Request these five team characteristics to make your SAP SuccessFactors engagements succeed

In the HFS SAP SuccessFactors Services Top 10 Report, we spoke with 31 client references. They shared their experience of working with service providers. Based on this feedback, we provide recommendations to SuccessFactors services clients to ensure a successful deployment. 

#1 Demand implementation expertise 

Ultimately, an SAP SuccessFactors project is about implementing one or several modules for a client. Technical expertise is, therefore, an important success criterion in this market. Several clients we spoke with highlighted their service provider’s deep knowledge of the modules. 

Advice to clients 

Ensure that your service provider team has ample experience in deploying each of your selected modules. One client told us that they had a “good lead for each module implemented,” and this was a major contributing factor to the success of their deployment. 

#2 Encourage flexibility and responsiveness 

It is imperative that your service provider is flexible and incorporates all your feedback throughout the engagement. You may change the scope of the deployment during the engagement, and you need a responsive account management team to cater to these changes.  

Advice to clients 

“Account executives are always very helpful and prompt in their responses. Issue are taken care of quickly and professionally.”  

Request regular meetings with your service provider’s account and project management team to share feedback and communicate any change requirements. However, also make allowances for the service providers’ ability to be flexible if you prioritize tight deadlines for implementation. 

#3 Check for cultural alignment 

Increasingly, clients cite their service provider’s ability to align with their culture as a key reason for the success of an engagement. One client told us that their staff was unable to understand a service provider survey because it was too technical and complicated. Another said that their service provider billed them for expensive flights for consultants, but the client has a strategy of strict budgetary constraints for travel.  

Advice to clients 

“The account management team built excellent relationships with our leadership team. This helps with resolving issues that need escalation.” 

At the RFP stage, evaluate how much homework the service providers have done to understand your industry sector, country specifics, and any other criteria that would help them to understand your enterprise.  Yes, many can also learn these during the engagement, but you should get a sense of their dedication and commitment to this during the selection phase.  

Your service provider will propose a team to work with your internal team. Ensure that the business and technical leads in these two teams align well to facilitate effective communication. Make sure this communication is a two-way street, as you cannot blame the service provider for something that you did not communicate. 

#4 Request team consistency 

Having a consistent service provider team throughout the project is often a key component to a successful engagement. Unfortunately, staff turnover is a constant problem for all service providers across the IT services landscape, so they can’t promise consistency of team members. That said, you should at least express a preference for consistency so that your service provider may make extra efforts to deliver this for you.

Advice to clients 

“What they do not know, they learn quickly and utilize their network to gain understanding.” 

Request consistency of a successful service provider team. You should demand at least one to two senior consultants or project managers to remain consistent throughout the project. Moreover, you should also request that you use this team for any future deployments, whether for additional modules or the same modules in a different geography. We spoke with several clients who had successfully done this.  

#5 Challenging assumptions 

All the clients we speak with appreciate a service provider that presents innovations, which can include not only proprietary tools to facilitate and improve the deployment but also innovative thinking that challenges a client’s thinking. The latter includes something as simple as recommendations for a sensible order of module implementation to avoid any re-works at a later stage or re-thinking an entire HR strategy.  

Advice to clients 

“We had one lead implementation consultant and she is still helping us now.” 

Regularly ask your service provider to provide feedback on your decisions. Your tight deadlines may discourage the service provider from veering off the designated path, but you should prioritize getting the deployment right over getting it done on time. 

The Bottom Line 

When selecting a partner, check service providers’ technical skills, the commitment they have shown to understand your business, and their innovative approach. Also, do not be afraid to demand a certain level of team consistency throughout the project.