Whether you already have an existing BPC environment or are planning a new one, how to appropriately staff and support your EPM environment is a big question to tackle early on. While the number of FTEs will greatly differ based on the size or your organization, the complexities of your planning process, and the level of automation you invest in upfront, there are some basic skillsets you should address.
On the IT side resources should be familiar with:
- BPC software configuration for SAP EPM software.
- Data integration sources and methodologies to stage data for an OLAP cube.
- Performance tune server for enhanced performance.
Finance or other functional admins and power users should be familiar with:
- Administrating BPC security, dimensions, and business process flows.
- How to build, review, and trouble shoot input schedules or reports.
- What types of logic are available and how active logic moves data through your system.
- Financial systems and planning processes.
Follow up blogs in this series will focus on how to approach buying or building these skillsets at your organization. But even once you have addressed these plans, you might find that day to day demands or changes with your business drive gaps in your BPC support model.
Resourcing complications our clients face regularly:
- People get promoted to other positions and responsibilities or can leave without notice.
- Companies need to deal with resources that get sick, have babies, or go on leave.
- Projects come up that require more attention from your in house staff for brief periods of time.
If any of these situations have occurred or look like they will be occurring, we highly recommend you work with Column5 EPM Safety Net Managed Service program to ensure your processes are well understood, documented, and able to be executed by a capable EPM professional. These shorter term 6 month contracts will help bridge the resourcing gap your organization will eventually face.
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Blog Post: Analytics, EPM, and Managed Service
Webcast: Enhance SAP BPC and EPM User Success with e-Learning
Author Bio:
Jonathon Pause is the Managed Service Director and has been with Column5 for 8 years. He has over a decade of SAP BPC experience.
Jonathon Pause, Managed Service Director, US Team