The customer currently use a separate accounts package and different system for CRM. There are a number of Excel documents in use for various functions and we are looking to incorporate all processes and functions within SAP Business One Version 9.0 (Ramp Up) to unify business processes and increase business visibility with a focus on reporting and increasing sales activity.

The company have adopted Prince2 as a project management methodology and we are working to a tailored version for this project. This will be a step by step sequence showing what is done in each stage of the project and I hope it is a useful guide for anyone looking at an IT upgrade in the future themselves. By managing your own internal project team you will have control of how the system looks and functions, you will also keep a tight control on budget and timescales meaning there is more chance of an on time, on budget Go Live rather than letting your SAP partner have full control.

Back in October 2012 the company created a simple Project Mandate document stating why they needed to amalgamate all functions in to one system and stated they would be looking at 3 solutions over the coming months. The Mandate also stated the expected benefits and very basic costs of an IT upgrade. After the software demonstrations it was decided that SAP Business One would be the preferred choice as the business intended to grow and wanted a future proof system capable of growing with the business.

Once the decision was made, the company set up a Project Team to include Senior User, Senior Supplier, Executive and Project Manager. For the purposes of this project I am the Project Manager and also Senior Supplier as I’m best placed to manage the relationship with the integration partner. At this stage I took over running the project on behalf of the Project Board and a Project Brief was created. This detailed an outline business case, reasons for doing the project and a list of benefits to be achieved in a set timescale. We also nominated team leaders in sales, administration, finance and warehouse who will be involved in aspects of the project. A meeting was held with all members of the Project Board agreeing to commit to the project, budgets were assigned including a sum for contingency and we set a date with the SAP integration partner to run a kick off meeting.

From an internal aspect it is important to know and map what we do now so we began a series of white boarding sessions to map the As Is process flows.

These process flows are all numbered and saved in the project folder for review and change as we design the To Be state further down the line.

During this process it is important to keep control of the Change Management aspect of the project, it is easy to forget that the users may not like change and the fear of unknown could harm the viability of the project. During this process mapping phase, it’s vital to reassure the users that change will be managed and controlled and that they will play a part in how the new processes work. It is also a good idea to ask the users how they feel they could work better, I found a number of people thought their process was long and included lots of duplication. Communication is very important throughout the project and I intend to update the users on a regular basis whilst also providing verbal / written highlight reports to the Board.

Once we move on to the next step of designing the system blueprint with new processes defined I will blog again.

As a person with very few academic qualifications myself, I know how important it is to “sell yourself” not just when looking for a job but as part of your day to day life. I am putting together a programme to work with a local school, offering advice to pupils who are not the best academics but still show potential in other areas and coaching them in these vital skills. Topics include: Resume / CV writing, basic job interview technique, relationship building, managing your on-line presence and some career advice. I will also be looking to use my network of contacts to offer me some help either in person or on line if appropriate.

If anyone feels they can contribute in any of these areas or another relevant topic I will be very grateful. This is not due to start until early 2013 so I have plenty of time to plan!

Please contact me on email if you have any suggestions.

Race day arrived and it was freezing cold, raining hard and VERY windy. Part of me was tempted to pull out but I was committed. I arrived at the race start with just enough time to find the baggage area, dump my stuff, strip off and head to the start line wearing my bin liner! The route to the start line was narrow and crowded with spectators making it impossible to find the correct start position. I didn’t stress, we all had Chips on our numbers to record our actual start and finish times.

The route took us passed Man United and round Trafford park, we then headed out down Chester Road towards Sale with the wind behind us. We enjoyed that while it lasted! The route snaked along through places like Timperley, Altrincham & Partington and I want to give a special thanks to all the spectators who came out in the terrible weather to cheer us on. It was appreciated!

We went through Dunham Massey and that was where the route got bad, a mile long stretch of mud and water it was impossible to avoid. The rain was coming at us from the side and it was absolutely horrendous. I don’t remember much about miles 16 – 23 only that I was wet, cold and just kept running!

The last 2 miles were hard but once again, the crowds were amazing and I needed all the Jelly Babies I was given! We neared the Stretford Arndale and then turned for home. The finishing straight was packed with supporters and really helped spur us on to the end. It felt so good to cross the line, put on a foil blanket and get my medal.

Now, where did I leave my bag? I won’t dwell on the subject as it has already been addressed but needless to say the baggage area lacked any sort of organisation. It didn’t spoil the day and I’m sure it will be better next year.

