"Simple" is getting confusing!

[joao_sousa2]

"Simple" is the new buzzword at SAP, but I would like to know if I'm the only one getting confused with all this simplicity.

I was watching this blog , and I have to say right now I don't have a clear picture of what exactly is SAP's roadmap. The following confuses me:

• In that blog they say that this is supplement product, but then in the video of that same blog, the description of simplification is a technical one (less tables and code) but that the old UI will survive side by side with the new one. Is this ECC Financials with a new UI/"Data Model", or something else?
• They talk about SAP Simple Financials in the Cloud but SAP's strength was always it's tight integration with logistical modules. How does this integrate with SAP logistcs and HR? Interfaces? This doesn't seem "simple" to me;
• Will this replace SAP FI in the long run? Does this mean SAP FI is going to stand still in time with all investment going into "Simple Financials"?

If I was a SAP customer I would be a bit worried about my investments. SAP's roadmap has always been less then clear on the peripheral components, like BI, Mobile, but this is about the core, the ECC.

Finally I don't understand why SAP keeps using the word "Simple" since they keep having to explain that simple doesn't mean less functionality. A marketing buzzword that needs to be constantly explained ... doesn't really work.

What are your feelings on this? Is this clear, confusing?

[stephenjohannes · Accepted solution]

I agree that "simple" was the wrong marketing term for what SAP is trying to convey with the new product line.  It's more of a "lean" solution rather than simple.  In this case I'm using the word "lean" in terms of process engineering where you remove waste from inefficient processes.  That's really what SAP has achieved with the simple solutions.  It doesn't remove any complexity, as a process without wasteful steps can still be quite complex.

My best argument against the simple marketing used by SAP is the following statement:

"If business was simple, then SAP would not be needed".

Take care,

Stephen

[joao_sousa2 · Accepted solution]

 It's more of a "lean" solution rather than simple.

I agree, the word is much more appropriate, but I guess the marketing people wouldn't like it very much. "Leanefy it!"

[marilyn_pratt · Accepted solution]

And "lean" has meaning to a particular audience.  We, in the development and business expert communities get it.  Lean and agile are indeed terms that are easily accessible to "some" of us. But when you try to communicate something to the masses it might make sense to find more universally understandable language.  Maybe "simple" is too simplistic for the audience here 😉

[stephenjohannes · Accepted solution]

I would agree that "lean" is also a word that isn't not "mass-market" ready, however if you are talking about the decision makers for core applications such as finance, supply chain, they probably understand that word.  I wish there was a better alternative, but sometimes talking in the language of the decison makers instead of "mass market" is a good thing.   That being said it's slightly better than "EnjoySAP".

[Jelena]

"The pure and simple truth is never pure and rarely simple" Simple Finance in particular is a misnomer IMHO, just like Smart Forms (but I guess 'Hey, it's better than SAPScript Forms' just wouldn't sell well).

Personally I'm all for a simplification when it actually happens. But to me, as a developer, only something that is simple to develop, maintain and use would qualify as "simple". If it's simple to use but difficult to install and maintain then it's "user friendly". Or "simplish" (c) at best.

[joao_sousa2]

I agree, I would first and foremost like to understand what Simple Financials actually is and specially how it integrates with logistic processes. I asked in the respective blogs, but still haven't got an answer.

[Jelena]

There are clips on YouTube "movies in 30 seconds" (like this one) - I wish there was something similar for SAP. Now THAT would be simple!

[Former Member]

One of the mammoth tasks when "simplifying" a system (whatever that means) is how you measure and define that simplification.  For me in my day to day job, that usually means creating some sort of facade (mobile/web/process) around something that is far more complicated.  So you could argue I'm only simplifying it by adding another, more complex layer (or three!)

As a specific example, with the logistics work we do with the Movilizer platform, we create mobile app's that allow a user to search for a document and then "post" an update into SAP - behind the scenes we are actually working through anything up to 6 actual documents via BAPI updates, as well as potential for other custom & standard logic and validation.  On the one hand, this is delivering the utmost of simplification to the users but under the hood, the same complexity remains.  It is a different view from two opposite sides of the solution.

The danger with using "Simple" as a marketing campaign is that people can expect the simplification but then can't handle or won't accept the underlying complexity that delivers and enables that simplification, especially when they find out how much time/effort/money is needed to deliver it.

Speaking as an SAP Partner who has been a consultant for over 15years, I can't really complain about all of this though as it's kept me busy, interested, entertained and most importantly, paid for all that time

[joao_sousa2]

On the one hand, this is delivering the utmost of simplification to the users but under the hood, the same complexity remains.  It is a different view from two opposite sides of the solution.

