Your SAP Business One Partner Checklist
Choosing the right SAP Business One Partner for Implementation and Support
Implementing SAP Business One or considering your on-going support options for SAP Business One? Either way, the SAP Business One software solution is only part of the answer. You also need to choose the right SAP Business One implementation and support partner. The question that is often asked is – “aren’t all implementation partners and support agreements the same?” No – the commercials and delivery in terms of initial implementation and on-going support varies from one SAP Business One partner to the next. Let me share with you a checklist that might help with your selection process:
Geography – does the SAP Business One partner have offices, implementation team members and other customers in your state or territory? Whilst not the most important factor when considering your SAP Business One partner, both implementation and support are made easier if your SAP Business One partner is local.
Industry experience – this is particularly relevant if you are in an industry that has regulatory or specific requirements not easily catered for with a standard implementation of SAP Business One – or any other ERP solution. Implementation and support is easier if your SAP Business One partner has dealt with similar requirements before. Repeatability reduces price and risk. If your implementation of SAP Business One is similar to other, local implementations, you will reduce the required investment and the risk of budget / scope creep.
Team – one of the most important factors when going through the pros and cons associated with your choice of SAP Business One implementation or support partner. A senior, experienced SAP Business One consultant makes all the difference – I can’t overstate this. Spend time interviewing not only your potential implementation / support partner but also the individual team members that will be working on your implementation or support. This includes – project managers, support consultants, technical consultants, developers, functional consultants (finance, operations, service, distribution, manufacturing and e-commerce).
Project management – what level of project management does your implementation and support partner offer? You are not simply looking for an implementation partner that follows a particular SAP B1 implementation methodology for project management – you want more than that – does the style and culture of the project manager suite your business?
Development experience – even if you have limited or no initial requirement for development or integration work I still recommend that you consider development a factor in your SAP Business One partner selection process. At some point in time it is highly likely that you will require integration, development or even simple data imports / exports. Ensuring that your SAP Business One partner has the relevant SAP SDK and SAP B1i development experience will avoid any disappointment later.
3rd party experience – similar to the notes above (development experience), find out which 3rd party applications your SAP Business One partner has experience with. Consider e-commerce, EDI and other SAP accredited solutions (AP automation and expense management as examples).
Reporting solutions expertise – very important. It never ceases to amaze me that companies implement an ERP solution and don’t pay attention to the reporting. SAP Business One offers multiple different standard reports, reporting tools and options. Make sure your implementation partner has report writing experience relevant to SAP Business One. It is also an advantage if your SAP B1 partner has pre-designed reporting formats (written for other customers) that you can leverage for your business. No need to re-invent the wheel.
Total number of SAP Business One team members – strength in numbers – the larger SAP Business One partners tend to have the more stable, experienced teams and are able to offer more specialized service (report writing teams, HANA experience etc.).
Number of years’ experience – the partners that have been implementing SAP Business One for several years (ten plus) should be able to offer you a more complete out the box solution. This is based on the fact that these partners have most likely implemented 200 plus implementations over that time period. This reduces risk, reduces budget required to implement and helps provide a more complete solution.
Nature of support agreement – not all support agreements are the same. Check what is included in your support agreement. Items to consider include: support desk, software updates and upgrades, ongoing training, account management. Don’t only look at the relevant agreement. Ask to interview support staff and review support procedures.
Company culture – your overall experience when implementing (or supporting) your SAP Business One solution will be driven by many factors (as listed above). Don’t ignore company culture. It is important that the company culture and values of your SAP support and implementation partner matches yours.
Type of implementation engagement – when implementing SAP Business One take some time to consider the implementation approach being recommended by your implementation partner. Is the implementation fixed price (based on a scope of works) or “do and charge”? Has a comprehensive scope of works been completed?
SAP Business One Cloud – even if your current or planned implementation of SAP Business One is not in the cloud, make sure your implementation partner has the relevant SAP Business One cloud experience. At some point in the next few years (possibly when looking to replace existing servers / infrastructure) you will consider SAP Business One Cloud. Make sure your SAP B1 partner is ready to take that journey with you.
Technical experience – a lot of your post go live consultancy and support requirement will be technical in nature. Think data imports, integrating 3rd party solutions, report writing and cloud. Make sure your SAP partner has the relevant technical experience.
The good news is that, in the world of SAP Business One, you (the customer) has choice. You can choose a partner that is right for your business – for implementation and on-going support.
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