Methode Traditionelle

So good to see you my old friend, and I see that you’ve brought your sibling along. My dear VanDenBeld Brut. I know it’s an inate object, a beverage, but I feel a kindship and a friendship with each glass I pour. The Brut looks like bottled sun-rays, it’s so fresh and light. Fresh apples held up with a structured oakiness. Almonds and toast to add depth to the flavour. It’s made with ‘Methode Traditionelle’.

By doing the same thing over-and-over again you hone your craft as an SAP FiCo Consultant. It takes a lot of time and effort. As your slaving away change trips you over. It truly hits home when you experience it. When I first experienced S4Hana I was amazed and got exited. The beautiful apps, just like I have on my phone. The processing speed and power. Amazing. The project was also managed in a contemporary way. We would use two week sprints to manage a multi year project.

A youthful disruptor handed me my post-its. To manage the life-cycle of my tasks, I was told. Whenever one phase of the task was done, I should move it to the next column of a board. And even the bloody board had a name. KABAN! We would gather around the KABAN and discuss if a post-it could move. We called that stand-up. Because we were standing.?

The VanDenBeld Brut is made with Methode Traditionelle. This way of producing sparkling wine is exactly as it was done decades and decades ago. The flavour develops because of that method, the bubble appear because of that method. The result is there because of the method.

When summer came the project had a major emergency. It got a bit toasty inside and that dried out the glue of the post-its. And our project disruptors found all the post-its of all the tasks on the floor. The stress was palatable, emergency post-it meeting. I removed my self because I almost pissed myself laughing. Project show-stopper due to glue issues.?

The funny thing was that outcome of the post-it meeting was rather traditional. The outcome was to get better post-its. Perhaps magnetic ones, if the budget allowed that.?Or use duck-tape to secure them to the KABOOM board. The disruptors were seriously disrupted.?

There’s something to be said for traditions. Especially when you work in IT. New ideas pop-up like mushrooms but like wise there’s an immense graveyard of failed innovations. Everyday I work with my S4H projects I realize that so much has changed yet so much has stayed the same. Customer invoices need to be send out and get paid. That is as old as the road to ROME. Every month the company needs to take inventory of its health by looking at their balance sheet and profit and loss statement. The traditions exist because they lead to more predictable outcomes.

As an FiCo consultant you have to keep the transitions AND embrace the changes. That evaluation should be done on a case-by-case basis. Just like VanDenBeld Brut’s sibling, the VanDenBeld Rosé. Also made in the traditional method but then the skins of the red grapes are left a bit longer to paint the wine. I’m sur that the first winemaker that did that, by choice or accident, got dragged to the town square and slapped around. The village wanted ensure this abomination would not happen again. But you can’t stop change and those people who tasted that abomination thought, it to be quite tasty. And that settled the argument.?

I’m currently working with a digital-KABAN board that is quite resistant to the weather. And I’m embracing new technology and methods by trial and error. As an SAP consultant you work in an environment with both IT and business fads and trends. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t. Some work most of the time. Those will slowly stop being a disruption and merge with the tradition. If you ever falter in your faith of the traditional way, have glass of Brut. When you ever falter in your embrace of the new, go for a glass of Rosé.

The known path takes the traveler to the know destination.

Till next time.