SAP Analytics
Thought Leadership

We all played the old game “rock, paper, scissors” (aka Rochambeau) to settle a dispute or just for fun. Everyone knows the simple hierarchy that forms a path to victory - rocks crush scissors, paper covers a rock, but scissors cut paper. This is a lesson we learn as children, but such simple hierarchies of superiority can govern outcomes in professional life too.  

It’s that time again…no I’m not talking about Halloween; I mean something that can be even scarier – the dreaded Planning process! Ever feel like there’s a “Ghost in the Machine” haunting your users with poor performance and system instability?

Many organizations have a rough experience simply getting their planning solution deployed and operational the first time they go live. They adopt a belief that the system is so fragile that any adjustments like patching software components, risk causing the solution to crumble.

Summer brings days at the beach and the inevitable sunburn, while winter delivers snow and shoveling. Budget season? Well, that can mean a scramble to make sure your EPM software is 100% ready when entering a planning cycle. If your organization is like most, updating your EPM system is a priority during the off-season—especially if major improvements are on the punch list. The following five steps can ensure the smoothest possible experience—and keep the drama to a minimum:  

We have all overcome mistakes in life, using the rearview mirror to observe how easy it would have been to sidestep the pitfall, commenting, “If only I knew then what I know now.” This thought crosses my mind almost daily.

What do you do when you feel this way about the EPM process, BPC or your consultants? Do you ever wonder how they became experts, or how qualified they truly are? How do they define best practice? Recently, I worked with a customer who started their BPC journey with an early version of BPC for NetWeaver. They sought out highly talented consultants, assuming their talent and experience based on their reputation within the industry.

Knowledge is power - but where you acquire that powerful knowledge can make all the difference! When looking for an industry conference, innumerable options make the process quickly overwhelming.

Most conference attendees are looking for three things:

• Valuable content in an environment conducive for learning
• Access to knowledgeable experts
• The opportunity to connect with peers faced with similar tasks and challenges

Two things are certain in life: death and taxes. An EPM user might add “struggling with EPM software” to the list of unavoidable challenges. In the case of taxes, one could (and absolutely should) hire an experienced tax services provider to craft a tax minimizing strategy. You will still pay taxes, but the difference between paying a lot, or a little, lies in the expertise of who you hire.

At Column5 we always advocate the approach to EPM that yields the highest value returned to our clients and EPM users in general. One emerging best practice in EPM is adopting packaged content in lieu of custom developed solutions for your EPM functionality. The advantages are legion: faster time to value, more robust functionality, enhanced performance, improved supportability, lower project cost and total cost of ownership over time. Packaged content is most applicable when facing standard requirements that are consistent across customers.

This past weekend, my daughter turned 5. Everyone knows how important daughters are to their fathers, and I couldn’t be happier with my daughter’s “mermaid & unicorn phase”. However, at her birthday party, dark clouds began to gather as she invited her “boyfriend” from school. She held hands with this little guy and even thinking about it now, it makes me slightly crazy. I can only imagine where I will be in 10 years. Keep me in your thoughts and prayers, please.

This is the second part of the original post of 11 Dirty Secrets of EPM Projects.

"I thought for Column5's 11th birthday, I'd give our more than 1000 blog readers a gift! I’ve wrapped it up and called in the 11 'dirty secrets' of EPM projects. I know this is heresy to disclose some of these EPM professional services insider secrets, but I care more about you being successful than I worry about the flak I will inevitably get by letting you in on these secrets."

Let’s continue:

Dirty Secret #6: Systems inadvertently create dependency on 3rd party 

Though the actual market size may vary, a reasonable estimation states that throughout the world more than $4 billion is spent annually on EPM consulting alone. Yet, EPM projects often fail to return positive value to those investing in them. Why is this outcome so prevalent with this technology solution in particular? I thought for Column5's 11th birthday, I'd give our more than 1000 blog readers a gift! I’ve wrapped it up and called in the 11 'dirty secrets' of EPM projects.

I know this is heresy to disclose some of these EPM professional services insider secrets, but I care more about you being successful than I worry about the flak I will inevitably get by letting you in on these secrets. Let’s begin: