49 Do’s and Don’ts and Customer Lessons for SAP Upgrades

49 Do’s and Don’ts and Customer Lessons for SAP Upgrades

With SAP Business One 8.8 now in unrestricted shipment though always valuable the tips provided by Jon Reed, Top Contributor for the SAP Community Network 2008-2009 are even more pertinent.
They’re extremely insightful, useful and conveniently laid out. Evidently a lot more is needed than the widely available common sense principles to complete a truly successful SAP upgrade.

The tips are based on a compilation of the advice he received from industry analysts, project advisors, upgrade consultants and SAP users who presented trade show sessions after upgrading.
Four key areas have been addressed:

Vendor Selection
Pre-Launch Planning
Technical Upgrade Considerations
Upgrade Skills and Training

The Customer Lessons that have been included where applicable bring the Do’s and Don’ts alive placing them in context for the guidance seeker!

Don’t: Make the mistake of assuming that a consulting firm with prior upgrade experience will be the right fit for your company’s upgrade.
Do: Choose a consulting partner that has experience and customer references in your particular industry and your version of SAP.
Customer lesson: Prior to beginning their upgrade, Kraft Foods asked implementation partners IBM and EDS to “own” the implementation with them and assume collective responsibility for its success.

With the right vendor the upgrade should be unproblematic. Ideally they will support you prior to, throughout and after the upgrade and impart advice to ensure the “Don’ts” don’t transpire.

The full 49 tips can be found in the whitepaper, “49 Do’s and Don’ts and Customer Lessons for SAP Upgrades” via ITToolbox.com; http://sap.ittoolbox.com/research/49-dos-donts-and-customer-lessons-for-sap-upgrades-20637?sp=kw