A Guide to Selecting the Right SAP SuccessFactors Implementation Partner for You
Having been an SAP partner for over 25 years, we’ve been around the block and seen projects go sideways due to inexperienced partners taking on more than they can handle. This only results in the customer paying the price.
Based on these experiences, we have put together a checklist, along with a set of best practices, for you to utilize when you are selecting your partner.
The Implementation Partner Checklist
Are they:
- Professionally certified in all modules?
- Global (meaning that they have teams across the globe and support local requirements)?
Ensure they have:
- Recognized expertise in:
- Employee Central and Payroll
- Recruiting and Onboarding
- Talent
- Learning
- Authorized application management outsourcing
- Global helpdesk and ticketing system
- Customized support packages
- Expertise in SAP Analytics Cloud
- SAP-qualified partner-packaged solutions
- A dedicated team for:
- Data migrationData replication
- Integrations
- Change management
- Project management
Best Practices for Selecting and Maintaining Your Implementation Partner
- Check the partner’s references before signing a contract. Make sure they can prove their expertise.
- Ask the consultants to show proof of their education and experience in the form of their digital badges or certifications issued by SAP.
- Meet the proposed project manager and/or engagement manager before the project begins.
- Define roles and responsibilities with your entire project team, and make sure that everybody is clear on what is expected.
- Demand visibility into the detailed project plan.
- Identify third-party dependencies, such as:
- Payroll vendors
- Finance requirements
- Compliance requirements
- Schedule regular project status reporting from your partner.
- Take advantage of product training to ensure that you understand the system and can make decisions without your partner.
- Allow your partner to guide you in configuration and business process suggestions, but realize that all final decisions are yours.
Before you sign, obtain the following from your partner:
- A proposed governance structure
- Roles and responsibilities
- A pricing approach
- A method for handling surprises and roadblocks
- Approaches to knowledge transfer and post-go-live support
This list may evolve over time, and you may have specific requirements that will demand other items to be examined with the partner. Use this checklist as a guide to build your custom specifications.
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