"5th Edition - The Career Path of the SAP Consultant, and Why Job Boards are Not the Best Place for SAP Career Advancement"
Podcast Interview Date: January 20, 2010
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Welcome to the fifth edition of The ERP Lounge: Misadventures and Opportunities in SAP Consulting, the new podcast series from JonERP.com! The ERP Lounge is the new "long form" podcast series that features uncensored, in-depth discussions on the hard truths and real opportunities in the SAP skills marketplace. All ERP Lounge podcasts kick off with reader questions from listeners like yourself!

Join Jon Reed and special guest co-host Quinn Brennan of Translink.net, for this 70 minute fifth edition as they tackle reader questions on the relevance of SAP job boards, and then move into an in-depth discussion of how SAP consultants should approach their career paths - with detail on job offer negotiation, resume effectiveness, and the kinds of skills that are getting job offers in a tough market.

Translink is one of the leading providers of SAP consulting talent to key "Tier One" players like IBM and Accenture, which gives Quinn an inside view on the skills that are most compelling in today's market. During the podcast, Jon and Quinn also define SAP recruiter lingo such as "jumpers," "passive job seekers," "bird dogging," and "mercenaries."

Note: to comment on this podcast series, or send in a question for us to answer in the next one, be sure to join our ERP Lounge Group on Linkedin and let us know what you want us to cover. If you want to subscribe to the series, get the RSS feed for The JonERP Master Blog and Podcast Feed. You can also pose questions live to Jon on his real-time @jonerp Twitter feed.

"Jon and Andy Interview Each Other on the Future of SAP, SAP Certification, the Impact of Virtual ERP Training, and the JonERP.com Business Model"
Podcast Interview Date: December 22, 2009
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What business trend will SAP have to tackle in 2010 to stay relevant? And what is the future of ERP training amidst all the virtual training hype? How does SAP certification impact the SAP hiring process and, and how are new "social networking" sites like LinkedIn making their presence felt when consultants are evaluated? Oh, and how does Jon Reed make money anyway? What exactly is the JonERP.com business model? 

To get to the bottom of these questions and several more, Jon Reed of JonERP.com and Andy Klee of ERPtips.com taped an impromptu, unscripted thirty-five minute podcast where they each turned the tables on the other until they ran out of questions to ask - at least for this round. A couple features noted in the podcast: Andy Klee refers to ERPtips Express - a service that allows registrants to check out half of the new ERPtips Journal content free of charge. Andy also refers to the recent ERPtips SAP Training Survey. Jon's Twitter feed is @jonerp, Andy's is @andyklee.

"On the Changes in SAP Consulting, What Individuals and SAP Services Firms Need to do to Stay Relevant, and the Issues SAP Customers Face After Go-Live"
Podcast Interview Date: December 7, 2009
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What is the future of SAP consulting? Why do SAP customers struggle with SAP after go live? Where are the gaps in service that traditional Systems Integrators can't fill? To get to the bottom of these questions, I asked Greg Tomb, founder and CEO of Vivido Labs and former CEO of SAP North America, to join our podcast series and give us his take on how SAP consulting is changing.

During this thirty minute podcast, Greg also explains why he started a new company (Vivido Labs) in a recession and how companies like Vivido can impact SAP consulting and also knowledge on demand via knowledge marketplaces (in Vivido's case, the Knowledge Exchange). We also get Greg's advice on how SAP consultants should adapt to these changing circumstances.

Welcome to the fourth edition of The ERP Lounge: Misadventures and Opportunities in SAP Consulting, the new podcast series from JonERP.com! The ERP Lounge is the new "long form" podcast series that features uncensored, in-depth discussions on the hard truths and real opportunities in the SAP skills marketplace. All ERP Lounge podcasts kick off with reader questions from listeners like yourself!

Join Jon Reed and special guest co-host Michael Doane, author of The New SAP Blue Book and the now-released SAP Green Book, for this 60 minute fourth edition as they tackle reader questions on the hot SAP skills of 2010, and then head into a freewheeling discussion of how SAP will fare in a SaaS world, how SAP consulting is changing, and what Michael means when he talks about "gain share" consulting. 

