Over the last year I have been lucky enough to travel around Europe and beyond to work with customers, prospects and internal teams helping them experience how S/4HANA could change their businesses by bringing ERP processes and real time analytics together in one place using a simplified platform designed for today’s digital age.
How are we doing this?
Let’s start with a quote from Benjamin Franklin:
“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I remember, involve me and I learn”.
Rather than the traditional software demonstration and over indulgent use of PowerPoint we involve people by using a simulation experience similar to that of a Flight simulator computer game. Attendees run their own company using S/4HANA that buys water from a wholesaler and distributes it to small retailers. They do this through a simple user experience right from the start of a session. No SAP Gui insight!
When you first use a flight simulator it starts off easy with a simple take-off, circle and then land. Complexity quickly gets added where you take more control of flight systems and external factors like weather and rerouting are then added. In the same way more attributes are introduced as we progress through the experience, for example teams are allowed to replenish stock using a MRP run and purchase requisitions.
Introducing ERPSim from Baton Simulations.
ERPSim is a real-time competitive business simulation played in a live SAP S4HANA system that covers the full cash-to-cash cycle. Attendees break into small teams that compete against each other in a closed market selling and marketing their stock of various types of bottled water. The objective for teams is maximizing profit.
Maximizing profit is not as easy as it sounds for retail business today. Pricing, Marketing, Supply Chain, Warehousing costs, external factors like weather are just some of the variables that are weaved into simulation to ensure a life like experience.
Business today need to act fast to keep their competitive advantage. Integral to making the right decision at the point the decision needs to be made is using real-time analytics and not basing decisions on gut reactions or data that is days or even weeks old. Inside the simple user interface used in S/4HANA there is real time reporting, data discovery and analytics delivered using SAP BusinessObjects tools.
Who is doing this?
Every time we deliver these sessions we see the understanding and the perception of S/4HANA and real time analytics dramatically moved forward. Be that with existing customers, prospects or even internal business units.
Some quotes that sum up the reaction of those who have attended sessions:
- “Before I never knew why I was being asked for real time analytics. Now I see it’s integral to our business going forward”
- “I learned more in 3 hours then in the last 3 months”
- “this is 100x better than the system we currently have”
- “I’m glad my manager forced me to attend” 😉
Would you like to experience S/4HANA for yourself?
If the S/4HANA Business Simulation Experience has caught your interest and you might consider running a session in your own company, please reach out to your SAP Account Manager.
Hopefully the video below sums up the key messages and please feel free to circulate within your organisation.
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