Expert Insights to Elevate Your SAP Training image

Expert Insights to Elevate Your SAP Training

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It’s a given with any SAP implementation that SAP training is required to build technical knowledge. But perhaps the biggest benefit? According to Paula Brandao, the Training Lead on many of our change management projects, hands-on training creates both the comfort and confidence a new SAP user needs to be ready on Day 1.

“Training takes away some of the fear and overwhelm employees have about using the new system. They’ll then have the confidence to go into SAP, as well as the context around what’s changed and how to get support,” says Paula. “Sometimes there is a perception that if you’ve been trained, you’ll have SAP expertise on Day 1. The reality is that it takes time and experience to develop that expertise. We need to be empathetic to the user’s learning journey.”

Meet SAP Canada employee #23
Paula leverages her understanding of technology and the needs of new users to develop creative yet pragmatic training strategies, carefully tailored to the goals and risks of the organization. “No matter how long I have been doing this, there is no one-size-fits all training model. And if project scope and timelines change, we’re going with the flow and thinking creatively on how to adapt the training approach. There’s always a Plan B,” Paula says.

While she has deep expertise with many leading IT systems, Paula comes by her affinity for SAP naturally. She started her career as SAP Canada employee #23 in the 1990’s. As part of a leading-edge IT company, Paula quickly recognized training was the best fit for her skillset. “I get to work with people and allow the little nerdy side of my brain to flourish,” she says.

Paula has seen first-hand SAP’s ongoing commitment to improving their products. She’s evolved her SAP training best practices over the years too.

Here are her insights on crafting SAP training strategies and materials that work:

1. Assess what users really need. The most effective training strategies dig into user needs as well as company-specific goals and risks. Is this group of users tech savvy? Implementing other big changes? A training assessment out of the gate can mitigate future risks.
2. Prioritize what training needs to happen before go live and which training can wait after Day 1. That way end users can absorb a large menu of training in more digestible chunks.
3. Set up a “train-the-trainer” approach. Paula recommends a “train-the-trainer” approach where employees, often the subject matter experts who are already working on the SAP project, learn the skills they need to train their peers. To be most effective, they need to join the project early enough to develop their expertise.
4. Create enough runway to develop customized training. Training delivery occurs after the configuration of the SAP system. The training development team needs access to business experts who understand the changes coming with the new system. Often these are the same experts who are focused on testing. In this tug-of-war for the expert’s time, training needs to be a sustained priority throughout the project.
5. Put the focus on hands-on exercises and less on formal documentation. We learn best by doing – not reading or watching others.
6. Make it modern by keeping the training and materials simple, visually and not too wordy.
7. Be empathetic to the anxiety and sense of overwhelm some leaders and employees may have with SAP. Work with the Change team to find opportunities to demystify the new system or highlight big process changes before employees start training.
8. Let users play. Create opportunities for employees to explore the new system in a closed environment so they can see what happens when they click a specific button, search for data or move to another screen. Curious users have the potential to become expert users when they have the space to practice.

While there’s a big learning curve inherent with SAP, Paula has seen many companies reap the benefits of the ERP system, especially with the right training strategy in place. “Instead of five or six applications you can do what you need with SAP. Every application can talk to SAP allowing you to view real-time results,” she says. “There’s also a predictability to SAP that once you master, you will know exactly what to expect when you see a screen or push a button. SAP can run your business from the bottom up.”

Looking for SAP expertise like Paula Brandao’s that will elevate your training program to the next level? Contact us.