RJT Blogs

Understanding HANA

 

What is SAP Hana?

SAP HANA is an in-memory data platform that is deployable as an on-premise appliance, or in the cloud.  It is a revolutionary platform that’s best suited for performing real-time analytics, and developing and deploying real-time applications. At the core of this real-time data platform is the SAP HANA database which is fundamentally different than any other database engine in the market today

What is the real value delivered by HANA?

SAP was able to simplify and speed up the performance of the database architecture that has been around for the last 25 years. HANA allows you to sort through large amounts of information and retrieve the desired data in seconds instead of hours or days. Being able get important information in real-time, allows for immediate assessments of that data which leads to performance improvement, better business decisions, and an increase in profitability. Applying HANA to your existing systems also consolidates the amount of hardware and software investments needed.

The speed of analysis transforms what companies can do with their budget on hand. A retail store can scan a customer’s credit card and within seconds get data on the customer past purchases. This allows the cashier to instantly make suggestion for future purchases or sign up for certain incentive programs. Accurately engaging with customers leads to more frequent purchases and inevitably an increase in sales.

Real-time analytics

Operational Reporting (real-time insights from transaction systems such as custom or SAP ERP). This covers Sales Reporting (improving fulfillment rates and accelerating key sales processes), Financial Reporting (immediate insights across revenue, customers, accounts payable, etc.), Shipping Reporting (better enabling complete stock overview analysis), Purchasing Reporting (complete real-time analysis of complete order history) and Master Data Reporting (real-time ability to impact productivity and accuracy).

Data Warehousing (SAP NetWeaver BW on HANA) – BW customers can run their entire BW application on the SAP HANA platform leading to unprecedented BW performance (queries run 10-100 times faster; data loads 5-10 times faster; calculations run 5-10 times faster), a dramatically simplified IT landscape (leads to greater operational efficiency and reduced waste), and a business community able to make faster decisions. Moreover, not only is the BW investment of these customers preserved but also super-charged. Customers can migrate with ease to the SAP HANA database without impacting the BW application layer at all.

Predictive and Text analysis on Big Data - To succeed, companies must go beyond focusing on delivering the best product or service and uncover customer/employee /vendor/partner trends and insights, anticipate behavior and take proactive action. SAP HANA provides the ability to perform predictive and text analysis on large volumes of data in real-time. It does this through the power of its in-database predictive algorithms and its R integration capability. With its text search/analysis capabilities SAP HANA also provides a robust way to leverage unstructured data.

Why is HANA in a class of its own?

Other database management systems on the market are typically either good at transactional workloads, or analytical workloads, but not both. When transactional DBMS products are used for analytical workloads, they require you to separate your workloads into different databases (OLAP and OLTP). You have to extract data from your transactional system (ERP), transform that data for reporting, and load it into a reporting database (BW). The reporting database still requires significant effort in creating and maintaining tuning structures such as aggregates and indexes to provide even moderate performance.

Due to its hybrid structure for processing transactional workloads and analytical workloads fully in-memory, SAP HANA combines the best of both worlds. You don’t need to take the time to load data from your transactional database into your reporting database, or even build traditional tuning structures to enable that reporting. As transactions are happening, you can report against them live. By consolidating two landscapes (OLAP and OLTP) into a single database, SAP HANA provides companies with massively lower TCO in addition to mind-blowing speed.

Read more about HANA...

Explore this case study that shows how HANA revolutionized the beverage industry. See how Analytics and SAP HANA helps beer companies monitor brand performance and get accurate business insights.

Click here to download the HANA Case Study

Top 5 ERP Benefits for SMBs

 

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systems have come a long way from their original incarnations. Businesses all over the globe can experience more functions, more capabilities (including integration with BI and mobile devices), and more possibilities overall with the right ERP system in place.

Despite the different ERP versions available, the success of an ERP implementation remains one of the biggest hurdles for any business. A successful implementation can help an organization attain ROI within a short timeframe. On the flip side, an ERP implementation ripe with problems can lead to zero profit or even worse, complete shutdown mode. That is the power that ERP brings.

