Is the SAP projects module a replacement from Project Server?
Chris MeertDulwich Hill, New South Wales, Australia
My company is currently looking at implementing Microsoft Project Server 2010 but our finance area is pushing to use the SAP Projects module instead. While I have used Project 2010 I have no experience with the SAP Projects module and don’t know if it supports real project management. Does anyone have any experience in managing projects using the SAP Project module that could influence this decision? Saving Changes...
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Richard PymGlobal Digital & IT Manager| IONWAYDuisburg, Belgium
Being a PMP qualified PM as well as a former SAP functional specialist in the SAP Project Systems (PS) module I think I have quite a good perspective on your question.
I would say that one of the biggest advantages that using SAP PS within a business environment that already uses SAP as its ERP, is that if fully implemented would enable the excellent integration with the other SAP modules that are commonly needed in the management of a project. By this I mean cost accounting, purchasing, resource allocation and scheduling to name but a few.
In my current organisation we use MS project and have done all sorts of trickery to try and get actual costs and some decent reporting but quite frankly it is an on-going/never ending effort.
SAPs PS is very flexible and in my opinion is easier to use than MS Project and, as mentioned, if integrated with MM purchasing, CO and HR it would be a powerful tool.
Let me know if I can provide any further info.
Richard Pym MBA PMP Saving Changes...
Jean TauntonPM III| Dimension DataPort Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, South Africa
I must confess to being technically a little ignorant, my company has implemented what we call EPM which seems to be a system that works on microsoft project server - we have a centralized "enterprise" resource pool that is shared by all regions and all plans are kept on a central server - they have customized extensively, and built a number of integration routines to get the data between our SAP financials and our microsoft project plans. What a nightmare. We went live mid-2010 and I'm still spending a stupid amount of time tracking where my hours booked went and why my resources time/cost is not getting into SAP. We're told the cost of SAP PS licensing was very high, hence the decision to go EPM instead. I'm hoping in time we will get the hang of this thing soon or else the extra cost of SAP PS will probably finish up being less than the cost of PM's time spent balancing the systems. Saving Changes...