Note: to comment on this podcast series, or send in a question for us to answer in the next one, be sure to join our ERP Lounge Group on Linkedin and let us know what you want us to cover. If you want to subscribe to the series, get the RSS feed for The JonERP Master Blog and Podcast Feed. You can also pose questions live to Jon on his real-time @jonerp Twitter feed. For the timeframe of this episode and more on the topics covered (as well as some links to topics cited in the podcast), read on. 

Note: two companies mentioned in the podcast as SAP consulting and/or "SAP consulting in the cloud" innovators: CumulusIQ and Vivido Labs.

"On How to Give Jon a Hard Time, See How He Handles Questions on his Feet, and a Meeting of the Minds on SAP Technical Career Success"
Podcast Interview Date: October 16, 2009
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At SAP TechEd, I was involved with numerous video shoots and podcast tapings. But my favorite from the conference stands out clearly: this live SAP tech skills chat with the Enterprise Geeks. What stood out about this taping? It was live, without a net, talking without any script or planning on the future of SAP technical careers - with a live audience asking us questions and watching to see if our material and views were credible.

To me, this 24 minute podcast really captures the spirit of TechEd and also gives a gut-level view of SAP technical skills at a crossroads - with unwanted "skills commotization" on one hand, and new opportunities with Rich Internet Applications (RIAs) and BPM/SOA-inspired approaches on the other. My partner in crime for the podcast is Enterprise Geek radio jockey Eddie Herrmann. It's a half hour of whatever sticks to the wall - and one of the best podcasts I've ever been a part of.

"On the Experience of Being a Demo Jam Finalist and How to Stay Marketable as an SAP Developer"
Podcast Interview Date: October 15, 2009
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Too often, realizing SAP career dreams is seen as a process of seniority: until you have paid your dues for many years, you won't see the payback. While hard work is never a bad thing, Brian Dennett of Colgate-Palmolive has a different story: just two years into his SAP career, he was a Demo Jam finalist at SAP TechEd Phoenix 2009 (link to full SAP DemoJam replay). This was a powerful reminder that SAP career success in today's market has as much to do with late night bursts of content creation as it does with cubicle-based dues paying. To find out more about Brian's great story and get a view into his own career path, I had the opportunity to tape a live podcast with him at SAP TechEd 2009.  

During the 12 minute podcast, Brian talks about his Demo Jam experience and one thing that was unique about his performance: he is planning to give the code from his presentation away on EnterpriseGeeks.com. Speaking of Enterprise Geeks, I also asked Brian about his experience working for Enterprise Geeks podcast jockey Eddie Herrmann. Humor aside, Brian and I also talked about the serious topic of how to contend with outsourcing as a technical person by keeping your skills on the cutting edge. Brian had some important career insights as a result of his TechEd experience, and he shares those with us during this podcast.  

Reminder: JonERP.com podcasts are self-rated PG-13.

During TechEd, I was able to sit down with Greg Chase, who is the Director of Platform Marketing with SAP, covering BPM and CE (Composition Environment). We were joined by his colleague Patrik Fiegl, who is with SAP's Business Transformation Consulting Services Organization, driving BPM growth with customers. During this 19 minute podcast, we were able to examine the relevance of SAP BPM to today's project environments, and take a closer look at some of the skills that are needed as BPM intersects with IT. The discussion points to new skills that can be added to existing roles, as well as an overall convergence of business and IT that is creating the need for new modeling tools experience and new scrum-inspired methodologies.

Note: we also debriefed on the Process Design Slam in Phoenix and why it charted new waters, and we talked about the SAP BPM curriculum that is part of SAP's BPX certification.

