Post-Implementation
Organization & Support
Loren Blinde
Director, Administrative Systems Group
Session Objectives


An appreciation of issues that new
customers and recent go-live projects
will face with the long-term support
and enhancement of their SAP
systems
An opportunity for established
customers to share their experience
Session Topics

Why ongoing support is an issue
What a support team does
Considerations in organizing a team
Nebraska’s experience

Open audience discussion



Why Support is an Issue>
Institutional Culture



ERP system is likely a new thing
The Business <> Technical
relationship has changed
There is a NEW business role
Why Support is an Issue>
Go-Live Psychology



The finish-line is system go-live
Management expectation of
completion
User expectation of a finished product
Why Support is an Issue>
“We want our people back!”



The ERP project was a short-term
assignment
Many team members are drafted from
your Business offices
They are also your best people for
system support
Why Support is an Issue>
Money


You budgeted for the maintenance
agreement
Did you plan for the human side?
Your Challenge>
Create a reality-based
management perspective of
system support

– Identify what support teams do
– Consider your institutional factors
– Look at peer models
What Support Teams Do>
Maintenance Tasks






Major upgrades
Service packs
Problem solving
Security administration
Workflow administration
Archiving
What Support Teams Do>
Common Business Tasks


Support the business offices
Centralized processes
–
–
–
–

Tax reporting (US 1099 & W-2)
Financial closing
Payroll
Payment runs
Data manipulation
– Mass changes
– Data loads

Ad-hoc report creation
What Support Teams Do>
Tend to the Users




Training
Documentation
Change Management &
Communication
Internal Influence Channels
What Support Teams Do>
Continuous Improvement

New initiatives and more SAP
Accountability to senior management
Priority setting - consensus building
Product evaluation and acquisition
Process redesign
License management

Define a priority setting process !





What Support Teams Do>
Stay Smart





Networking
Project team training
Keeping up with SAP
Advocacy and Influence
CRM
(Consultant Relationship Management)
What Support Teams Do>
Marketing

Publicity & Promotion

Internal Marketing – Selling SAP
Build a Support Team





Consider your organization
Build the right team structure
Find the right people
Create the right work environment
Create the right relationships
Build a Support Team>
Consider your Organization

Single or multiple-campuses?

Administratively centralized?

One size does not fit all
Build a Support Team>
The Right Team Structure




Define the Business > IT Relationship
Define subject-oriented business
positions
Obtain executive sponsorship, write it
down and make it official
Make the team “entity-independent”
Build a Support Team>
Entity-Independent?





Yes, it’s political
An issue for multi-campus universities
Your implementation was “one for all”
Ongoing support works the same way
Look at the corporate “home office”
model
Build a Support Team>
Find the Right People

Desired traits:
– Knows SAP
– Knows your institution
– Knows your implementation

The perfect fit
– Your implementation team member ?

View it as new position recruitment
Find the Right People>
“Can’t They Just do Two Jobs?”





The inevitable compromise for “We
want our people back”
The “old job” still needs to be done
The “new system” still needs support
Somehow the “old job” got done
The rest of your people just got better
Build a Support Team>
The right work environment




System integration requires team
integration
One team – one location
Keep the team visible
Become welcome and familiar faces in
the business offices
Build a Support Team>
The Right Relationships


Team Manager <> Executive Admin
Team Manager <> IT Manager

Team Members <> Team Members
Team Members <> IT Staff
Team Members <> Business Offices

Change Management <> End Users


The Nebraska Time Line





Late 1997 – Begin Implementation (3.1H)
July 1999 – Go Live (4.5B)
Late 1999 – Implementation team fades away
2000 – the “Virtual Team” year
2001 – Administrative Systems Group formed
The Nebraska Organization
Chief Financial Officer /
Associate VP
Director
Administrative
Systems Group
Administrative
Systems Business
Team:
Finance
Chief Information
Officer
Chief Business
Officers / Steering
Committee
Customer
Support Team
Change
Management
Projects/FM
Associate CIO
BASIS Team
Applications/
ABAP Team
Communication
Human Resources
Documentation
Payroll
Training
Procurement/
Travel
Workflow
Information
Access/
Business
Warehouse
Team
Closing Thoughts





Preserve your project momentum
Keep your key people
Find a way to do it
Some will question if you can afford it
Can you afford not to?
Now YOU Talk . . .


Questions
Other school’s experience
Loren Blinde
University of Nebraska
327 Nebraska Hall
Lincoln, NE 68588-0521
402-472-7023
lblinde@nebraska.edu