is my real beef with the Art of War comparison …….
The construct that on time, on budget, full scope delivered is a hard ask is wholly incorrect.
Delivering any form of SAP transformation programme will be a difficult undertaking but wholly achievable when enabled by "programme discipline".
It means the organisations obligation's to success are understood and funded.
It means doing the right things at the right time, with the programme running at the speed of the organisation, the programme must be in-tune with the organisational drum beat.
Most SAP programmes are multi matrix so it's essential that dependency and obligation governance across the matrix is maintained with absolute diligence..... A plan without dependencies identified is worthless.
It means having a shared sprit de corp, a shared sense of why the programme is important, to rally to the flag when times are difficult.
It's easy to quote "no plan lasts...." as a get out of jail for constant slip and descope but this quote is misplaced.
Essentially in war you simply can’t control what comes next, you can model how you wish to execute your campaign, but you cant control what happens next
But implementing a SAP transformation programme is not a military conflict, the analogy falls totally flat, back to Sun Tzu who I love,
In fact implementing SAP is highly quantifiable and commoditised, every element of scope can be interrogated through the following optics
time
resource
cost
complexity
risk and contingency
So the risk of failure should be relatively low if you are able to identify the totality of the undertaking
So why the high failure rate of SAP Programmes ? Lack of governance and good command and control discipline
I was asked by Jonathan Whipple to nominate an individual that had a material impact on your career, for me it was Steve Elsey Axon Programme director responsible for the Kraft Europe rollout in 2002/3, I used to sit in awe watching him and Alex Anderson orchestrate a flawless delivery, the level of command and control was jaw dropping, but that’s how Axon used to roll.
So Dragon ERP is an old school SAP SI, we have a crush 😻 on how Mark Hunters old Axon used to operate, they did one thing really well, delivering SAP transformation, even their business change approach has stood the test of time.
Dragon have taken the old school approach including command and control and have refined it with our own Plug and Play innovation methodology with target operating model design at its core.
Enabled by Enterprise Design based upon #Togaf enabled by SAP #LeanIX and #Signavio. IT service design based upon #ITIL. SAP Cloud Implementation methodology enabled by SAP #Activate enriched by Dragon with our own accelerators, underpinned by a robust business change methodology.
So if you want SAP delivery success think strong leadership, absolute subject matter expertise in the total transformation undertaking with command and control discipline built into the DNA of the programme.
Dragon ERP provides SAP delivery leaders that have command and control discipline engrained in their DNA, that’s how you can guarantee success. CIO's is it time to Upgrade 🛠 your SAP S/4HANA solution ?
Dragon ERP, A SAP Target Operating model Innovation Integrator , changing the way organisations unlock the value of their SAP investment.
If you want to know more about how SAP is changing and how Dragon ERPs Plug and Play transformation methodology unlocks accelerated benefit realisation then contact a Dragon today.
https://dragonerp.co.uk/contact-us
About the Author:
Alisdair Bach, Dragon ERP Co-founder is a SAP mentor and influencer with over 33 years’ experience in shaping the SAP journey for the global 2,000.