Acquired Insights Inc.

From Big Ideas Come Real-World Solutions 

Whitepaper

NEW!

1-Day Virtual Roundtable

Gives CIOs and CFOs

The Fastest and Simplest Way to Create

An As-Is Assessment of their

Enterprise SAP System(s) and to

Create a Robust and Defensible Business Case for SAP System Optimizations and Transformations

(Within 1 Week!)

Want to save months or years of time and hundreds of thousands

or even millions of dollars in completing an SAP As-Is Assessment?

Join The Challenge Now! 

Our Challenge to Organizations Using SAP:

Identify Any Other Way to Complete a Full System

SAP As-Is Assessment (Down to Level 6)

in Just 1-Day For Less Than $50K.

(I Want to Schedule a 30 – 60 Minute Call to Find Out More)

See if a Demo is Right For Your Organization

Gary L. Melling, CEO, Acquired Insights, Inc.

In a recent article published on September 5, 2022, Richard Murphy from ERP Informer lays out the Top 7 Reasons why most ERP failures happen, in short they are:

1. Failure to Set Clear Goals and Project Outlines
2. Failure to Clearly Define Business Processes
3. Lack of Support from Upper Management
4. Failure to Assemble an Effective Team Structure
5. Not Planning for Large Scale Data Migration
6. Lack of Communication
7. Avoid the Most Common ERP Deployment Mistakes

While reflecting on his article, I wondered if there may be one common denominator responsible for these 7 reasons (and probably more) as to why ERP failures occur and could there be a better way for SAP IT professionals to conduct As-Is Assessments of their SAP systems differently – in a way that produces the desired results?  For how do you build a bridge to your SAP To-Be or Future State system if you don’t know where you are starting from?  This status quo approach is both ineffective, inefficient…because in short, it doesn’t get SAP customers where they want to be… it may get them close, but close (which is a subjective term) is only sufficient when playing horseshoes and when using hand grenades.

To compound this issue, when hearing about a new product, App, or approach, many business and technology leaders do not want to be the first “test case”, in other words, no one wants to be first to be first, but everyone wants to be first to be second”, and understandably so.

 Facts:

• Based on 1,900+ SAP As-Is and code migration assessments we have provided the unobstructed SAP Customers with a view of their current SAP systems maturity landscape and been able to answer that age old question: What will you migrate, leave behind, and why?

• Do you know all the FACTS that guarantee that your SAP systems are future-proof? Our 1-Day Virtual Roundtable also answers the question: Can your SAP HANA be implemented and used without problems for a truly seamless transition to digital migration?

• Another important question raised by customers is: How much time and money can the cost-effective KPI Analyzer App automated migration/integration assessment methodology typically save an SAP customer?; Based on our experience, conservatively we have proven that SAP Customers can save up to 70% of time & money spent in months or years of Face-to-Face workshops.

Results are produced in our 1-Day, Virtual Roundtable by using the SaaS KPI Analyzer App running on the SAP Cloud Platform.  Benchmark data powers the KPI Analyzer analysis software, and has since 2002.

We serve and support all SAP ERP across all Industries, As-Is Usage 6-Level Analysis, all modules, all locations, all users and dialogs, plus document types

• Enterprise Resource Planning SAP (ERP)
• SAP Advanced Planning and Optimization (SAP APO)
• SAP Customer Relationship Management (SAP CRM)
• SAP Supplier Relationship Management (SAP SRM)
• SAP Strategic Enterprise Management (SAP SEM)
• SAP Supply Chain Management (SAP SCM)
• SAP Apparel Footwear (SAP AFS)
• SAP Fashion Management (SAP FMS)
• Human Resource Management (SAP HRM / HR)
• Financial Supply Chain Management (SAP FSCM)
• Governance, Risk and Compliance (SAP GRC)
• SAP Industry Solutions – Utilities, DIMP, Automotive SPM, etc.

We also assist our Customers understand how their SAP system(s) compare to others in their industry, and provide a unique set of KPIs that are industry specific.

