The second day of the Mastering SAP OnAir conference started with virtual BYO-coffee speed networking sessions to get everyone perked up and ready for the day’s jam-packed agenda.
The first session was led by Joe Burton, founder and CEO of Whil Concepts, Inc. and the former president of Headspace. Burton discussed mindfulness techniques to help reduce stress and build resilience for sustained success. Attendees were in agreement: the lessons shared in the session are something all of us need to learn to cope in today’s volatile and extremely stress-induced world. As one participant mentioned, it was good to be reminded about self-awareness and achieving balance.
Highlights
The rest of the talks were largely focused on digital transformations—taking on a holistic approach to ERP, aligning people, and implementing effective user adoption strategies to drive success. Carl McGowan of Zag emphasized this last point during his keynote session where he explained why the success or failure of a mobility project is driven by user adoption more than any other single factor.
Winshuttle’s Raja Reddy also shared some practical tips on accelerating digital transformation by enabling SAP users with web UI and powerful, customizable workflow processing.
Other topics covered during Day 2 of Mastering SAP 2020 included SAP S/4HANA implementation learnings—invariably a popular topic among SAP specialists. Lisa Boldt of Precision Drilling, together with global SAP thought leader Norm Poynter, discussed their experiences and valuable insights post-S/4HANA implementation and how the Canadian drilling rig contractor is working to create a truly digital organisation.
Ballance Agri-Nutrients Limited also shared their successful SAP S/4HANA implementation. During their talk, Anita Grenside, Applications Manager at Ballance, and Chris Day of Aurizon Holdings explain how the company’s S/4HANA upgrade allowed it to develop a solution that provided visibility across the business, increased communication efficiencies, and enhance capabilities on planning and making bookings with carriers and customers.
Expert Insights from SAP
One of the more thought-provoking talks during the day was that of SAP’s very own Baber Farooq who explored the 3 key market trends that are impacting procurement organisations globally today:
- The declining growth rate of productivity despite the advancements in technology
- The rise of the digital economy
- “Slowbalization” – the flattening of globalisation and mobilisation trends
According to Farooq, each of these trends has defined the global economic transformation and has further accelerated because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He said,
“The COVID-induced recession that we’re living in right now is changing the shape of the economy for decades to come. Organizations need to understand what these trends are, what those changes mean for procurement and supply chain, and we need to understand where those changes are in terms of how technologies should be used to best respond.”
Farooq also shared his views on the emerging goals and trends in spend management as a result of these three key trends:
- Increase in the demand for AI and automation: Farooq believes we’re gonna see more involvement of AI capabilities within enterprise software—specifically within procurement and supply chain operations—before we see it in all these other applications.
- Supply chain management: He explained why collaboration between procurement teams and suppliers can nurture innovation.
- The rise of the external workforce: He said that as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, more companies will engage with contingent workforce teams.