I finished in 4 hours 33 minutes. I want to thank the organisers and supporters and KJ for collecting me and bringing a flask of tea, cold sausages and a recovery shake!

Tim Guest - Manchester Marathon

 To comply with my own tips, the rest of this blog is posted on the SAP Community Network

Internet Connection: Most SME’s use ADSL for their internet connection; this is fine for non business critical use but you do not want to run your entire business on it. There are no Service Level Agreements in place with an ADSL line and if an external contractor accidentally cuts the cable your business could be without its operating system for hours / days / weeks, unable to process orders or function at all. Instead, get a quote for an Ethernet or Leased Line with guarantees in place for “Up Time”. I have heard stories of businesses ADSL lines being down for up to 10 days before!

Where is your data hosted?: If you are getting your ERP Partner to host your system, visit their Data Centre, ask questions about how they back up data and what plans they have in place for Disaster Recovery / Business Continuity. Get some references from their existing customers about their levels of response and how much down time they have experienced. If you are looking at a Cloud Provider who lease data centres all over the world, find out where your data will actually be hosted, will you have your own dedicated server or will your data be spread around the globe on a number of different servers?

Get a guarantee or price fix: Let’s say you choose a Hosted ERP solution; you agree on the monthly license price, migrate your data and start using the system. Everything is great but what happens if they then increase the price by 100% in year 2? It’s improbable but not impossible. I have heard stories like this and if you don’t pay, they simply switch off your system until you do pay.

Check out the Profit / Loss of the Hosted ERP Provider: This is important, if you choose a supplier who are not profitable or enter financial difficulties, what will happen to your data / ERP solution if they cease trading? SAP offer Hosted Business One and also the ByDesign product. SAP’s turnover for 2011 was $14Bn and they are in their 40^th year of trading so they are a pretty safe bet!

Consider the resilience of communication between your site and the internet: Loss of communication can disable any business trading so it’s often recommended that you install Firewalls with a failover for added security. Ask you partner for a quote and evaluate the risk of not doing this.

As a conclusion we often, most companies who are looking at a Hosted / Cloud solution are thinking of reducing the TCO. Evaluate how much a new server is going to cost and how long this will last. Look at the ongoing maintenance costs of an on site solution and compare this with the Hosted system. Finally, if you are simply looking to reduce the Capital Expenditure then it may be worth asking your partner about a Finance Deal on the On Premise solution.

Hosted and Cloud is a great way to go but it is not right for everyone.

I’ve tried various sports recovery / protein drinks in the past with mixed results but I was encouraged to try For Goodness Shakes by a few people so I thought I would give it a go. Being one for self promotion and PR I contacted their CEO and explained what I was doing. They kindly obliged by letting me have the products at a discount and also sent me some T Shirts etc (Photo’s to follow) so thank you FGS! Here is the review as promised.

I have been using the For Goodness Shakes 72g powder sachets in Vanilla and Chocolate for three weeks and wanted to share my experiences. It has been designed to provide a 3:1 ratio of Carbohydrate to Protein mix to aid sports recovery post work out. It contains Whey and Casein protein and delivers 6g of essential Amino Acids to aid muscle repair. The product also contains a special Vitamin & Mineral blend to aid metabolism and help with muscle regeneration and help the immune system. The product is suitable for Vegetarians.

Overall I am impressed with the taste and consistency of For Goodness Shakes, you are recommended to add 400ml of water but I only use about 350ml as I prefer a thicker consistency. The powder tips out of the special sachets easily and mixes in very quickly in my protein shaker style bottle and forms a smooth liquid with no lumps. Both Vanilla and Chocolate taste great unlike a number of other recovery drinks I have had!

After a long run / ride I have 1 shake immediately after and one shake two hours later. I used to get very stiff calf muscles and really tight quads but the shakes seem to have helped with this. I also found that I recover much quicker: My Ultra Marathon training requires me to run two runs in a 12 hour period and I really think For Goodness Shakes has helped with making this less painful.

A lot of my training is strength work in a gym using weights, as with the running / biking I find I am less stiff after training and (touch wood) have managed to avoid any strain injuries that I have been susceptible to in the past. This has meant I can increase the number of times I train and increase the intensity.

Overall I am very happy with For Goodness Shakes, the ingredients are pretty healthy and there are no E Numbers unlike other products. Why would you put “Sunset Yellow” in a sports drink? You know who you are!

