SAP Implementation Unleashed: A Business and Technical Roadmap to Deploying SAP

SAP Implementation Unleashed

A Business and Technical Roadmap to Deploying SAP

George W. Anderson

Charles D. Nilson

Tim Rhodes

SAP can help you capture better information and deliver it more quickly, allowing you to make better decisions and maximize the business value of everything you do. However, SAP implementations require massive effort, total buy-in, and significant change throughout the organization. In SAP Implementation Unleashed, 10 expert SAP project managers, functional consultants, and technologists guide you through the entire journey, helping you avoid pain and pitfalls and gain all the benefits of SAP.

The authors introduce start-to-finish business, technical, and project management roadmaps for successful SAP implementation. Then, drawing on their immense experience, they walk you through the entire process of planning and deployment-addressing make-or-break issues and hidden gaps that other guidebooks ignore. You'll discover how to employ processes, models, and toolsets that help you achieve implementation excellence while systematically reducing cost and business risk. Along the way, you'll find actionable advice and real-world insight into innovative project management, best-suited leadership, effective load testing, contemporary infrastructure implementation, and more.

George W. Anderson is responsible for providing enterprise applications thought leadership for the EDS/HP office of the CTO. A long-time SAP consultant and PMI-certified project manager, George has authored several best-selling books and enjoys new challenges.

Charles D. Nilson is a senior program manager for EDS/HP and has led many successful SAP implementation teams over the years. He is a PMI PMP and is SAP Partner Academy certified in MM and PP.

Tim Rhodes is a senior SAP technical consultant for EDS/HP and a Basis/infrastructure veteran focused on implementing, migrating, and upgrading SAP Business Suite and NetWeaver solutions. Tim is also an SAP-certified technical consultant, OCP, MCSE, and HP Master ASE.

Detailed Information on How To...

• Define the business vision driving your implementation, and use it to design your solution
• Use TCO techniques to fully understand SAP's financial impact in your organization
• Structure your SAP project management office, business teams, technical support organization, and overall project team
• Size, plan, and test your SAP infrastructure to deliver the best performance and availability at the best cost
• Integrate SAP into an SOA environment
• Install and configure SAP Business Suite and NetWeaver components
• Perform basic functional configuration, testing, and change management activities
• Enable a smooth transition by successfully performing the critical tasks that immediately precede
• SAP Go-Live
• Choose the right mix of tools and applications to test, manage, and monitor SAP
• Prepare your SAP Operations team for its post-implementation responsibilities

Category: Databases

Covers: SAP

User Level: Beginner-Intermediate-Advanced

George W. Anderson is the Chief Strategist for EDS, an HP Company, providing enterprise applications, thought leadership, and strategic direction on behalf of the Office of the CTO. An avid writer, technologist, student, and speaker, George lives near Houston, Texas, with his wife and three children. George is a certified SAP Technical Consultant, PMI PMP, HP Master ASE, and more, and holds one of several technical editor positions for SAP Professional Journal. An SAP consultant for 12 years and IT professional for more than two decades, George has had the privilege of working on numerous implementations, upgrades, computing platform migrations, infrastructure refresh and performance optimization projects, and other enterprise consulting engagements. You can reach him at george.anderson@hp.com.

Charles D. Nilson, Jr., is a Senior Program Manager for EDS, an HP Company. Charles lives near Chicago, Illinois, with his family and has held various SAP project management, program management, and consulting roles. Across a 14-year SAP career, Charles has had the pleasure of working on numerous projects and programs, managing multicultural teams and supporting scores of successful SAP implementations across four continents. With industry knowledge spanning electronics, consumer products, pharmaceutical, and discrete manufacturing companies, Charles is a PMI PMP and is SAP Partner Academy certified in MM and PP. He also holds a Certificate in Integrated Supply Chain Management from MIT and a bachelor’s of science in business administration from Elmhurst College in Illinois. An avid sportsman (favorites include kayaking, golfing, hunting, and camping), you can contact Charles at charles.nilson@hp.com.

Tim Rhodesis a Senior Technical Consultant for EDS, an HP Company. He resides in Houston, Texas, with his wife and three children and enjoys reading and conquering steep learning curves. Tim is an eight-year Basis and SAP infrastructure veteran focused on implementing, migrating, and upgrading SAP components and has been working in the information technology field for more than 17 years. An SAP-certified Technical Consultant, Oracle Certified Professional, Microsoft MCSE, and HP Master ASE, Tim recently received his MBA and is a coauthor of the popular Teach Yourself SAP in 24 Hours, Third Edition. You can reach him at tim.rhodes@hp.com.

Andreas Jenzer is a Principal Consultant with 11 years of SAP experience spanning the entire SAP systems lifecycle. A proud recent father of twins, Andreas consults to executivelevel technology leaders on behalf of HP. He currently focuses on Business Technology Optimization solutions for SAP environments. Andreas is a graduate engineer in information technology and holds a master’s degree in service management. Andreas and his family reside in Boulder, Colorado; he may be reached at andreas.jenzer@hp.com.

Sachin Kakade is a Senior Solution Architect and Functional Consultant for HP specializing in enterprise applications such as SAP. He has 17 years of total experience with the manufacturing industry and with SAP implementations, specializing in Supply Chain Management, Business Intelligence, and ERP solutions. Sachin is a certified SAP PP and SAP APO Demand and Supply Planning consultant, and he has provided application configuration, business process reengineering, and architectural solutions for more than a dozen customers. He holds a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pune and a diploma in Business Management. Sachin is an outdoor enthusiast and engages in a variety of activities, such as painting acrylic landscapes, playing soccer, and hiking with his family. He can be contacted at sachin.kakade@hp.com.

Jeff Davis is an Independent Enterprise IT Architect and SAP Basis Consultant who lives in Houston, Texas, with his wife and son. With 15 years in information technology and more than 10 years specializing in SAP, Jeff has worked as a Senior Basis/NetWeaver Architect on large SAP implementations throughout the United States, including international and public sector projects. While SAP consulting is his career, Jeff will tell you that his real passions are knowing Christ more and enjoying time with his family. You can reach Jeff at jeff.davis2@hp.com.

Dr. Parag Doshi, Heather Hillary, Veeru Mehta, and Bryan King contributed significantly to SAP Implementation Unleashedas well, sharing their unique expertise and experience in SAP-related fields as diverse as SOA, project leadership, functional configuration, sizing/architecture, enterprise applications implementation preparation, achieving operational excellence, and more. As seasoned consultants, practice principals, and project managers, their real-world implementation lessons learned added a valuable “in the trenches” dimension to SAP Implementation Unleashed.