According to ERP Vendors, the biggest missteps occur during the initial implementation planning stage. Prior to this incredible endeavor, all of the principals involved in the planning and execution phase must be on the same page. If this doesn’t happen, the project could go under water due to plenty of mistakes and errors. ERP Vendors listed the top benefits that a successful implementation could yield:

5. Integration of All Business Processes. Truly, an ERP can be the ultimate solution that brings together internal and external management operations.

4. Better Planning. Given that ERP systems are supported under a single database structure, decisions can be made with all of the key numbers and figures aligned from different departments.

3.    Enhanced Cash Flow Planning and Management. A manager or owner has full visibility into all cash flow and expenditures to make sure there are hitches or delays in delivery.

2.    Optimized and More Cohesive Workforce. This is definitely a unique value add that an ERP can bring, in that a business can measure just how much interaction takes place between and outside various departments. This can help for future planning and scheduling, among other things.

1.    More Satisfied Customers, Higher ROI.  At the end of the day, ERP can help customer save big in cost efficiency and needless expenditures. With a more loyal customer base, higher ROI is sure to come.

With a proven track record for ERP management consulting services, RJT has the knowhow to ensure that you are following the best practices of ERP planning, implementation, and upkeep.

Click here to learn more about RJT’s step-by-step ERP planning strategy!

Top Factors for Real Estate Optimization

CFOs, CIOs and financial executives across the industry understand the major benefits that a strong real estate presence can bring. Real estate can help generate revenue and spark growth, while improving top-line improvement in overall financial performance.

However, the current real estate climate is ripe with complexity and unpredictability.  Accordingly, Smith and Roberts revealed their “due diligence checklist” for commercial transactions. They cited several crucial factors to streamline real estate processes:

• Liability and the loss of money as a consequence
• Title issues that can crop up if a thorough investigation isn’t conducted
• Environmental compliance involving several regulatory concerns including radon, contamination and mold
• Zoning compliance that can be complicated if land use and zoning issues are not thoroughly researched and adhered to
• Financial records inspection of the properties or land

How can organizations meet these stringent compliance and reporting conditions without interrupting productivity?

Going away from manual tracking and reporting processes is a step in the right direction. Utilizing an automated system can help to minimize human error, open up transparency into all assets, and solidify compliance standards.  Moreover, a better process for managing real estate properties can help CIOs and CFOs take a faster, more decisive approach for delivering strategic goals and near-term objectives. 

With the help of RJT’s real estate management solutions and services, organizations can stay on top of every phase of their real estate life cycle, ranging from real estate acquisition or disposal, to rent escalation, to common area maintenance reconciliation, lease administration and lease accounting.

 

Want to learn more about RJT’s unique step-by-step process for real estate optimization?

Click here to find out!

Choosing the Right Real Estate Management Software

 

Real estate management and optimization is no easy task, as it requires continued focus, regular updates, and a team that is able to communicate with one another and keep their minds set on a common goal. However, there is now software designed to organize numerous properties and keep your properties’ information organized. But how do you know which one to choose?

There are few things to consider when choosing a Real Estate Management Software, according to AIM Technologies. First, you need to make sure the vendor has long-term vision, stability, and organized goals to support and implement the solution. Making sure your vision is compatible with the vendor will not only make the transition to the software smoother, but it will make the software more valuable to your company.

Your decision should also be based on the type of technical support that comes with the software. You should not have to wait on hold for a support center to take your call when a problem arises. Rather, problems should be able to be quickly and easily fixed through local support from a reputable firm.

If the software is not flexible enough to meet your business’ needs, than it's not the right software for you.  If the software you choose is not able to allow for your specific business practices, your company will not be able to move forward.

A one-system integration is also key for the implementation of new software. We are at a day and age where companies can’t afford to be one step behind on technology practices. The software should be able to handle other lines of business outside property management, which will allow for faster and more accurate data.

Want to learn more about how choosing the right real estate software can spark business growth? Click here to learn more.

Optimizing HR Processes — To Keep Risk at Bay

 

Compliance standards have changed the face of today’s HR department. HR directors and leaders alike are not just responsible for managing discrimination and sexual harassment. They are also tasked with navigating risk across other areas of the enterprise. Managing risk is not just tied to managing material investments; it’s about managing people, as they are at the root of all major risks.