More specifically, the Independent SAP As-Is Assessment App, KPI Analyzer:

• Listed in the SAP store as a Preferred App

• Although independent, comes with a Referral of the SAP, Office of the CTO

• Has accumulated many, many testimonials and endorsements for reference

• Can be completed in one 1-Day Virtual Roundtable session

• Only requires 1 - 2 of an SAP Customer's Senior IT Professionals

• Uses client SAP Usage Data

• Dives down to level 6 (includes site location, specific user, and document type)

• Identifies potential cyber security breaches in SAP Standard & Custom Code

• (SAS 145) and IAASB (ISA 315) Audit Standards addressing Technical breaches of SAP Code due to Material Misstatement; which can be the single reason why an Audited organization can fail their Annual Audit Is the only App on the market today that addresses the recently revised AICPA

• Enables CIOs to immediately and critically inform and revise their SAP enterprise strategy based on Usage Data from their system(s) for improved performance and reduced cost considerations; industry specific Key Performance Indicators are also used to align the organization’s SAP system(s) with leading practices within their own industry; compare up to 10 instances in just 1 Day

• Enables CFO's to build an accurate and defensible Business Case for optimization, upgrades, and complete transformations, within 2 weeks

Through the KPI Analyzer Our Customers Enjoy the Ability to Quickly and Accurately…

• Understand their As-Is SAP system(s) without being encumbered by human bias, error, or internal politics; the assessment is completed in one 1-Day Virtual Roundtable session using actual Usage Data, and does not require access to production systems or data.

• Know that even though their SAP system(s) documentation is old and incomplete, by engaging in the 1-Day As-Is Assessment of their SAP system(s) they can analyze the Results2Advice Management Report (produced as a deliverable from the 1-Day session) to prepare an SAP system optimization or complete S/4HANA transformation strategy.

• Construct a robust and defensible business case for optimizing their SAP ERP Systems within 10 business days, e.g., ECC, HANA, Hybrid, Cloud systems and/or S/4HANA Transformations.

• Stop paying for expensive licensing, support, and maintenance for functionality associated with custom code because they can transition/optimize/upgrade their existing systems with targeted functionality that now exists within other/newer versions of SAP standard code.

• Answer important questions regarding their SAP system(s) such as; i) Who conducted which SAP development work, when, and why on your SAP system(s)?  ii) Is that code still available in the system? iii) Is it still being used? iv) When was the last time it was used and by whom? v) Does it pose a security risk?

• Identify which employees/consultants/contractors that previously had “All Access” to your SAP system(s), and which should no longer have access to your SAP system(s), still have access.  Use actual Usage Data to answer to confirm and verify the status to an Auditor.

• Decide if they prefer to complete our independent one 1-Day Virtual Roundtable independent of SAP and/or their GSSP/SI, or if they would like to involve them.

• Identify internal fraud within their organization; according to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), losses due to internal fraud constitute 7% of profit on average (Yes, you read that correctly, not 7% of Revenue, but 7% of Profit!)

• Accelerate the time to discovering when internal fraud has been committed, and by whom. The ACFE also states that an average fraud case is only discovered after 14 months.

• Understand the scope of fraud committed and how it contributes to exposure, risk, and liability.  Even though only 20 percent of fraud is committed by an owner or top executive, the cost of managerial fraud is ten times as high as non-executive employee fraud.

• Using reliable, highly effective, low-cost technology to automate fraud detection.  There are more than four million open/vacant cyber roles worldwide. This shortage is magnified by today’s highly competitive job market — causing many organizations to see a rapid and accelerating rate of data and security breaches, record-high churn rates, recruitment costs, staff salaries, breaches, ransom ware, and worse. 

• Being proactive instead of reactive in preparing for the Annual External Audit.  Regulators and Auditors are well aware of the exposure, risk and liability associated with cyber security breaches and internal fraud; as a result, effective December 15th, 2021, national and international audit standards were revised to reflect how Auditors can ferret out Material Misstatement and Fraud in organizations requiring an External Audit…

• Demonstrating reasonable due diligence has been applied throughout the preparation for the external audit.  Given the recent changes to National and International Audit Standards by the AICPA SAS 145 Standard and the IAASB ISA 315 Standard, respectively, all Auditors are now required to look in detail at SAP Standard and Custom Code for Material Misstatement.  Are you ready to present the Auditor with a clean bill of health regarding your firm’s ability to identify and resolve Material Misstatement, Fraud and other nefarious activity in SAP Standard and Custom Code?

