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
Nebraskas 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, its 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>
Cant 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 / Chief Information
Associate VP Officer

Chief Business
Director Officers / Steering
Associate CIO
Administrative Committee
Systems Group

Administrative
BASIS Team
Systems Business Customer
Team: Support Team

Finance Change
Applications/
Management
Projects/FM ABAP Team
Communication
Human Resources
Documentation Information
Payroll Access/
Training Business
Procurement/ Warehouse
Travel Team

Workflow
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 schools experience

Loren Blinde
University of Nebraska
327 Nebraska Hall
Lincoln, NE 68588-0521
402-472-7023
lblinde@nebraska.edu