4 Skills Necessary to Become a Successful SAP Manager
Many companies treat SAP as an ordinary IT project and not as a tool that can change their entire business process. Because of this, many SAP implementation projects fail even before they can be utilized by the company. For this reason, having an SAP manager with good management skills is essential when implementing SAP integration for your company.
Becoming an effective SAP manager, however, is challenging. Not only do you have to be knowledgeable about the software, but you also have to properly train your team in using it. Fortunately, by focusing on the following skills, you can grow into a successful SAP manager your company can count on.
Here’s a short list of important qualities every successful SAP manager should have.
- Can Highlight the Software’s Importance
It was mentioned earlier that a lot of organizations don’t give enough attention to their SAP software requires. As such, it’s your job to help change your company’s attitude towards your project. You need to highlight the advantages of a well-maintained SAP system and how it can leave a positive impact on the business’s communication and supply chain management.
To help back up the claims, you need to show up to the meetings prepared. You can do this by gathering enough data to show how SAP has increased the business’s productivity and efficiency. You can also explain the software’s other functions like how it can track a brand’s sales progress and its ability to record accurate data in real-time.
- Can Anticipate and Handle Problems Accordingly
The process of implementing SAP isn’t always perfect, so you have to be ready for the potential problems your project will encounter. Some issues you may face include the following:
- Tuning the system to suit the company’s goals
- Handling large amounts of data
- Generating poor data quality
To prevent these problems from getting out of hand, you need to be pro-active and take a few steps ahead to anticipate them. It helps to familiarize yourself with the company’s goals and strategies to ensure that the software works for your business. You should also make it a habit to follow up with the people involved in the implementation to know how they’re handling their side of the project. Additionally, you need to be able to adapt to change and take time to solve minor issues to avoid reducing team productivity.
- Can Effectively Distribute Tasks
Before you and your team start implementing your SAP project, you have to make sure that everyone knows their tasks. You need to be clear about each of the members’ responsibilities, so it’ll be easier to communicate with one another.
- Knows How to Establish a Positive Work Environment
Due to SAP’s complexity, it’s easy for your team to lose interest in their work or to get stressed out. If your project is operated by unmotivated individuals, the software will lose its momentum in helping your company grow. For this reason, it’s in your best interest to establish a positive work environment. When you’re able to create a space that makes employees feel valued, it’ll raise their morale and boost their performance.
Taking on SAP implementation is tough, but good management will spell the difference between success and failure. By developing the skills mentioned above, you’ll certainly gain the necessary traits to become an effective SAP manager for your company.