Our Customers’ Enjoy…

Using the deliverables from our INDEPENDENT 1-Day Virtual Roundtable to critically inform and accelerate their SAP System optimizations and transformation strategy: Statement of Work (SOW), Program/Project Charter, Project Plan, Business Case, Resource Plan and Scheduling, Costs Versus Value, Operations, Risk Management, Governance, Cyber Security, PMO, Software Development, Professional Services, Support, Maintenance, Staffing, Contractors, GSSP/ISP, and AICPA / IAABB External Audit Compliance, to name just a few.

Obliterate the time & money spent in broken and pointless face to face “as is” workshops. The automated KPI Analyzer engine assesses the entire SAP system business processes transactions down to Level 6, with drill down in all locations, with KPI’s that include … details for implementation, costs, productivity, performance, quality, complexity, benchmarks, cost-benefit analysis, and maturity level.

The KPI Analyzer analysis includes fact-based definitions with fit-to-strategy for migration / integration with partner services, products, and technology components for transformation execution with Results2Advice (R2A). All assessment FACTS can be injected into SAP diagnostic tools.

The KPI Analyzer 12 month subscription enables SAP customers to use the App over and over to monitor the progress of projects and optimize results.

So how do the different stakeholders within our SAP customers perceive value from KPI Analyzer?, in just a few words:

• C-Suite … executive assessments that leverage real-time decision capability save money, increase agility and migration speed while ensuring stability.

• LoB Mgmt … strategic assessments that optimize performance reliability and data sharing values for apps across the customer’s organization optimize and accelerate digital transformation.

• IT Mgmt … project assessments for flexibility and agility cut costs of big data analysis for critical digital transformation

If You Become Our Customer…

Customers benefit from being able to license the App used in the 1-Day Virtual Roundtable to run their own independent SAP system scans on demand (ReScans) as part of a continuous quality improvement initiative, informing other mission-critical aspects of their business, such as governance, CyberSecurity, risk, etc., in short, enabling technical and business leaders to monitor the quality and value they are deriving from their SAP system. Because organizational leadership can now view their SAP system from a variety of new evidence-based perspectives, added value is created which unlocks new possibilities for extracting more value from SAP, e.g., i) identifying SAP User best practices in their industry, ii) being able to compare their system to industry best practices, and iii) accelerating the ability to narrow the gap between industry best practices and their existing functionality.

Want to save months or years of time and hundreds of thousands

or even millions of dollars in completing an SAP As-Is Assessment?

Join The Challenge Now! 

Our Challenge to Organizations Using SAP:

Identify Any Other Way to Complete a Full System

SAP As-Is Assessment (Down to Level 6)

in Just 1-Day For Less Than $50K.

(I Want to Schedule a 30 – 60 Minute Call to Find Out More)

See if a Demo is Right For Your Organization

Gary L. Melling, CEO, Acquired Insights, Inc.

When You Become Our Customer…

A major differentiator is that the KPI Analyzer App can be run in one day without workshops, interviews, questionnaires, or travel expense …and after licensing, customers can rerun (ReScan) as frequently as needed, for no additional cost, for migrations, integrations, optimizations, transformations, Process Mining (i.e. Signavio, Celonis, etc.), business cases, implementation project planning, RFPs, quality assurance, technical assurance, governance, executive reporting, and even to identify additional information that can identify optimization opportunities that were previously hard to see or pursue

As Our Customer, You Will…

When you become a Customer, you will obtain numerous benefits from Re-Scans.  ReScans empower our customers to be proactive instead of being reactive to changes, fraud, risk, etc.

Run As-Is Analyses of your SAP systems on demand to identify strategic adjustments in your optimization or transformation journey as a result of responding to overnight changes in the market, products, services, work down curves, fraud, regulators, external audits, quality assurance, supply chain, competitors, Reductions In Force (RIF), and much, much more.

