How to be an excellent sap implementation consultant

The growth of an excellent SAP consultant needs to be accumulated in projects and experience, which is difficult to achieve quickly, and needs to be constantly improved and improved in setbacks and failures. Senior SAP consultant experts summarized the "three quotients" elements. Master SAP professional knowledge and related industry knowledge through "IQ"; Facing setbacks and difficulties through "adversity quotient"; Getting good impression and recognition through "language quotient" (effective communication) and successfully achieving the expected goal are all important factors to become an excellent SAP consultant.

First, "IQ factor"

In fact, IQ is only one of the "IQ factors", and more needs to master certain technical knowledge, industry knowledge, management and project knowledge and a certain level of English through diligence and hard work.

1, a certain technical basis.

As a software implementation consultant, you can't help but understand your products. Of course, you can also have a rough understanding. You don't have to be as proficient as a technical engineer. You must be able to answer most of the questions raised by customers, so the knowledge you need to master is very comprehensive-emphasizing breadth rather than depth. Of course, if you are deep enough, you will have an advantage. If the depth is not enough, you often can't answer the customer's questions. It doesn't matter. The key is to leave a buffer space and know where to get help and support. An excellent implementation consultant should know how to arrange resources.

The following are the skills that an implementation consultant should master:

SAP software itself, such as one or some modules of SAP.

⑵ System management knowledge, including WINDOWS 2000 and WINXP.

(3) Database knowledge can be subdivided into the use of query analyzer, the operation of data tables, the basic skills of reports, etc.

④ Network knowledge.

(5) Certain hardware knowledge.

2. Industry knowledge.

Industry knowledge is vast, and no one can master it all. Grasp your own position and know what all products have, but choose a direction and become an expert in this field. We should be broad-minded and have our own expertise.

Don't be greedy, just know the framework of many things and know how to search and find it quickly when using it. Time and energy are extremely limited, and some things should be given up.

3. Management knowledge and project management knowledge.

Should have rich management knowledge. In order to keep a good relationship with customers, we must have a good sense of service. Customer management is the best resource in project promotion, so we must gain their full trust and cooperation. If you don't know management knowledge, it's hard to convince and accept customers. The reason why software needs implementation consultants is that implementation consultants can make it alive through resource scheduling. No product is perfect, but a conscientious and excellent implementation consultant can make up for the shortcomings of the product itself. There are all kinds of management knowledge on the internet, only depending on the individual's absorption ability. Another good way to learn is account managers, whose management experience is more effective. Therefore, we can actually learn a lot of management knowledge in the process of project implementation. This is also one of the temptations and charms of this job.

As an implementation consultant, project management is very important. It is necessary to master basic project management knowledge and common software tools for project management. If you are transforming from a technical engineer, the change of concept is very important. The implementation consultant does not work for the customer, but guides the customer to do things. Therefore, although you can't solve the simple problems in the hands of customers, you can't help but worry. Please control yourself if you want to do it for you. Please remember the positioning of the implementation consultant and don't confuse it. Facts have proved that this is a bottleneck for many engineers who are used to technical services to transform into implementation consultants. As an implementation consultant, its own professionalism is reflected in "project management". Knowledge of project management, you can make full use of the Internet, use Baidu and Google to search for it. Then, don't be impetuous, feel it with your heart.

4. English level.

SAP systems are mostly developed by westerners, and the relevant materials, especially the latest materials, are basically in English. If English is poor, it tastes really bad. In addition, most companies that use SAP are multinational companies, and consultants themselves pay great attention to communication. Therefore, a good English level is absolutely necessary.

The second is "adversity quotient factor"

The implementation of SAP project is a very complicated work. Project implementation will involve many people and links, and may encounter difficulties in different aspects and stages. Some even have a lot of tough questions from customers at the beginning of the project to prevent you from being careless.

* Misunderstanding of SAP implementation: I think this project is an IT project, just like installing a new software system, not an enterprise project with IT components. Projects of this nature and level need to be "user-driven" rather than "system-driven".

