Automation as a means of reducing reliance on scarce SAP resources.
Successful SAP infrastructure management relies on experts
Managing SAP IT systems and infrastructures is complex. There are lots of moving parts, and there is plenty that can go wrong. Experienced, skilled SAP professionals familiar with your SAP infrastructure and environment are critical to success.
Repetitive SAP infrastructure tasks are best completed by someone who knows and understands the infrastructure well. Someone who understands what jobs need to be scheduled when and understands the nuances of process workflows. Someone who knows the daily infrastructure routines.
Usually, this someone is an internal or external SAP basis person who is knowledgeable and familiar with the SAP infrastructure.
What can go wrong?
What if your expert doesn’t show up on the day, or your external basis contractor puts someone completely new onto the activity?
Either the activity will take much longer to complete, or something will go wrong. Quite possibly both.
The replacement has to get familiar with the process before they can get started, and mistakes are likely due to the lack of familiarity.
As my father used to say quite often, “No one is perfect on this side of the grave”.
We all make mistakes, forget things, or sometimes don’t turn up. It is a normal part of human existence. We are fallible.
Unfortunately, this means that even the expert can get it wrong and critical SAP IT tasks don’t always complete as expected. Sometimes with dire consequences.
Banking stops (as we have experienced recently), or the production line comes to a halt, or the trucks don’t leave. No one wants to be responsible for that, but it happens.
Automation as a solution
So how does automation help?
Automating repetitive SAP tasks eliminates the need for experts to be involved. Program the automation to do what is required, and there it is, a complex job ready to be done when triggered or asked.
Automation guarantees programmed tasks get completed and completed the same way every time. They are never missed or performed out of sequence; error is eliminated.
They complete, even if the expert doesn’t show up.
Final word
SAP teams are expected to do more with less. Important tasks are delayed or take much longer to complete. Errors occur, because even experts make mistakes when under pressure.
In an environment of skill shortages and time pressures, automation provides a level of consistency otherwise not attainable. Tasks will complete on time, in sequence, and as expected.
If you would like to talk to us about how we can help, why not organise a brief call?
