west trax sap kpi of the month – november 2014

West Trax SAP KPI of the Month – November 2014

On Average in the Telco Sector

12% of Custom Code Is Frequently Used

Custom Code programs are very time-consuming and costly for organisations using SAP. They

should only be used when they enhance competitiveness or when comparable standard

functionality is not available. But the reality is that in many production systems a variety of

customised programs are infrequently used and rarely deliver value. Rather, they unnecessarily

inflate system costs. Due to a lack of transparency a gap exists between system functions that are

implemented and those that are actually used and this often goes unrecognised.

Against this background the KPI of the Month for November highlights the average percentage of

custom code that is frequently used in the Telco sector. This currently stands at 12%.

i.e. on average only 12% of customised programs and transactions in SAP systems in

the Telco sector are used on a daily basis.

This benchmark is based on 56 system analyses.

Standard software such as SAP is at its most productive when the available standard functionality

is used as optimally as possible. Custom solutions should only be resorted to when they deliver a

significant competitive advantage or when standard functionality cannot meet the requirements of

the business.

Most of the systems analysed by West Trax show significant underutilisation of major functional

components that are currently available in the systems and are incurring SAP license and

maintenance charges. Redundant or inefficiently used custom code, underutilisation of SAP

standard software and a lack of awareness of available standard functionality all inflate the already

substantial costs associated with SAP system operations and projects.

Many organisations continue to support extensively customised systems or are burdened with

substantial overheads due to redundant custom code. As a result the business advantages and

added-value expected from their strategic investments in SAP are often unrealised. The

consequences include lower productivity, increased costs, reduced profitability, compliance

exposures and customer dissatisfaction.

To find out how your SAP systems measure up against these benchmarks please email

info@westtrax.com or visit West Trax KPI Measurements and Benchmarking