"On SAP customer attitudes on Enterprise Support, the value/hype of SaaS for SAP users, and SAP skills advice"
Podcast Interview Date: September 25, 2009
Podcast: Listen Now!
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One of the most controversial issues in the SAP community today is the question of SAP Enterprise Support and whether the support justifies the cost. In the flurry of blog posts on this topic, an important viewpoint can get overlooked: the day-to-day experience of SAP customers. Recently, Panaya, an SAP third party solutions provider, released their 2009 SAP Support Costs Survey. This survey put some meat on the bone of the hot topics in SAP support, such as the cost of support per user, the attitudes towards Enterprise Support, and the key support challenges that SAP users face.

During this twenty minute podcast, Jon Reed of JonERP.com interviews Amit Bendov, Chief Marketing Officer of Panaya, about what they learned from their recent Survey on SAP Support. Since Panaya's tools are all delivered via Software as a Service (SaaS), Jon wanted to get Amit's take on how much value there is in SaaS right now for SAP users based on what Panaya has learned. The podcast also covers the release of Panaya's new Big Book of SAP Upgrades and Panaya's presence at SAP TechEd Phoenix, including the Phoenix/Sedona bike trip Amit is organizing the Saturday after TechEd. (Find Amit on Twitter for more details on the bike trip). Editor's note: for more details on the challenges of installing SAP support packs and the specifics of Panaya's SAP support package automation solution, check out the additional podcast Jon and Amit taped with a focus on SAP support pack installation.

"On the 'Driven to Perform' Book, How it Translates into EPM and GRC skills needs, and how SAP will fare in an SaaS Economy"
Podcast Interview Date: September 25, 2009
Podcast: Listen Now!
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SAP is at a serious crossroads. The ERP market is in a state of significant disruption. The down economy has not only slowed sales; it's created a fertile ground for Software as a Service business models. As I say in the podcast, how SAP responds to these market challenges is going to have a lot to say about its future. Those of us who work in the SAP community have a lot at stake as well. On the consulting side, the commoditization of basic ERP skills is challenging consultants to find a "higher skills ground."

There is no one better to talk about these issues than Nenshad Bardoliwalla. A former executive from the SAP ranks, Nenshad is now heavily involved in SaaS technologies. He is also the co-author of the recently published book Driven to Perform: Risk-Aware Performance Management From Strategy Through Execution. In this in-depth, 50 minute podcast, which I consider to be amongst the best I have ever released, I talk with Nenshad about the book's approach to linking strategy to execution and how this can be leveraged in SAP environments.

The first half of the podcast is focused on breaking down how linking strategy to execution is driving skills demand in the SAP BusinessObjects EPM (Enterprise Performance Management) and GRC (Governance, Risk and Compliance) suites. The second half of the podcast moves into the impact of Software as a Service on the ERP market and how Nenshad thinks SAP should respond. We also get into how SAP professionals should approach SaaS from a skills perspective.

Welcome to the third edition of The ERP Lounge: Misadventures and Opportunities in SAP Consulting, the new podcast series from JonERP.com! The ERP Lounge is the new "long form" podcast series that features uncensored, in-depth discussions on the hard truths and real opportunities in the SAP skills marketplace. All ERP Lounge podcasts kick off with reader questions from listeners like yourself!

Join Jon Reed and Brian Trout for this 65 minute third edition as they tackle reader comments and questions and then delve into an in-depth ranking of the skills demand in SAP CRM (Customer Relationship Management, SRM (Supplier Relationship Management), PLM (Product Lifecyle Management (PLM), and Supply Chain Management (SCM). Get the insights into why some aspects of these products are hotter than others and the industry trends that are driving adoption. Also get the latest take on "SAP Skills that are Hot/and "Not." 

Note: to comment on this podcast series, or send in a question for us to answer in the next one, be sure to join our ERP Lounge Group on Linkedin and let us know what you want us to cover. If you want to subscribe to the series, get the RSS feed for The JonERP Master Blog and Podcast Feed. You can also pose questions live to Jon on his real-time @jonerp Twitter feed. For the timeframe of this episode and more on the topics covered (as well as some links to topics cited in the podcast), read on. 