With the HR landscape filled more complex legal and internal audits, optimizing HR processes is multi-layered, and involves more than meets the eye. Deloitte recently released their key driving trends for the collaboration between HR and other core risk functions. The list includes:

• Black swans are becoming less rare. Black swans are low-probability events that have far-reaching impact. In a social media world, small events are no longer confined or isolated to a specific department or company. Events can potentially have a global impact if they are revealed through certain forums.
• People risks are headline news. Again, any level of shortages in resources–especially human resources—can have consequences on a company’s bottom line, market value or potential for growth.
• The view of human capital risks is expanding. Optimizing HR processes means more than regulatory compliance checks and the avoidance of lawsuits. HR personnel are held accountable for identifying, prioritizing, monitoring, mitigating, and reporting business-related business risks.
• Regulation is increasing. Regulation hasn’t taken a backseat to managing risk; in fact, it has become an even bigger priority. Both ends are interrelated, which is why there has been a proliferation of more government regulations than before. The penalties are stiffer, and if organizations cannot comply, they could go out of business entirely.

What are the most crucial steps for HR to get a grip on risk? For starters, companies need to have a more sophisticated HR monitoring system in place that can integrate all functions within an organization. For that purpose, more HR departments are leaning on automated management systems to cut through silos and bring all risk factors to the forefront. Moreover, these systems also have the functionality to generate reports and keep all information accurate and up-to-date for audit and compliance checks.

To find out how companies are realizing the true value of optimized HR processes, click here.

Top HR Compliance Concerns for SMBs

 

For small and mid-sized businesses, HR compliance is a paramount concern but may not get the attention it demands. These businesses are so focused on maintaining their operations and core business issues that they often make costly oversights in their hiring processes. The domino effect is companies are exposing themselves to devastating legal action.

What are the biggest compliance risks facing HR departments? TriNet—an HR consultant and service provider—recently released their top HR compliance concerns for SMBs:

1. Exposure to Workplace Litigation Not Being Addressed: Training for sexual and racial discrimination is a crucial requirement for every business. Yet, only 23 percent of small business provides formal training to their employees. The lack of training can open up the flood gates for wrongful termination lawsuits.
2. Current Benefit Regulations and Laws Not Being Followed: Caught in a massive web of healthcare reform, SMBs are struggling to keep up with all of the changes. However, for healthcare, welfare, and retirement benefits packages, these businesses have to abide by federal regulations. This can include conducting required tests, properly applying planning provisions, and issuing required notices and documents.
3. Multiple HR Policies and Procedures to Follow without Qualifications:  In the face of an audit, SMBs can’t use their size as an argument. Government agencies will bear down on any organization just the same. Therefore, even if an organization mostly relies on a “HR generalist” they still need to confirm that they are following proper procedures.   
4. Substantial Errors for Paperwork Administration: In today’s digital age, the idea of “paperwork” doesn’t hold as much weight as it used to. Still, hard copies are highly prevalent, and as a consequence, so are the errors that follow. This is particularly a problem for payroll, where inaccurate benefits deductions draw the ire of employees and management alike.
5. HR Functions Not Being Coordinated: If payroll data and benefits recordkeeping is incorrect, valuable time is wasted on problem resolution. Coordination needs to be crisp between vendors and providers who are monitoring these updates, which is no easy task given that SMBs already have enough on their plate.

How can you stay on top of compliance risks while keep your business on a steady growth path? RJT Compuquest has the answers to keep your work zone risk-free.

  

Best Practice Strategy Overview to Adopt Mobility in Your Organization

Ask any consultant, business executive, sales representative or industry speculator what the latest buzzword in application technology is and you will hear “Mobility” most often from all of these sources. Mobility is a relatively new technology that extends the value of enterprise applications to hand-held devices such as mobile phones, iPADs and other various hand-held devices. The applications that feed mobile devices are vendor-agnostic (meaning Iphone, Android, BlackBerry, Ipad, etc. are all compatible) and capable of being deployed rapidly given the right adoption strategy is in place. Bottom line is, the ability to receive business information quickly and respond immediately to business needs has never been easier thanks to new Mobility technology.