One customer, Magna International, Inc. (Magna) designs, engineers, and manufactures components, assemblies, systems, subsystems, and modules for original equipment manufacturers of vehicles and light trucks worldwide. It operates through four segments: Body Exteriors & Structures, Power & Vision, Seating Systems, and Complete Vehicles. With 161,000 employees and a Marketcap of $17.14 Billion US, Magna was founded in 1957 and is headquartered in Aurora, Canada.

Magna is one organization that was dealing with a large number of complex SAP systems, after they became a Customer this is what they had to say:

Now That You Are Our Customer…

Now that you are our customer, in addition to using KPI Analyzer for ReScans, you can also broaden the application of SAP assessments such as scanning SAP systems standard and custom code for anomalies which may affect external audits, such as Material Misstatement, interfaces with Signavio, SuccessFactors (to name just a couple), targeted data migrations, remediation, and more, as they relate to software development, test, simulation, and production environments.

Our Customers enjoy the completeness and transparency produced by KPI Analyzer and how the results are presented, so whether you are benefitting from an initial scan from the 1 Day Virtual Roundtable As-Is Assessment, or whether you are engaged in one of several opportunities to use KPI Analyzer for ReScans, in a hierarchal structured data App output, our Customers tell us KPI Analyzer is absolutely essential for effective and efficient migration and integration.

Think of KPI Analyzer as a Swiss Army Knife, while at first it may present as a single tool, upon further inspection it becomes obvious that it is actually a multi-purpose tool; by applying specific filters within KPI Analyzer to the data collected through a targeted ReScan, SAP Customers can drill down to investigate a variety of different aspects of their SAP system(s), which can then be used to inform other business and planning activities, e.g., developing a robust and defensible Business Case, informing the SAP transformation journey, project planning, resource planning, ongoing Quality Assurance, etc.

Want to save months or years of time and hundreds of thousands

or even millions of dollars in completing an SAP As-Is Assessment?

Join The Challenge Now! 

Our Challenge to Organizations Using SAP:

Identify Any Other Way to Complete a Full System

SAP As-Is Assessment (Down to Level 6)

in Just 1-Day For Less Than $50K.

(I Want to Schedule a 30 – 60 Minute Call to Find Out More)

See if a Demo is Right For Your Organization

Gary L. Melling, CEO, Acquired Insights, Inc.

Now That You are Our Customer, It Gets Even Better…

As a customer, you can now also access and evaluate the wellness of fit between your business and technical requirements and the other solutions within our product and services suite. 

Our Customers also benefit from fractional support for bespoke SAP and follow-on projects to SAP optimizations and transformations.  For example Acquired Insights can:

• Utilize our extended network of SAP Certified Developers for staff augmentation, fractional/project based scenarios, skunk works projects, etc.

• Create customized Digital Workers using AI/ML and Robotic Process Automation (RPA) to automate select repetitive back office functions which interface with SAP and where the cost and performance of using humans provides diminishing return; most customized Digital Workers can be created from scratch within 30 days of the customer providing the digital worker specifications

• Facilitate virtual VIP strategy sessions to clarify and communicate to the organization the focus and value of a specific program/project

• Engage in Sponsor and Stakeholder assessments for the purpose of creating baseline Key Performance Indicators and metrics for success

• Complete Change Readiness Assessment(s) to determine the level of change readiness and preparedness of your organization, leadership, and employees for engaging in a specific program/project

• Provide a free, no obligation, 30-day trial of our enterprise cyber security solution; initial cyber security output reports available starting after only 7 days

• Engage in our Business Optimization Engine (3 different versions available, specific version determined by the depth of detail desired by the customer); typically this program results in a 4:1 ROI, although much higher ROI has been frequently obtained

• Complete a Business Continuity Risk Assessment to understand the impact(s) of medium and large scale programs or projects on business and financial performance

• Access to investors and funding for large scale projects; funding typically available for $50 Million to $500 Million

Hello, my name is Gary L. Melling and I am the CEO and Co-Founder of Acquired Insights, Inc.

