Surely you have noticed: in recent years, we have seen an increase in demand for this type of professional profile, the SAP consultant.
However, if we ask what an SAP consultant is, what their functions are, and, above all, what they can do for your company… things are no longer so clear.
No problem. This post is what you need to solve your doubts.
SAP Consultant: why it is such a demanded profile
The SAP consultant profile is one of the most requested in recent years for one reason only: the demand for these management systems in the company continues to increase.
This is so because companies are more aware of the competitive advantage of having a tool that provides total control of the company.
Having all the relevant information available in real-time allows cost savings, optimization of processes, synthesizing internal communications, and availability of reliable data to make decisions.
But to implement SAP, a fundamental preliminary step is to contact a specialized consultant who will analyze our project, specify the objectives, and design the strategy to follow.
But before delving deeper into the characteristics of the consultant profile, how about we briefly recall what SAP is?
SAP management software: centralize the management of your company
SAP is a German company specializing in creating software solutions for companies and an acronym for Systems, Applications, and Products. Today, it is an international reference in computer products.
It is a manufacturer and provider of ERP ( Enterprise Resource Planning ) software, which are systems designed to centralize all the company’s activities in a single tool.
One of the most widespread and valued ERPs by companies is SAP.
In this way, from a single database, you can have control of the entire organization, regardless of its size, since it can be implemented in both SMEs and large companies.
All departments can be integrated into a single platform, with a fundamental advantage: it is not necessary to do everything simultaneously, but it can be implemented in modules depending on the particular needs of each company.
The SAP consultant profile
For any company thinking of implementing SAP, the first thing you have to do is contact a professional consultant and put yourself in their hands.
Why?
Because it is necessary for someone to act as a bridge between the new system and the company, both to design the strategy and supervise it and help with the transition that this change entails.
We are not only referring to the technical aspects but also to the change in organizational culture that it implies.
To be an SAP consultant, it is necessary to be trained to pass an international certification exam issued by the SAP company itself. With this certification, it is already possible to carry out consultancies, analyses, and implementations of SAP solutions.
Functions of the SAP consultant
The first task of the SAP consultant is to know and understand the company’s internal processes because only then will he be able to design the best strategy.
This means studying the structure and becoming familiar with each department, defining the functions of each one and the relationship between them. Knowing the previous organization is essential to establish the SAP capable of optimizing it.
Expanding the radius of knowledge, you must familiarize yourself with the sector, and its specific needs. Also, you have to know how the company relates to external agents, customers, and suppliers and even analyze the competition to understand possible improvements better.
Once the preliminary study has been carried out, the SAP consultant adapts the computer program to the company.
It is a comprehensive tool, so you must decide which modules are necessary, depending on the company’s size, activity, etc., bearing in mind that the functionalities can be expanded in the future if needs change.
Lastly, and considering that the implementation of SAP supposes a crucial organizational change, the consultant must facilitate the adaptation, providing the means for a simple transition.
In summary, these are the main functions of the SAP consultant:
- Know in-depth the company in which the system will be implemented, its internal structure, and its organization.
- Analyze the sector in which the company operates and its external connections.
- Design the SAP configuration that best suits the specific needs of the company.
- Train workers and managers to integrate into the new organization and obtain the best performance.
In short, you must implement SAP and ensure that the company’s personnel acquire the necessary knowledge to function autonomously.
Usually, the SAP consultant is an external worker who manages specific projects and is consulted when an SAP will be implemented or the functionalities of a system already in use are expanded.
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