"SAP Mentor Abesh Bhattacharjee of SAP Labs on His New Book from SAP Press on SAP MII, Keys to Success as an SAP Developer, and BPX Skills Trends"
Podcast Interview Date: August 02, 2009
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What are the keys to becoming a successful SAP developer? Why is SAP MII becoming such an important piece of functionality? And what do technical SAP folks need to learn from functional specialists and vice versa? In this podcast, Jon Reed of JonERP.com gets the answers to these questions with SAP Mentor Abesh Bhattacharjee of SAP Labs. In the debut of a podcast Jon and Abesh have been plotting since last December, Abesh shares the good news of the release of his new book on Implementing and Configuring SAP MII from SAP Press (co-authored by fellow SAP Mentor Dipankar Saha) and gives his insight on the importance of SAP MII and shop floor visibility to SAP users.

"Kevin Wilson of ERPGenie.com Explains Why SAP Event Management is the Best Kept Secret in SAP - and the Keys to Becoming a Visible Expert in the SAP Community"
Podcast Interview Date: August 21, 2009
Podcast: Listen Now!
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A handful of people in the SAP industry are distinguished by their truly outstanding contributions to the SAP community. Kevin Wilson, co-founder of ERPGenie.com and partner with Qdata USA, Inc, is one of those people. ERPGenie.com has supported the skills growth of thousands of SAP professionals. So what is the philosophy behind ERPGenie's success? And how has Kevin Wilson used those same principles to build his own SAP consulting career? What are his keys to finding a marketable niche in the SAP market and becoming a thought leader? 

Kevin remains a hands-on consultant with QData Consulting, and in recent years, he has become an expert in SAP Event Management (EM) implementations. Kevin has come to believe that SAP EM is one of the best kept secrets in SAP. But due to its powerful functionality and relevance to the "manage by exception" process philosophy, EM is not going to remain a secret for much longer. During this in-depth, 43 minute podcast, Kevin tells Jon about the opportunities in SAP EM consulting and how a range of technical and functional SAP professionals can potentially move into SAP EM work. 

Welcome to the second edition of The ERP Lounge: Misadventures and Opportunities in SAP Consulting, the new podcast series from JonERP.com! The ERP Lounge is the new "long form" podcast series that features uncensored, in-depth discussions on the hard truths and real opportunities in the SAP skills marketplace. From this point forward, all ERP Lounge podcasts kick off with reader questions from listeners like yourself!

Join Jon Reed and Brian Trout for this 60 minute second edition as they take a no-holds-barred look at the consulting layers that make it difficult for independent SAP consultants to go directly to end customers and get the rates they are seeking. Find out why these layering problems exist, what kinds of reforms should be happening, and what to do about it in the meantime. Hear Brian and Jon talk about the importance of rate transparency in consulting deals. Also get the latest take on "SAP Skills that are Hot/and "Not." 

Note: to comment on this podcast series, or send in a question for us to answer in the next one, be sure to join our ERP Lounge Group on Linkedin and let us know what you want us to cover. If you want to subscribe to the series, get the RSS feed for The JonERP Master Blog and Podcast Feed. For the timeframe of this episode and more on the topics covered (as well as some links to topics cited in the podcast), read on.

"Thomas Wailgum on the Pros and Cons of SAP, the Impact of SaaS, and the Search for the Owner of the ERP License Plate"
Podcast Interview Date: August 1, 2009
Podcast: Listen Now!
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Thomas Wailgum, Senior Editor of CIO.com and the man behind the "Enterprise Software Unplugged" blog, is a self-described "wiseass." Those who follow his blog know that he isn't afraid to mix it up a little bit and poke a little fun at ERP heavyeights. What you might not know is that Thomas has been at CIO.com for 13 years - an amazingly long time given the ups and downs of dotcoms and online media. I wanted to get Thomas on a podcast and ask him how the ERP market has changed over his years at CIO.com, what he has learned from his interviews with CIOs, and get his take on the pros and cons of SAP in today's market. Thomas is also a fun ERP presence on Twitter, so you may want to follow him there.

