Stakeholder Management in SAP Implementation Projects

Developed in the early 1970s, SAP has evolved into one of the most popular enterprise resource planning (ERP) products, with continuous iterative developments achieved through sustained R&D work. In this paper, the focus will be on the challenges faced during managing the stakeholders in an SAP project and the means for addressing them. This can be helpful to the project managers handling SAP projects and those aspiring to handle SAP projects.

One of the major activities involved in a typical SAP project during the initial stages is requirements gathering.

As one of the most critical activities of the plan and define phase, its cascading effect can be felt deeply in the subsequent stages and/or phases. If not properly carried out, the resultant effort can be scope creep and/or budget over-run. As one of the most successfully packaged products in the world, it has created belief among people that it can do wonders at the touch of a button. The majority of people ignore the fact that it is a two-way process; in other words, it involves the participation of both sides. All ERP products are developed and improved on a continuous basis by adopting a collaborative approach; hence, every effort should be made to foster a collaborative approach during this phase. This can be achieved by adopting the following approach (Figure 1).

STAKEHOLDER ANALYSIS…