After 40+ years working in management consulting and systems integration, working for Big 5 firms, classified military and R&D environments, start-ups, through the silicon valley boom and bust cycles, Y2K, rapid growth initiatives, mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, I have seen a lot of products and services targeting business and businesses.  If you are not familiar with us, our products or professional services, our valued partners, or the quality of work we do, let me take a moment to introduce ourselves. 

Acquired Insights, Inc. is a strategic management consulting and systems assessment firm.  While we have several entry points for assisting organizations become more strategic and profitable, SAP customers typically contact us when they want to save months or years of time and hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars in completing an SAP As-Is Assessment.  After 1,900+ SAP As-Is Assessments completed across 15 industries, with testimonials, endorsements, Use Cases, and more, I believe we have a reference(s) that will be relevant to any organization using SAP and contemplating change. 

Our products and services range from strategic business and technology assessments to Program/Project Management, Organizational Change Management, the creation of custom digital workers (Robotic Process Automation), and enterprise CyberSecurity solutions. When and where it makes sense, we provide quantum value to customers by integrating these solutions which quickly scales their respective and collective value. 

Status Quo SAP As-Is Assessments can take 6 months to years and range in cost from $500K to up to $7 Million.  So how are we able to complete an entire SAP system As-Is Assessment in just 1 Day and why are so many organizations using SAP finding value in working with us?

One example of the way we might customize and integrate these solutions as we work with clients over time would be where a client requests us to complete a 1-Day Virtual Roundtable SAP As-Is Assessment, and what comes out of the assessment is a series of opportunities for quick remediation of SAP code and the opportunity to automate certain business processes that touch SAP code.  In other words, the customer needs an SAP As-IS Assessment, which triggers remediation services, and through which the customer discovers that their Finance back-office could benefit from Digital Workers that can automate the Accounts Payable function; so Acquired Insights will design, develop, and implement Digital Workers to automate that function. Over time, the Customer may wish to extend our engagement by drawing upon our Project Management or Organizational Change Management services for follow-on projects, or for entirely unrelated projects. In addition, many CIOs have several small projects that are supported by approved budget, but no one to do the work, that too is where we may be able to assist the organization in operating like a fractional or extended team.  For these types of projects we offer Project Management, Organizational Change Management, and Certified SAP Software Developers that can successfully deliver on the program/project itself.  That said, if a Customer is happy with their current GSSP / SI, the 1-Day Virtual Roundtable will provide everything necessary for the Customers internal team and/or its external team of consultants, contractors, etc., to understand the challenge ahead of them AND what is required to meet the Customer’s requirements for SAP optimization and transformation.

Want to save months or years of time and hundreds of thousands

or even millions of dollars in completing an SAP As-Is Assessment?

Join The Challenge Now! 

Our Challenge to Organizations Using SAP:

Identify Any Other Way to Complete a Full System

SAP As-Is Assessment (Down to Level 6)

in Just 1-Day For Less Than $50K.

(I Want to Schedule a 30 – 60 Minute Call to Find Out More)

Gary L. Melling, CEO, Acquired Insights, Inc.

Hiding in Plain Sight…

The answer to completing an SAP As-Is Assessment in just 1 Day, virtually, down to level 6, is actually hiding in plain sight.  When most SAP customers think about engaging in an SAP As-Is Assessment, they naturally often turn to their Global System Service Provider (GSSP) or Systems Integration (SI) Partner. These are often but not always, large global Management Consulting firms belonging to what is casually referred to as “The Big 5”.  While there is a tremendous amount of talent and experience in these Big 5 firms, there is also often an expensive price tag that comes with working with them.

Another different but related point is that through SAP’s RISE program, SAP provides many free or low cost tools, including As-Is Assessment tools which can be used by direct customers, GSSPs and SI firms.  Generally speaking, the practical problem with the tools in the RISE program is that even though they are free or low cost, when it comes time to engage in an SAP As-Is Assessment, these free tools only assess down to Level 2 or 3 in SAP.  For reference, SAP has 6 levels (Level 6 works at the level of site location, individual user and document), and once the limit of the free tools is reached, the consulting firms’ only option is to complete the rest of the As-Is Assessment by facilitating time and labor intensive workshops.  Although unintended, these workshops facilitated for humans by humans, means that their workshop results may be affected by human error, human bias, organizational politics, egos, and more.  The fees paid to these Big 5 consulting firms for all of these additional workshops are where the time and costs can sometimes spiral out of control, and may also throw into question, the validity and quality of the As-Is Assessment results when completed this way.