One comment for FGS is to consider a Lactose Free version as there are plenty of athletes who are Lactose intolerant who can’t use this product.

I work for an SAP Business One re seller and have also been hands on with SAP Business ByDesign at the SAP InnoJam event in Madrid last year so I have a good idea myself on the key product differences. I have also been lucky enough to catch up with some key people within SAP to give their comments on the subject. I would like to thank Eric Duffaut (President of Global Ecosystems & Channels), Greg Chase (Senior Director, Marketing for SAP Business ByDesign) and John Appleby (SAP Business Analytics & Technology Lead at Bluefin Solutions) for their input.

Let’s first look at SAP Business One. B1 is a single integrated solution designed for small to mid sized companies from 5 – 100 users (although there is no upper limit). It incorporates Financials, Sales, Service, Purchasing, Stock Control, Manufacturing, CRM, Reporting and MS Office Integration. The core system is designed to work with a number of Complimentary Modules that offer additional functionality and sit within the core system rather than being separate bolt on’s. These are developed by third party organisations and can be accredited by SAP.

SAP Business One suits organisations in Wholesale Distribution, Manufacturing, Retail, eCommerce and Services. It is licensed on a per user basis and currently runs on a Microsoft SQL Server database although SAP Business One in The Cloud is planned for later in 2012 hosted via partners. The plan is for SAP B1 to run entirely on HANA in release 9.x – See my blog: SAP Business One to run on HANA

With over 35,000 installations worldwide, Business One is a very stable and affordable solution for businesses looking to enter in to the world of ERP Software. Organisations can benefit from some of the key functionality that has made SAP the Global Market Leader in ERP Software for a fraction of the cost of “Big SAP”.

John Appleby has been heavily involved with SAP HANA and had this to say: “B1 on HANA provides a very simple value proposition which will benefit every B1 customer: Simple affordable hardware, simplification of SAP and fantastic performance – plus no need for Microsoft or Oracle database licenses. Combined with the ability for B1 providers to provide Cloud solutions and licenses to customers, B1 strengthens its position in the SME ERP marketplace”

SAP Business ByDesign is a complete On Demand business solution aimed at mid sized companies. You pay for what you use and available modules include Financials, CRM, HCM, SCM, Project Management, SRM, Compliance Management and Executive Management. It is licensed on a per user per month basis and accessed though a web browser meaning the customer doesn’t need costly servers or internal IT support. As with any On Demand solution, you are entirely dependent on your internet connection so a Leased Line with service level agreements is recommended.

Greg Chase says: “ByDesign’s target market has shifted to larger companies as the feature set has filled out and scalability has been proven. We are seeing customers with user counts between 50 and 500. These kinds of companies also tend to be gazelles, growing and changing frequently, so better able to make use of the adaptability that is a design principle of ByDesign. Skull Candy and Pink Berry are two notable examples. ByDesign is highly focused on services companies, distributors, outsourced manufacturers, and subsidiaries of large companies that fit these parameters.”

So it seems both products have defined target markets with minimal cross over, this is what Eric Duffaut had to say on the subject: “SAP Business One, ByDesign and Business All-in-One are all successful SME solutions in which SAP continues to invest. SAP Business One is a complete ERP solution for small companies – available both on-premise or (new this year) through partners in The Cloud. SAP ByDesign is a complete suite for midsize companies in SAP’s Cloud and largely resold by partners. SAP Business All-in-One is primarily an on premise solution ideal for midsize companies with deep industry-specific or micro-vertical needs. Please see the below slide that does a nice job of graphically, and simply depicting this.

 In conclusion, SAP Business One is ideal for Small to Mid Sized companies needing an easy to use, customisable solution to meet their business needs. ByDesign is great for companies who are expanding rapidly or changing in their dynamic frequently and offers the flexibility of an On Demand solution. The released product roadmap for Business One is detailed and it will be very exciting to see how On Demand B1 and B1 on HANA are received in the marketplace. I also think 2012 will be a very exciting year for ByDesign as Cloud Solutions are accepted in the wider marketplace.

I would like to thank Eric Duffaut and Greg Chase for their time and input in to this blog and I’m sure they will answer any questions if you would like to leave a comment.