* Vision: Lack of clear vision leads to poor design of future goals and changeable project scope.

* The trend of over-customization: users want the system to look and use the same way as the old system.

* Do not attach importance to core functions, regardless of priorities.

:: Management and organizational issues:

:: Lack of management support. Without support and purchase, it is very dangerous to implement such a project to change natural culture.

* Senior management's determination to the project is not clear.

* Management failed to communicate effectively.

:: Lack of support from senior management

* senior management is not obvious.

* Project decision-making is not supported.

:: Lack of leadership

:: Lack of direction and overall goals

:: Lack of determination to reform and restructure.

* Management does not involve users.

:: The role of end-user groups is unclear.

* Management doesn't know how to retain project members.

:: Project management issues

:: Lack of resources;

* Not enough consultants (functional and technical)

* major users are absent at the scheduled time.

:: Lack of hardware resources

* The budget is too tight

* The hardware is not suitable.

:: Network issues

* understaffed

:: Lack of skills to complete the required tasks

:: No training (budget)

:: Consultation questions:

:: Overreliance on consultants

:: Lack of knowledge transfer to employees

* Lack of trust in their own employees and over-reliance on consultants.

* Inexperienced consultants.

* Lack of teamwork

* Inconsistent goals

* wrong project management:

* Unrealistic planning, usually too radical.

* There are no clear tasks, objectives and measures; The project team doesn't know where they are in the project process, what is the next step, and whether they meet the requirements.

* The scope is uncertain.

* Scope drift: different projects and different budgets.

* Use the wrong person for project management.

* The project manager lacks communication skills.

* No leadership.

* Unable to motivate project members

* unable to control the project scope

* Lack of project management skills

* Lack of communication

* Lack of serious attention to what people are doing.

* There is no process to solve the problem.

* Unrealistic implementation schedule

:: Lack of change management processes

:: Roles and responsibilities are unclear or not defined at all; So that it is difficult to find the person in charge or decision maker of a specific activity.

* No communication or insufficient communication;

* Communication problems within the project team

:: Restrict the exchange of information

* The user did not receive the notification.

* The upper management was not informed.

:: Not all relevant groups are informed of the decision.

* No communication process.

:: Lack of technical skills;

* There are not enough technicians to implement the project.

:: Difficulties in finding and retaining technicians.

* Lack of enthusiasm of technicians.

* Non-technical personnel make technical decisions

* change the source code provided by SAP

:: General personnel issues:

:: No change management plan

:: Lack of recognition

* Inappropriate incentive mechanism

* Employees change jobs before the project is completed.

* inappropriate skills

Negative and unenthusiastic employees.

:: Personnel retention and project continuity issues

* There is no motivation to support the project.

* There is no countermeasure for project members to leave early.

* Very tense environment.

* Excessive fatigue

* technical issues:

:: Data conversion and migration issues

* inappropriate scale

* poor performance

* No system management.

* The equipment is not timely or appropriate.

* Related projects were not delivered in time.

* Too much development work.

* Lack of proper controls and procedures in the transmission system.

Non-change management issues:

:: Internal and administrative issues

:: Insufficient support for reform

:: Boycott the project.

:: Lack of an active organizational reform strategy

:: Lack of communication on reform

* Users are not prepared or trained for the reform.

Facing so many possible difficulties, an SAP implementation consultant can't solve them, but as a member of this implementation team, do you have enough adversity quotient and courage to solve these difficulties? Or help solve the difficulties? These are the qualities that an excellent SAP consultant needs.

Third, the "language quotient factor"

"Language quotient factor" focuses on effective communication, which is especially important when SAP consultants implement projects.

