SAP implementation

Why SAP implementation?

The specificity of BCC operations and a dynamic growth of the firm (in 1995-1999 a yearly income growth was at least 100%) required that operations be sorted by an IT system that would meet SNP needs, both those of today and those that may occur in a few years’ time.

The decision to choose SAP was a natural consequence of the fact that it is with success used by SNP clients. A very important SAP advantage is  practically unlimited possibility to adjust the system to various areas of operations. like service operations in a company that employs a few dozens of people.

Implementation objectives

Among the defined SAP implementation objectives in SNP were the following:

• Ensuring the support for dynamic company’s growth through obtaining the foundation for right decisions. That would be possible thanks to an access to all data concerning the company’s operations and implementing a flexible tool that would guarantee an efficient management of the expanding organization
• Increasing the sales efficiency through gathering data on commercial and marketing actions, statistic analysis of the causes of trade successes and failures, support for realizing procedures of the Quality Assurance System and reducing the amount of paper documents in the company to the necessary amount of legally required documents.

SAP implementation in SNP had also another aspect, namely training. Participation in the implementation in SNP was for many consultants, especially the young ones, an opportunity to gain new, unique experience that could later be used in projects performed for the clients and during an internal project of creating SPRINT – a preconfigured  SAP system for middle-sized businesses.

Implementation course

The implementation works lasted from March to October 1999, with the participation of over 20 SNP consultants. The productive start of the system was in January 2000, due to the beginning of a financial year. The following  SAP modules were implemented: FI – financial accounting, CO – controlling, PS – project management, MM – materials management, SD – sales and distribution, and HR – human resources management. Apart from standard SAP modules some special solutions were implemented that develop standard SAP functionality, like OPA (Audit Process Service).

To support service operations of a specific type, as consulting and training service, a unique solution was created and used. It consist of CO and PS modules of SAP developed by additional functions. The solution can be used in companies that have a similar model of selling consulting, counseling, training or legal  services.

The implementation in SNP was the first SAP project in a consulting company in Poland in which the system was used to manage and sell the employees’ work time.

SAP advantages

The biggest advantage of SAP implementation in  SNP was enabling planning, registration and profitability analysis of particular implementation projects on the basis of reliable and current data.

During projects the planned values (e.g. planned consultation days, own costs) are entered to SAP and later also real values (actual number of consultation days and actual costs). Thanks to SAP it is possible to create flexible reports, breaking down the planned and real values. On the basis of the system data on planned load on employees the commercial department may take right decisions to sell free resources.

In finance area SAP provides the tools for efficient generating and analyzing financial statements and planning budgets, registering transactions, analyses comparing a plan and a performance of budgets.

The system enables to register a history of client relations, recording inquiries, offers and contracts. SAP also allows to make a deep analysis of sale operations activity. Thanks to implementing MM module the chain purchase for own BCC needs and trade goods works better.

HR module enables managing human resources in the area of personal data, training, consultants’ participation in implementation projects, and in recruitment process.

SAPOffice application gives the access to office data such as collective agenda and enables a remote booking resources: premises, devises, machines and cars.

The OPA (Audit Process Support) application, created specially for SNP, integrated with SAP, supports Quality Assurance System (SZJ), including auditing and overview of SZJ, supervising the discrepancies, corrective and preventive actions.

In terms of the model of company’s operations it is especially important that the SNP employees have a remote access to SAP from any place in the world, with all the security measures.

An additional advantage from SAP implementation in  SNP is the fact that SNP employees had an opportunity to experience implementation from clients’ point of view. Thanks to that the consultants can easier understand and predict problems that arise at client companies during implementation.