Why It's Smart to Reduce Dependence on Your SAP Superstars?
Last week, I presented an overview of an automation solution to several senior people responsible for managing SAP at a large utility. They liked what they saw, but then they told me about several on their internal team.
These team members had been around a long time and were managing the same situation in good time with few errors without automation, and perhaps automation wasn’t needed.
And yes, I get it.
Highly skilled, very experienced, human hands are a God send in a critical SAP operational environment. They are the team ‘superstars’ and can be relied on.
Most SAP teams have their superstars.
Whether your superstars are in SAP basis, or involved with licensing, role management, or security, they are key to SAP operational success. They are experienced, have extensive system knowledge, and are the ‘go-to’ people.
But the question is, is this a good reason to avoid automation?
SAP operations automation
We must understand why SAP teams automate SAP operational activities to best answer the question. Although there can be many reasons, they tend to boil down to just three.
Speed: The activities are completed much quicker
Consistency: The results are always consistent
Risk mitigation: Reliance on skilled resources is significantly reduced.
Although a typical outcome, cost reduction is seldom a main reason for automating
Speed
Even if your team is blessed to enjoy the expertise of several superstars, they are valuable people across a range of activities. Unfortunately, multitasking isn’t an option and so some activities have to wait.
As a result, crucial tasks like system refreshes often get sidelined. They consume too much time, and the timing is never idea.
Automation speeds things along, freeing up superstar time.
Consistency
Superstars have a process they follow. One that is tried and tested and helps produce a reliable outcome. However, everyone is human, mistakes are made. It can be difficult to achieve consistent outcomes. Then there are human limitations.
SAP operations are intricate and multifaceted. Routine activities such as SAP license reporting, managing user roles and authorizations, or conducting SAP vulnerability analysis depend on experts in SAP.
Automation performs superstar tasks consistently the same way every time missing nothing out.
Risk mitigation
Although buses are everywhere and we cross the road often, getting run over by one is rare. However, this is only one reason your superstar might not be available next time your SAP License audit or system refresh rolls around.
They might have moved on to another role, retired, fallen ill, or just be too busy on other priorities. Either way, if the task outcome has relied on their expertise, a quality speedy outcome might be a challenge.
Automation stores superstar knowledge to ensure a quality and speedy outcome, with or without them.
SAP operational superstars or automation?
SAP operational superstars are invaluable. Their expertise and reliability ensure critical tasks are handled effectively.
However, relying only on them has risks.
Availability can be limited. Errors can happen. Dependency on individuals creates vulnerabilities.
Automation solves these challenges. It delivers speed and consistency and reduces risk. Tasks are completed faster and without errors. Automation ensures quality outcomes even when superstars are unavailable. It also frees up experts for more strategic work.
The best approach is a balance.
Combine the expertise of superstars with the precision of automation. Together, they ensure SAP operations are efficient and resilient.