There is a popular saying: how to say it is more important than what to say, or how to say it is more important than what to say. The importance of emotional intelligence is reflected in communication. Implementing SAP projects is fundamentally a problem of dealing with people, not with systems. Therefore, communication with customers is the most important. If you do more projects, you will find that all the technical problems found in the implementation process are finally proved not to be problems. Because technology is for people. It's not a terrible thing that there are technical restrictions on getting people to finish their work. More importantly, technical problems are often caused by unclear and unreasonable thinking. Help customers clear their minds, and technical problems usually disappear automatically. An unreasonable demand of customers, if not persuaded by communication, but realized by technology, is doing thankless things. Therefore, the most important principle is that consultants should understand what the most important thing they will do: not technology, not constantly testing and writing documents on the computer, but communicating with customers.

Communication is not just talking, but also learning to talk and listen.

Many books dealing with interpersonal relationships will talk about listening. Listening shows that the other person cares and attaches great importance to what he says. SAP implementation consultants must learn to listen during the project. Only by listening can we know what customers want and what they don't want. For some customers, it may be useful to blindly publicize or teach SAP's system standard behavior, that is, people who want to learn SAP knowledge; But for most users who are not interested in SAP, they care about their own business, not SAP itself. What consultants should do is to understand their business needs and provide users with appropriate solutions in combination with SAP system. All these require consultants to listen carefully to the voice of customers.

Listen and be sincere. Just making a listening gesture is necessary, but not enough, such as looking each other in the eye, nodding from time to time, making a uh-huh sound, and asking questions occasionally. Listen carefully to the opinions of customers, even if they think it is extremely unreasonable. Due to the ignorance of SAP system and the nonstandard business process, users often put forward some schemes that consultants never thought of. Sometimes, these schemes are very outrageous. But what a counselor should do is still listen. First of all, listen to customers' views clearly, and seriously think about whether these outrageous plans they put forward are really outrageous, or whether their preconceived ideas lead to their own ideas not actually brilliant. SAP consultants have a natural sense of rejection of substandard business proposed by customers because they know the system standards. When listening to the voice of customers, we must pay attention to suppress our sense of rejection, otherwise we may be passive.

In addition, an excellent SAP consultant should have the following qualities:

First of all, there should be a clean, tidy and professional instrument.

We should know that consultation is basically a service work, which must be recognized by customers and must make people like to get along with others. Unclean people are not suitable for implementation consultants. Temperament and elegance are the key to the smooth progress of the project. Some customers said that if you don't accept the consultant itself, it will be difficult to accept everything brought by the consultant. In addition to appearance, temperament, and talk. Politeness, clarity and expressiveness are the basis of good communication. Of course, self-confidence is also important. Professionalization is not only the requirement of implementation consultant, but also the common sense that people in the workplace must have. If you want to improve in this respect, you can buy a book about public relations etiquette or check the relevant knowledge on the website. In addition, you can pay more attention to the manners of people who are recognized as cultured and talkative, and gradually form habits and solidify them.

Second, learning ability.

The above items do not exist independently, but complement each other. The technology, management and business process of an enterprise need continuous learning. Knowledge changes with each passing day, so you must keep pace with the times. Never too old to learn. You often need to stay ahead of your customers in knowledge, and sometimes you have to learn from them. There is always too much to learn. Therefore, if you want to be an excellent implementation consultant, you must master time management. How to arrange time reasonably and use time effectively is a university question, which needs your own continuous exploration and summary. Only when you love this industry and are interested in it, even when you eat, walk, take the bus and go to the toilet, will you often think about related issues. Don't think about it when you sleep, it's easy to lose sleep. :)) This is the state. Only in this way can you hope to be the best.

Third, certain luck and opportunities.

Man proposes, God disposes. Opportunities are also important. We must be good at discovering opportunities, creating opportunities and seizing them.

It takes a long time to become an excellent consultant. You should pay more attention to it and concentrate, and you will naturally gain some experience. Often have to endure loneliness and tranquility. No matter how much you pay, don't care too much about the return. Perseverance will eventually bring positive results. Excellent implementation consultants have a bright future.