|
Technically, integrating SAP and Primavera is EASY! After all, we are talking about two similar tools. Like fields of two very capable and in some respects similar project management systems need to be mapped. That's it! Still, it adds another infrastructure component to the mix, affects a critical business process, and it has to bridge terminology and conceptual differences between SAP and Primavera. Among the challenges are: Technology.
How complex are integration solutions? Are they middleware? What is the TOC (total cost of ownership) to support them? Do you need databases in the middle? What application server does the solution run on? Vendors.
There are service organizations (including internal IT departments) offering to build integrations; and there are a handful of vendors with packaged solutions. How much are these solutions "out-of-the-box", and how do they still depend on elaborate services in form of implementations? How can one pick a vendor? Implementation.
How long does it take to get the solution up and running? How much of that time is due to logistical aspects, process design and validation, complexities of the selected solution, a lack of out-of-the-box functionality for SAP-Primavera integration? Support.
How difficult is it to internally support the integration once installed? What is the effort to modify it? What are the know-how requirements? Is global support available? What kind of Service-Level Agreement i(SLA) s offered by a vendor (or internal IT department)? Functionality.
What functionality needs to be supported? What functionality is supported by a vendor? How difficult is it to modify (configure, tailor, develop) additional functionality? Features.
How user-friendly is the application and how much does it empower the end-users and IT support staff alike? Here considerations come into play like organizational hierarchy, integration with single sign-on systems (e.g., Portals), configuration, defaults, or log files. Terminology.
How does one best describe and evaluate functionality? What terminology is being used by SAP, Primavera, and the vendor that can be confusing? Budgeting vs. resource planning? Cost planning vs. budgeting? Configuration vs. custom-programming?
Above all is the often found error that not the full scope of the integration requirements are considered. Most implementors look at this as a technical exercise, but this is far from the truth. A packaged integration solution for one business process (how more specific can it get?!) should not be a technical challenge ever. What else would there be to the "packaged" aspect of the software? Above all it is a business process design decision that needs to consider all layers of enterprise project management.
Copyright © 2007 Competitive Edge International, Inc. |