I’ve really increased my mileage and frequency of runs to the detriment of my legs! Have developed some sort of calf strain on both legs and now I’m struggling to even run 5 miles. I have seen my Podiatrist (same one as Wayne Rooney sees) and he’s building me some Orthotics to correct my running. Hopefully this will be sorted soon as The Wall Ultra is not far off! My Just Giving Page if you feel like donating.

• Join the SAP UK & Ireland User Group. The User Group has an active Business One section with over 30 members who meet for Special Interest Group seminars and network amongst each other. The User Group encourages its members to network, share stories about their SAP Partners and also to discuss common issues / scenarios within SAP Business One. The web site for the user group is: http://www.sapusers.org/become_member.php

•  The SAP Help Portal has a new look and feel and is full of information on the latest releases and common problem areas. This is a great place to start if you or your team are struggling with any of the SAP Business One functionality. The web site is: http://help.sap.com/businessone

•  The SAP Community Network is a great way to interact with other SAP Business One users throughout the world. There is a separate Business One Forum where you can post technical or functional questions, these will often be answered really quickly and finding out the solution yourself will help you learn more than if your partner simply does it for you. For the more social users you can actually start to post blogs on your experiences with SAP, how you think your partner fares in relation to your expectations and any business process related topics. The SAP Community Network can be found here: http://www.sdn.sap.com

•  But what can you do if you have a great idea for SAP and want it to be considered in future releases? SAP is constantly evolving and writing in extra functionality to its products, a lot of this comes from the users. They are “at the coal face” working with the system every day so SAP really do listen to ideas. You will also get a chance to view other ideas and vote on ones you like etc if you visit the SAP Ideas Place. Log in with your S User Number here: https://cw.sdn.sap.com

•  Social Media is a great way to network with other users and also SAP Professionals, a lot of Business One users are on Twitter but it would be great to build this network. When you Tweet about SAP Business One, be sure to use the Hash Tag #SAPB1. There is also a lot of online content on You Tube, I would suggest using The SAP Business One Evangelist, Richard Duffy’s Channel: http://www.youtube.com/duffyrichard You can search on any process within SAP Business One and there is usually some content to help you.

The important point to note is “You are not alone!” There are well over 1000 businesses like yours running SAP Business One and the best advice I can give is to get involved in the community, network around other users, discuss SAP, discuss the SAP Partners and help solve each other’s issues. The more people that get involved in the community the more you will get from it. If you’re current partner really is not up to the job then there are others who can support you. Contact the Head of SME Channels at SAP and explain you are not happy with your partner and they will recommend you another partner.

I hope you find this blog useful, for more information please email me.

I visit a lot of companies who are in the early stages of
looking for a new IT solution to “streamline the business” and “reduce man
hours on laborious processes”. In the majority of the initial meetings we spark
some internal customer debate on how they actually operate as a business. A lot
of SME’s simply operate in a way they have always operated in without much
thought about process. Some of them are highly profitable as well! This lack of
knowledge of internal process makes it very difficult to match any IT solution
to the business and get the employees to adopt it and use it.

My advice to any organisation looking at a new technology
solution is to take a look at the business and map out what you are actually
doing now down to a department and process level . This is called the “As Is”
Process. These don’t have to be done using any fancy modelling tool but just
enough to actually see who is involved in processes, look at authorisation
procedures and any document output. See an example of a customer “As Is”
process flow below. A lot of customers are actually very surprised at how long
and how many stages they have in a simple transactional process!

Once you have worked out how your business operates you then
have a basis with which to move forwards and design the “To Be” states along
with your integration partner. Most organisations take this opportunity to modify
and improve some business processes. We often hear the phrase from customers
“but we have always done it this way”. One of our Project Managers has a good
answer to that “If you always do what you’ve always done, you will always get
what you have always had” Basically if you want to move your business forward
and enhance your process then you need to be open to change. This change needs
to be “sold” to the business users so they understand the reason for change and
the benefit it will have on their day to day jobs.

Below is the “To Be” process flow of the same customer after
implementing SAP Business One and making some simplifications to the way they
work.

My point in all of this is, if you are a Small to Medium
Enterprise and have not mapped out the key processes of how your business works
on a daily basis then it’s a good idea to do this before looking at a new
Technology solution. It is also good to have an idea of where you want to get
to and what goals you are looking to achieve, this will give your internal team
and your SAP integration partner something to work towards. SAP Technology is great but if your own processes are outdated and defunct it’s not going to work. Process first Technology second!