Project Team Skills Development (Project Preparation Phase)

 

Purpose

 

The purpose of this deliverable is to produce the education strategy for the core project team responsible for the SAP implementation.  During the Project Preparation phase it is recommended that the project team receive an overview of the SAP solution as well as the organizational change management and implementation methodology that will be used throughout the project.  In later phases, project team training will be focused on SAP business processes and configuration.

 

How should it be produced

 

During the project preparation phase, the first step in developing the training plan for project team members is to determine how many people will be trained and the location of the training.  The number of core team members and their locations influence where the training will occur.  During this phase of the project, core team member training is predominantly overview training so team size drives its location.  In addition to team size and location, facility availability also influences the location of the training.  Project team training should be filtered through one person to avoid confusion, control costs and prevent double bookings.  This person should be aligned with a representative from the SAP Education department and should either register each person for the SAP Overview and Methodology training at an SAP training center or schedule the course to be taught on site.

 

At this time, planning for project team training that will occur in future phases of the project is recommended.  This can be initiated by analyzing each project team member’s role and responsibilities.  For example, will a member configure the B2B Procurement system or developing SAP authorization profiles?  By analyzing roles and responsibilities appropriate courses can be identified.  The training courses and descriptions can be found in the SAPNet.  A documented project team training plan should be developed for team communication, budget purposes and approved by the project management office.

 

What if it is not done

 

If project team training does not occur during the Project Preparation phase there is a substantial risk that the project team will not be properly aligned and educated.  This will lead the team to work in different directions, thus increasing the project’s risks.  The project team will not have a solid educational framework in regards to the SAP system nor a solid implementation and support foundation, this potentially increasing the total cost of ownership.  The training administered in the Project Preparation phase greatly influences later phases in the project.  Additionally, the SAP overview training class is a pre-requisite to all other training classes and team members will not be able to register for any additional training during later phases.

 

Source of Input (Deliverable/Other)

Input

 

Project Charter

 

·         Project Implementation Methodology and Strategy

·         Project Scope

Project Organization and Environment

·         Project Organizational Chart/ Structure

Project Plans

·         Budget Plan

<SAPNet>

·         SAP Course Curriculum and Schedule

 

Outputs

 

Refer to breakdown of the deliverable in the roadmap structure.

 

Additional Information

 

At this phase in the project the entire team will be receiving the same SAP overview and methodology training.  In contrast, training in later phases is specific to a team member’s functional or technical area.  Therefore, it often makes sense to conduct the training at the customer site or at a third party site for a number of reasons:

 

·        Cost savings – training a large number of people on site is cost effective as opposed to sending them off site to SAP training centers (assuming they already have a training facility in place).

·        Customized training – it is possible to enhance the overview training with additional messages or combine it with the project kickoff.

·        Uniformity of message – project team training will foster a consistent message to the entire team and bring them to a common understanding.