Item: SAP S/4HANA Cloud
Rating: 8
Author: John Mota

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Our entire organization is in the process of implementing SAP globally. We currently have a number of US locations using SAP for business operations such as purchasing, production control, quality management, financials, etc... Basically, all departments use SAP for something The level of integration makes it easy for users to know the status of operations and helps to control and prioritize work to the greatest efficiency. Many of the problems we had prior to SAP were due to the use of various, single, unconnected systems. I would say that SAP has helped to solve that issue.

Pros and Cons

Integration of business processes
Financial control and management
Extreme level of detail
Offers a full suite of applications to manage just about any business

In our particular version, reporting...
programming/development
flexibility

Return on Investment

The pretty steep learning curve for developers. The programming language (ABAP) is proprietary and while the syntax isn't completely foreign, it will take some time for programmers to get up to speed.
The integration aspect has proven to be very valuable in that you now have the ability to know what is going on with production through all steps of the process.
Automation of typically manual tasks has allowed for a reduction in FTEs in certain areas of the company, mostly in IT and accounting.

Alternatives Considered

Oracle E-Business Suite Procurement Contracts, Epicor ERP, IFS Applications and DELMIAWORKS (formerly IQMS)

SAP is totally integrated as are many of its greatest competitors, but the level of detail in the integration between modules puts SAP heads and shoulders above all others. Granted, the SAP implementation can be much more difficult to perform, but in the long run, the amount of effort you put in will result in excellent usability. After using Oracle's E-Business Suite for over 20 years, we did a due diligence search that lasted over 18 months before making a decision to go with SAP. This was a result of our Oracle system being made "un-upgradeable" due to a custom module that Oracle Consulting actually built for us. We were stuck in an old version of their database that would not work upon patching to the next version.

Other Software Used

SonicWall NSA Series, Microsoft Office 365, SOLIDWORKS, Zoom, Microsoft Visio, Microsoft Project

Likelihood to Recommend

SAP is an extremely integrated system. Not all companies are ready for this. Many are so used to having systems that require a lot of batch processing, giving kind of an extra cushion to allow for errors or mistakes. SAP is a live system, meaning that when you commit or transact something, it triggers the integration among all modules that touch whatever the transaction is for. An example is allowing SAP to generate purchasing documents based on the scheduled demand for production. Say someone puts in a work order and by mistake, fat fingers an extra zero on the desired quantity. This may cause SAP to purchase WAY more raw materials than you need. This is a great feature, but it can also come back to hurt you if not controlled properly.

SAP ERP - Is it for you?

Modules Used

Overall Satisfaction with SAP ERP