Top 5 Reasons Why SMEs Need a Scalable ERP Platform

 

 

In today’s fast-paced data driven world, small and medium-sized businesses need every advantage they can get. Transactions are made and delivered in seconds, and with incredible data accumulation, companies need extra elbow room to scale up as needed. With that scenario in mind, your father’s ERP might not be fit for the times ahead.

Having a scalable ERP platform—one that you can add application pieces to or host in the cloud—is becoming more of the norm for fast-growing SMEs. According to SMB Group, here are the biggest reasons organizations are looking for scalable solutions to meet their aggressive business demands:

• Small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) often have sophisticated and industry-specific business processes and IT needs, but must address these needs with relatively small budgets and IT staffs.

• ERP solutions that can’t change with rapidly evolving and demanding requirements can inhibit rather than facilitate company growth.

• For a large number of SMEs, growth rate can be more significant than that of Fortune 500 companies. These figures can be in the range of 20%, 30% or even as much as 50% growth per month. At this staggering rate of growth, scalability in a system is necessary to avoid added platform costs.

• ERP solutions need to have the flexibility to support different deployment models, including on-premises and hosted alternatives.

As growing companies merge with or acquire other organizations, they often face the challenge of reconciling incompatible ERP systems. A common platform to share data is the optimal solution.

While scalability is in demand, the immediate thought for SMEs is how can we realistically move away from our ERP system without putting a halt to our operations? After all, a full-scale ERP implementation is not an easy rip-and-replace job. It can take anywhere from a year or longer and the cost can go through the roof. At least, that’s what’s been the case in the past. The prospect of such a lengthy, cost-crunching ERP implementation is simply not in the cards for small and medium-sized business owners. But what if there is another way?

With SAP Business All-in-One ERP, RJT has helped their customers add scalable ERP features and functionality without hassle or interruption.

Communicate The Value of Customized ERP Solutions To Management

I often hear from colleagues in the field about how difficult it is to get “C” level executives on the phone or even worse, how best to communicate with them when they try and engage in written communication.  All of my largest and most successful business transformation projects have always required clear business level communications when working with the Executives

Here is an example of a letter with an agenda that I used to convince a senior executive to consider my services to help him properly evaluate my ERP services and match them to his business objectives.

 (Continued...)

Dear Mr. Executive,

Our team would like to request a meeting with you to review our credentials in preparing, blueprinting and implementing enterprise ERP solutions to Distribution companies.

 I have prepared an agenda (below) that should offer good insight to our capabilities and provide you with the confidence to consider us to help you with your enterprise ERP business needs.

• Gain insight of your business drivers and determine what your key success factors are

• Share our Distribution Industry successes (which will highlight projects similar to yours)

• Review of our Global ERP service Lifecycle capabilities both from a business process and systems integration perspective

• Discuss with you the criteria of a successful enterprise ERP business transformation project.

  Creating the back office strategy, developing the blueprint for the future, pacing the software deployment so it leverages your company’s resources

• Assisting with enterprise best practice planning, development and deployment

• Determine next steps and actions

Members of our team have already completed many enterprise wide ERP implementations in distribution and merchandising companies like yours and we would be happy to share our vast experiences with your executive team.

We would like to schedule one hour on your calendar at your earliest convenience to go over the agenda above and I will call you later today to schedule a time that’s convenient for your team. Our experts at RJT look forward to meeting with you.

Regards,

 

While the above is a sample of just one communication there are a myriad of different tact’s you can take to address the most common issues faced by senior executives.

Some of the more common considerations of CEO’s are (for example), growing the business, adhering to corporate directives or philosophy, monitoring corporate objectives including growth and revenue targets and maintaining corporate culture

The CFO is concerned with managing the Treasury (Retained Earnings) and managing relationships with borrowing institutions, evaluating merger and acquisition opportunities, overseeing accounting and information systems, monitoring capital equipment assets and balancing taxes and other regulatory risks to the corporation.

A COO is responsible for overseeing manufacturing, property, plant and equipment, managing the labor force, purchasing operations, customer support (service department), and information technology.

CIO’s are responsible for establishing and maintaining corporate technology including software and integration of various software systems, purchasing, and utilization of hardware and software assets and support for customer relations.

