07.08.2013 Copyright West Trax International Page 1 of 1

Maximise SAP ROI During Consolidations

Many organisations with multiple SAP systems are considering their options to maximise the business benefits that could be gained by integrating or consolidating systems and standardising business processes. An important consideration in such projects is the establishment of the substantial gains that can be made by first optimising and standardising the software and business processes on the current systems. The results of over 1,400 analyses we have conducted indicate that many SAP systems are not currently well optimised and aligned with the business. The first major hurdle to be addressed is a lack of up-to-date factual information about the degree of standardisation, customisation and usage in each of the current systems. These may have evolved over time from very different starting points to support a variety of changing business goals. Without a reliable methodology for accurately establishing and comparing the current configuration and usage of the various independent systems and business processes, the development of a business case and project plan for consolidation is fraught with risk. The first step towards managing consolidation or integration projects is to fully understand the variations between the current systems. It is essential to objectively ascertain and compare: - • What software components are installed in each system? • Which are actually used and which are not? • Which business processes are optimally supported by SAP standard functionality and which are not? • Where does commonality exist between the systems and business processes? • Where are there differences? Can the differences be eliminated or minimised? Organisations planning projects such as consolidation without first establishing the potential to optimise the current software configuration in each system may only realise a portion of the full benefits attainable. Unless addressed, sub-optimised software containing redundant custom code, unused standard functionality, performance problems and quality exposures will still be sub-optimised after migration to a consolidated environment. To exploit the full potential of consolidation it is important to identify where standard functionality can: - • Be best deployed to reduce costs, improve performance, increase productivity and enhance consistency and quality of usage across the enterprise. • Replace custom code that does not provide significant value added. • Minimise interfaces to non-core processes such as Middleware, Legacy, and 3rd Party programs. • Be optimally applied during consolidation and integration projects. Collecting and analysing this information manually across several instances can be extremely time consuming and prone to errors. At West Trax we have developed a highly automated off-line analysis and comparison service. This rapidly produces factual answers to the above questions and drastically reduces the workload and project duration associated with these tasks whilst eliminating human error.

Find out more about how West Trax services enhance the success of Consolidation projects with high value independent, objective information.

Contact David Long on +44 (0)7774 808694 or visit www.westtrax.com .

Email dlong@westtrax.com