As Genesis Consulting works with our clients, one overlooked and underutilized facet of an SAP Concur deployment is the integration setup with the client ERP systems. In our experience in helping companies implement SAP Concur, the triple constraints of time, cost, and scope often come into play, with time being the biggest driver in reducing or changing the scope of the effort.
Projects often begin with lofty aspirations of cutting-edge technology and integration approaches. However, as the scope of the project unfolds, often the integration scope is reduced due to the complexity of API development, or the unsettled business requirements result in insufficient time for developing and testing the integration of necessary data points so at the end of the day, simplified integration approaches win out over more complex ones. As Genesis meets with clients who already have a Concur product deployed, we find that taking a look at optimizing integrations is an oft overlooked component instead of making changes to the UI or processing rules.
Evaluating your Integration setup and approach after your project is live can have several benefits. Genesis includes in our scoping and deployment plans a checkpoint at 6 months and then a yearly checkup to look at the overall system configuration and operation. One benefit of including an Integration review is that the business requirements that were a WIP leading up to Go-Live have now been settled and better defined. With these business requirements now solidified and locked in, a more objective review can be done to evaluate the best approach to provide your SAP Concur system with the data it needs. Some common findings we share with our customers include:
A more holistic view of data needs in the system result in reducing the number of independent data feeds
Items such as sort order and lists can be ‘tweaked’ without impacting the system configuration, and
Missed data elements or reporting attributes can be added to address gaps in compliance or operational reporting.
As certified SAP Concur Partners, our implementation team at Genesis finds that including a post-implementation integration checkpoint is a great opportunity for an organization to review how data utilization between your ERP systems and SAP Concur can be optimized to reduce costs and maximize the value of your investment!
About The Author
Mark Block is the SAP Concur Delivery Lead for Genesis Consulting. Mark is known for using his versatile leadership skills with SAP Concur Engagements, helping companies deploy the SAP Concur Product suite of Expense, Travel, and Invoice. Mark possesses extensive hands-on experience designing and implementing solutions around card selection & implementation as well as PCard & Accounts Payable projects to reduce cost, complexity, and of project solutions as well as increase employee satisfaction. His diverse industry experience includes working with Global private sector clients in Manufacturing, Life Sciences, Retail, and Technology Services as well as multiple Government agencies such as Department of Education, Social Security Administration, Internal Revenue Service, Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, and Department of Defense.