Don’t be afraid to review annual reports before communicating with these executives.  If the company is private, look for press releases on the web or competitors of theirs that are public and see what areas of their businesses are working or not working.  Chances are the private company will be experiencing similar issues that you can use to query these key executives.

Knowing where the focus is for each of these key executives, and doing your homework by reviewing annual reports and looking at news releases on the web will assist you in constructing the proper message and boost confidence when venturing into the world of “C” level executives.

10 Steps to Blueprinting Successful ERP Projects

As I engage companies looking to either upgrade their existing ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system or begin a new ERP implementation, one thing becomes clear and that is, too many companies enter into the task of adopting ERP without identifying key process facts that could ultimately drive the entire project off track. In my 25 years in helping companies with their ERP adoptions I now recommend we begin with a detailed Blue Print as the starting point that if executed properly will lead to a greater number of successful ERP Implementations.

A properly designed Blueprint will provide a functional layout that will align the business processes and information systems, while empowering companies to achieve the end results that not only create but extend enterprise value. Companies should check team resource resumes that ensure each of their selected team of professionals possesses deep industry and technology experience.

My most successful ERP implementations use a Blue Print that defines clear business and technology strategy, systems design and architecture, applications implementation strategy, network infrastructure using industry best practices and services

(Continued...)

Business owners, executives and even middle managers will sometimes skip the Blue Print as they already think they have the business process issues identified and as they progress through the implementation they will deal with them as they come up. Unfortunately, that “perception” is far from complete and even if it was, no one else on the team shares that perspective or has access to it as critical decisions need to be made.

Consider the benefits of a Blue Print as defined business processes and information systems while allowing employees to access the right information at the right time, empowering them to achieve end results that create enterprise value.

A properly prepared Blueprint will:

• Enable the team to share what they know, to the company's advantage

• Identify new, efficient and innovative business paths and guiding the team in adopting them

• Taking a flexible approach and providing the tools the company will need to make the next leap forward

• Doing whatever it takes to achieve end results that create enterprise value.

Some of the best Blue Prints that I have seen will have several parts that define key elements of a successful ERP project in advance and provide answers to difficult questions that are proactively defined and available to the team as they progress through the project.

Here are what I consider the top ten examples of what I am talking about when defining a Blue Print.

1. Get a clear picture of the overall Program Management process  

The overall focus of the Program Management process is to provide a definition of Project Planning and Control, Integration, Change, and Technology Management. The function of this section is to provide the team with answers to the following questions:

• How do we define our Project Plan and manage Control over the entire process?

• What is our plan for Integration Management for our overall enterprise applications?

• What is our process for Change Management?

• What is our plan for overall Technology Management?

• How will we gage overall Benefits Realization as compared to overall project costs?

2. Be sure your Blue Print properly defines (and you agree upon) your company’s current business issues

Make a list of all business issues that are being considered for change throughout the project. This information should go into its own section of the Blue Print. Following that should be a Business Assessment sub-phase.

This sub-phase is designed to consistently monitor current vision and the enterprise strategy is understood and the current state is determined. Using business process analysis and current financial and operational metrics, the company is evaluated for potential performance improvements. These improvements are identified and a preliminary prioritization of the opportunities prepared in the vision and the strategy objectives section of the Blueprint.

Business Assessment sub-phase of your Blue Print should include definitions that:

• Clarify vision, strategy and objectives

• Assess business and establish current state

• Conduct organizational risk and readiness assessment

• Identify improvement opportunities

The major deliverables of the Business Assessment sub-phase you can expect are:

• Project charter – Blueprint Project Plan

• Project Team Organizational Structure

• Strategy articulation map – current state

• Current state assessment – Detailed list of business issues

• Organizational risk and readiness assessment

• Value impact analysis and case for change

• Stakeholder analysis

 3. The Blue Print should define the overall Project Scope Start with the proper project preparation definition.

The process for creating this definition will involve several interviews with key business process owners and will be conducted as part of the Blueprint phase of this project. We propose the interviews be conducted with focus groups of individuals directly associated with each of the work streams outlined in the “Deliverables” section of the Blueprint SOW to ensure compliance with state business improvement objectives. During these interviews, each of the business requirements identified in the SOW will be considered as topics for discussion. Interviews will be grouped by a (priority based) combination of revenue stream improvement potential and other general requirements and will be divided into As-Is process interviews and To-Be process discussions, thereby enabling a clear definition of the business requirements.

