A Framework for SAP Knowledge Transfer

The SAP/Ariba/Digital Procurement Consulting market experienced a massive requirement driven boom in 2021. The outlook for 2022 remains bright, as more and more large scale procurement transformation projects getting kickstarted. Many experienced SAP Consultants witnessed premium value for their skills and had multiple new opportunities to choose from, while new and relatively junior consultants too had avenues to show their appetite for taking more responsibility. In a volatile situation like this, where the talent movement is so fast, one of the most critical event in a ongoing engagement is that of a smooth and appropriate knowledge transfer, otherwise popularly known as the KT.

While the qualitative outcome of a handover activity lies on the both parties (the giver and the taker), I am outlining below points as an instruction manual for the outgoing consultant in a engagement. However, these are the exact same points the incoming consultant should focus on while moving in to a new project.

Knowledge Transfer/Handover (KT) in IT assignments is often one of the most talked about, yet a topic with weak or no framework. As a SAP consultant for more than a decade, who has first hand experience of being on the both sides several times (giving and receiving KTs), I suggest the PPT (Process, People, Technology) framework.

It has, as you can guess, below 3 pillars:

1> Process (Business and Beyond):

Before you jump into the business processes, usher in the incoming consultant to the business. Chances are that if the consultant is relatively new to SAP world, he/she doesn't have the business insights that you have. Start with a few words on your customer organization. What's their business. Who are the competitors, how is the industry doing overall and what are the current trends. Do, talk about the business processes, but also, why they were adopted and what purpose they are serving.

2> People (Teams, Teammates, Stakeholders and Beyond):

This point is often overlooked. Introduce the incoming consultant to the stakeholders. Start bringing the newbies to your daily/weekly alignments with business counterparts. Even better, schedule small size catch-up calls of mere 10 minutes with the new consultant and important business stakeholders for an intimate introduction. The trust it installs on the incoming consultant goes a long way to make his/her life smoother in the initial weeks and also gives a significant reassurance to the business that you as a seasoned executive are vouching for the person who is replacing you.

Introduce the newcomers to other teams, their members (e.g. Master data team, SAP ECC/S4HANA team, Basis, P2P, Controlling, legal etc. for a Ariba consultant) and external stakeholders (like SAP CEE and SAP consultants supporting ongoing build activities, supplier counterparts etc. for a Ariba consultant). Do you have close buddies in or outside of your team who not only help you generously at work, but share your lunch table or coffee chats? Let them know about the new fellow who might need their helping hands going forward.

3> Technology (Build, BAU and Beyond):

The most obvious segment is to talk about the underlying tools and technical setup. But, do not stop at just that. Clearly chart out the journey and stage at which the project is at. Talk about the new implementations and how are they are as per the project charter. Elaborate on the BAU (Business as usual) topics, but go over and above the "Tools and tickets" ceiling. Emphasize on the customizations in the customer landscape, the deviations from the standard procedures. Chances are that the incoming consultant is capable enough to get up-to-speed with standard functionalities, but will struggle with the specific customizations and the rationale behind those. Discuss those topics transparently and let them know the repositories for all the relevant documents. Do not forget to record your technical discussions and system demos.

So, next time you are going in for a KT, ask for PPT. Now you know what to expect for the activity. Did I miss anything important? do let me know in the comments.