Another aspect of SAP As-Is Assessments is that there are some cases where an SAP customer wants to engage in a 1-Day Virtual Roundtable (initial scan) to obtain an initial, quick but deep, independent As-Is Assessment of their SAP system(s) without the involvement of SAP, their GSSPs or SI.  Subsequently, once the SAP customer has acquired deeper appreciation for their SAP system(s) through the 1-Day Virtual Roundtable, and had some time to think and strategize about their business, industry, market, and how they choose to deliberately optimize their SAP system, etc., they may then opt to include SAP, the GSSP or SI.  With our approach, which is to offer an INDEPENDENT SAP As-Is Assessment, SAP Customers can make that decision independently and draw into their discussions any 3rd parties they prefer, at any time they choose, either right from the start in the 1-Day Virtual Roundtable, or anywhere further along in the process.  

Getting Started…

So what if you want to diverge from the status quo and avoid spending months or years and hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of dollars in completing an SAP As-Is Assessment, well there is some good news…

Our simple 6-Step process enables us to onboard new customers very quickly, in fact, we move at whatever speed suits you and your organization, that said, Steps 1 – 6 can typically be completed within 30 days of our initial discovery call, after which your organization will be well on its way, and likely, as a result of the 1-Day Virtual Roundtable, already have developed a revised SAP enterprise strategy, and a robust and defensible business case. 

Why have we made it possible to make such a huge and fundamental difference in organizations running SAP …in just 30 days?

It took a lot of effort, but that’s because our team and partners have learned over decades that when customers want to engage, it’s mission-critical to have a well-oiled process and team that can deliver quickly and completely, with uncompromising quality and scalable value.   For many organizations using ERP systems, there are times when they feel like they’ve hit a brick wall.  This often results in one of two outcomes:

• Projects get delayed or shelved for a variety of reasons, or

• Organizations proceed with the project(s) loosely, and often over time their timelines, deliverables and budgets slip, resulting in cost-overruns, rework or throw away work, and very unhappy management and shareholders.

 So you’re forced to choose how to get past it... and if you are unaware that you can complete an SAP As-Is Assessment within one 1-Day Virtual Roundtable (within which you can compare up to 10 SAP systems), then other than shelving the project, the only option you really have is to engage in the status quo.  Engaging in the status quo, as we’ve discussed, is not really an attractive option, as one customer said, until we knew about Acquired Insights and KPI Analyzer, engaging in the status quo would be the “least worst option”.

This lead me to design our simple “6 Step Game Plan"; a simple business framework for helping organizations using SAP to consistently produce high value, low cost SAP As-Is Assessments so they can optimize their SAP system(s) and do so by using real data, free of human bias and error while staying away from production systems and data.  And to make it a reality, in order to enable Acquired Insights to quickly transition from “vendor” status to that of a trusted advisor, thereby becoming a more impactful resource to our customers and partners.

In any business, but especially the software business, it is imperative to build credibility quickly, and the best way to deliver unquestionable value that can actually scale over time.  This means solving the original problem our customer was facing quickly and inexpensively by taking small but pragmatic steps, turning chaos into a defensible actionable plan, and having the resources to provide value-added perspectives to assist the customer avoid falling into future traps; and that’s the path we chose.

It’s Up to You, What Would You Like to Do Next?

To learn more or if you have questions you’d like answered, contact us.

We’re here to help:

Gary L. Melling

President & CEO

Acquired Insights, Inc. (AI Inc.)

(The US)   8 The Green, Suite B, Dover, Delaware, USA 19901

(Canada) Suites 5 - 6, 2115 South Service Road W., Oakville, Ontario L6L 5W2

E: Gary.Melling@aiinc.cloud

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gamelling/

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