4. Project Organization, Standards and Initial Project Planning

This section of the Blue Print will assist in defining the following areas listed below.

• Business Assessment

• Strategy Development and Design

• Business Case & Roadmap Development

• Benefits Realization & Strategy Management

• Benefits Realization Measurement & Management

 5. Strategy Development and Design

This phase established to develop strategies that reflect the organization’s revised vision and new strategic initiatives. The next step is to develop a future state concept of operations including people, process and technology changes aligned with the organization’s vision & strategy.

Responsibilities for the Strategic Development and Design Phase

The following activities are performed in the strategy development and design sub-hase:

• Develop vision and strategy

• Develop future state design

The major deliverables of the strategy development and design sub-phase are as follows:

• Strategy articulation map – future state

• Future state design

• Change management journey map

 6. Business Case & Roadmap Development

This phase develops the foundation that defines financial impact and risk. This phase is intended to engage the company’s executive management and requires an Executive Kickoff meeting. At the kick off meeting the initiatives are documented with a priority list that is sequenced based on both economic returns based upon the company’s strategy & objectives. These documents are also used to support funding requests.

The following activities are performed in the business case and roadmap development sub-phase:

• Quantify the financial impact and prioritize initiatives

• Mobilize and align the organization

• Request and secure funding

The major deliverables of the business case and roadmap development sub-phase are as follows:

• Roadmap

• Business case

• Updated stakeholder analysis

• Capital appropriation request

 7. Benefits Realization & Strategy Management

The focus of this phase is to ensure that targeted benefits are driven into the Design, Build and Deploy phases and to establish the performance measurement process and platform. Accountability and responsibility is established for the project by mapping targeted benefits and performance metrics to business units, departments, and employees responsible for delivering results. This phase can also be used to establish incentive bonus targets for meeting or exceeding performance targets for the project.

The following activities are performed in the benefits realization and strategy management sub-phase:

• Drive benefits into design and implementation

• Establish accountability and measurement plan

• Develop and execute communication plan

• Develop and conduct training

• Support workforce transitions

The major deliverables of the benefits realization and strategy management sub-phase are as follows:

• Updated and signed-off Issue list

• Updated business case

• Performance measurement plan

• Enterprise value scorecard

• Communication plan

• Training materials

 8. Benefits Realization Measurement & Management

This phase is where the continuous process of measuring and tracking results occurs. These results are compared against expected results and conclusions with defined recommendations are measured, monitored and reported to management.

The major deliverables of the benefits realization measurement and management sub-phase are as follows:

• Enterprise value scorecard

• Improvement opportunity report

9. IT Transformation

This section should define the role and governance of IT as the IT team attempts to transform business operations. While profound changes are being made to the overall core business operations, IT operations must likewise be transformed in order to meet future business needs and objectives

 IT Transformation includes the delivery of a Technical Requirements Plan that enables Anderson’s IT leadership team to accelerate the transformation from a reactive cost center environment to an organization with world-class service delivery capability and maximum value impact on the business.

The Technical Requirements Plan addresses:

• The articulation, validation and deployment of IT strategies while improving financial and operational standing.

• The alignment of these strategies with the entire IT organization by combining fundamental change processes with innovative methods for shifting to entirely new operational or competitive environments.

• The alignment of people, knowledge, capabilities and processes with these strategies.

• The design, communication and implementation of change strategies that will enable individual, organizational and cultural transitions.

 10. Data Definitions, Integration, System Configuration and User Testing

This section should include data conversions, integration planning, master data setup, data quality testing and any other data definitions in an effort to identify potential improvements. This effort involves all team members, including both functional and technical resources, in order to refine all definitions and control the development effort. Optimizing the definitions described above and using object-oriented guidelines for reuse of code eliminates unnecessary development effort, thereby reducing the time taken to develop a high quality deliverable.

Following these ten steps will help company’s properly define, execute and manage changes that if not considered properly in advance of an ERP project could ultimately throw a project hopelessly off track.