I completly get this, and like I said there are few people who will say that Fiori was a bad call. It wasn't, SAP needs simpler UIs for people that do very specific and repetitive tasks and don't need all the complexity of a VA01. But this is from a user perspective, like you say the complexity/flexibility is still there underneath the hood, available for those complicated processes.

But the "Simpler" message isn't directed at end users, it's directed at decision makers, CIOs, which are much more concerned about TCO and Capex that comes with a SAP, therefore I completly agree that the risk is that decision makers "won't accept the underlying complexity". Because let's not forget that this comes with the "Cloud first" message attached, which basically says "Everything is simpler/standard in the Cloud", "No Capex involved", "You switch vendors easily", etc.

These two messages combined make it dificult to interpret this as anything different from "dumbing down".

[marilyn_pratt]

As always we can trust the community to raise some interesting perspectives. Thanks Former Member and .  A good way to gauge/critique how the "marketing" appears to its target audience is to listen to ...

Regardless of whether "simple" is a slogan or a goal, does it resonate with those who find certain domains unnecessarily complicated?  One continuous observation during my tenure with SAP web domains is how complex, confused and convoluted web destinations and presences impact the ability of various audiences to find information.  And the attraction of simple in the user experience with interfaces is fairly well documented and researched.  Would there be resistance to improving the "user experience"?

Could it be we are attempting to improve this entry experience without diluting the power of what is inside the box?  Might it be "simplistic" to think that simple means only "dumbing down"?

Back in the '70's the idea of "overchoice" burst on the scene with Alvin Toffler's Future Shock. And I notice that Wikipedia links this phenomena to technology development.

[joao_sousa2]

And the attraction of simple in the user experience with interfaces is fairly well documented and researched.  Would there be resistance to improving the "user experience"?

Zero. That is one of the things that customers dislike about SAP, I would say that is the most common complaint.

But improving the user experience can mean many different things, and at least from my perspective "Simple" sends the wrong message. I believe that opinion is validated by the very fact that SAP keeps having to explain what "Simple" means.

Fiori is easy to explain, it's a more streamlined interface that runs parallel to SAP GUI. It's a simpler alternative with less functionality but it's crystal clear we don't lose the power of the "old SAP". When I think of SAP, I think of business functionality/services (the real power of ECC), not the UI.

When we hear "Simple" I think simpler processes (not simpler UI), simpler configuration (lower TCO), and we all know that usually has a cost...... less functionality. The fact that these Simple Financials are presented without any explanation on how they will integrate with logistics, supports that "simpler"/"less functionality" perception. And like Stephen says, if business was simple, we wouldn't need SAP.

PS: Souza is the brasilian version, I'm portuguese so it's Sousa

[joao_sousa2]

Might it be "simplistic" to think that simple means only "dumbing down"?

It may be, but if it is the first thing that comes to people's minds, then SAP has a problem.

To me that perception comes from the name of the product. The product is called "Simple Financials", it's not called "Financials with a simpler layer on top" (awful name, but I think you get what I mean).

[Lukas_Weigelt]

What are your feelings on this? Is this clear, confusing?

It's Business-Like! Big Data! Consumer Engagement! Smiling People! Laughing Children! --> Suits are successfully induced to buy stuff! Weeee!

[Former Member]

For me, the whole "Simple" message is just a marketing ploy.  Anyone with any knowledge of SAP will probably be very, very sceptical of the whole idea, as we all know that SAP is anything but simple.

For me, instead of trying to misdirect by pushing these messages, there should be some more open and honest recognition that the SAP landscape can be a complicated one but what do you expect from something that can provide a solution for almost all business scenarios?

You can't have it both ways - either you have a simple solution that does 10% of what your business needs, or you have something more complicated/complex that does 90% of what your business needs - now that's simple

Cheers,

G.

[joao_sousa2]

For me, the whole "Simple" message is just a marketing ploy.

From my perspective I get it, but from a customer perspective I think this is very confusing. In a way SAP seems to be saying in it's marketing message that it's most profitable software, SAP ECC, is old and overly complicated. Isn't this message destroying the brand? SAP seems to be marketing against its most successful product.

And it's the same with the Cloud situation, that keep putting "Simple" or "Smart" in everything, so I don't know what is the exact relation between these "Simple Financials", and the "complicated" Financials of SAP ECC. And we are the ones most informed, if for us this is confusing.....