IMPLEMENTATION OF SAP SYSTEM AT KAUST

Implementation of SAP system at KAUST



Abstract

Many companies have made significant financial investments with SAP software to enable their business and streamline processes. These investments are extremely valuable; however, a key question to ask is “how have they added value to doing business with your customers and partners?” Have your SAP implementations enabled your customers and partners to find, configure and purchase the right products and services, and ensure product, order and invoice accuracy and timeliness. And, do they have a seamless experience whether they choose to do business with your organization online, in person, via the phone or all of these? Companies must derive value from their SAP investments to meet demands of customers and partners to directly impact the bottom line. This in-depth white paper focuses on how to leverage and extend your SAP systems with an eBusiness solution to achieve customer- and partner-facing operational success. The end result equates to increased revenue, reduced costs, greater channel efficiency and effectiveness, and improved visibility into your business. This paper discusses the implementation of SAP system at KAUST in a concise way.

Table of Content

CHAPTER-1: INTRODUCTION4

1.2 Background of the Study5

1.3 Statement of the Problem5

1.4 Aims and Ojectives of the Study5

1.5 Rationale of the Study6

1.6 Assumptions6

1.7 Research Question6

CHAPTER-2: LITERATURE REVIEW7

CHAPTER-3: METHODOLOGY15

3.1 Introduction15

3.2 Research Question16

3.4 Testing of the Design17

CHAPTER-4: CONCLUSION18

REFERENCES19

CHAPTER-1: INTRODUCTION

1. Introduction

SAP is a software system which integrates key business processes into one system. Although this system has helped many companies grow, the benefits do not come easy. The implementation process can be slow and every company has special needs and presents unique obstacles that must be addressed in order to achieve a successful system.

The Dallas-based oil exploration giant, Halliburton decided growth would be possible with a new strategy of integration. The biggest problem that Halliburton faced was consolidation of 300 applications into a single ERP system. Most of the existing systems did not communicate with one another and the single system to handle the company's key processes including order to cash, purchase to payment, manufacturing, project management and controls, Health/Safety/Environment, HR/Payroll, accounting, and management reporting. Halliburton also faced a problem of the sheer size of the project. With the consultation of Accenture, Halliburton pulled off one of the largest global implementations of SAP ever. The company integrated more than 350 locations in 78 countries and upwards of 14,000 users in the system.

1.2 Background of the Study

Lincoln Electric is a company that provides industrial equipment such as welders all over the world. The company has been in business over 100 years and wanted to update its old legacy systems for the new millennium. Lincoln Electric chose SAP R/3 as the system to use and implemented it in only 15 months. During this process the company changed major business processes to lower expenses and improve customer service. An internal architecture was also built so the company's IT department could build new applications in accordance with growth.

1.3 Statement of the Problem

Although these are only two examples of the diverse and complicated ...