"On SAP Project Success and Failure, The Fun (and Value) of Twitter for ERP Pros, and What Panorama's Research Says about the SAP Market"
Podcast Interview Date: July 27, 2009
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What's the best way to overcome inaccurate perceptions? By gathering comprehensive data. And what's the best way to put a vendor in context? Study the broader market. Eric Kimberling, President of Panorama Consulting, does both of these things in the ERP space. To get a better handle on keys to SAP project success (and how to avoid failure), as well as the impact of SaaS and the key skills ERP users should be cultivating, I invited Eric to join me and to share Panorama's findings with JonERP listeners. I also put him on the JonERP hot seat and asked him to make his own recommendations for SAP's future direction. 

During this twenty-five minute podcast, we also talk about the value of Twitter for ERP users and why Eric's experience as a popular ERP "Tweeter" has showed him that Twitter is for more than sharing classic rock music playlists. Eric also shares the keys behind Panorama's business model that includes plenty of information sharing with the ERP community (such as their well-attended ERP webcast series). 

"Debut Edition - The Role of the Independent SAP Consultant, SAP Skills that are Hot (and Not), and How to be a Consultant, not an SAP Contractor"
Podcast Interview Date: July 16, 2009
Podcast: Listen Now!
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Welcome to the first edition of The ERP Lounge: Misadventures and Opportunities in SAP Consulting, the new podcast series from JonERP.com! The ERP Lounge is the new "long form" podcast series that features freewheeling, in-depth discussions on the hard truths and real opportunities in the SAP skills marketplace. Join Jon and Brian for this 55 minute inaugural edition as they take you inside their vision of The ERP Lounge. Learn why they decided to create this new podcast series, what the structure of the series will be, and listen in on the regular features like "SAP Skills that are Hot/and "Not." This first edition also includes a tribute to the SAP independent consultant, and a hashing out of the differences between a "do as you're told" SAP contractor and a "tell the truth" consultant. And yes, this special series gets its own rockin' musical intro!

Note: to comment on this podcast series, or send in a question for us to answer in the next one, be sure to join our ERP Lounge Group on Linkedin. If you want to subscribe to the series, get the RSS feed for The JonERP Master Blog and Podcast Feed. For the timeframe of this episode and more on what inspired this series, read on.

"What Motivates Jon to be an SAP Mentor, and His Skills Recommendations for SAP Professionals"
Podcast Interview Date: July 7, 2009
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Usually I am the one doing the podcast interviews. But this time around, Muhammad Shaamel, podcaster, blogger, and SAP ERP consultant, turned the tables on me. During this twenty-six minute interview, Muhammad asks me for my take on what's hot and what's not from an SAP skills perspective. He had some excellent questions for me, including the value of certification and whether or not BPM skills can help an SAP consultant.

"Why SAP TechEd is Relevant to BPXers, and How to Build a Business Case to Attend"
Podcast Interview Date: July 3, 2009
Podcast: Listen Now!

In this impromptu podcast, inspired by a Twitter conversation thread, Jon Reed interviews Marco ten Vaanholt, VP of the SAP Community Network and the Global Head of the SAP BPX and Business Objects Communities, on how individuals (and project teams) can make a "BPX business case" for SAP TechEd. (Follow Marco on Twitter, and follow SAP TechEd on Twitter. 

"Reactions to ASUG-Sapphire 2009, The Pros and Cons of Co-Location, and SAP Security Trends"
Podcast Interview Date: June 11, 2009
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Sometimes in the glitz of Sapphire announcements, the ASUG part of ASUG/Sapphire gets less attention. To learn more about why the ASUG part of the conference matters - not only to SAP users, but to industry analysts - I invited Gretchen Lindquist, SAP Mentor and stalwart ASUG volunteer, to share her views on ASUG/Sapphire 2009 and the pros and cons of co-location. I also had the opportunity to ask Gretchen about trends in SAP Security from the vantage point of her work as chair of the SAP Security Interest Group (SIG) for ASUG.

Since Total Cost of Ownership (TOC) is such an important talking point for both SAP and its customers, I was very interested to hear Gretchen's take on how security and authorizations often form a "hidden" expense in ERP TCO that needs to be reckoned with during implementations and assessments of new products like SAP Business Objects.