Some consider BPM a luxury item for a better economic time. In this BPX Community Podcast, we learn a different story: a growing number of SAP customers are using NetWeaver BPM (and the BPM resources on SCN) to develop better processes and improve their business results - now. During this twenty one minute podcast, Jon Reed of JonERP.com interviews Ruks Omar, BPM Go To Market for SAP, about the realities of BPM today and how to take advantage of the BPM resources on the BPX community.

Ruks brings a wealth of useful information to the podcast, tackling questions such as the relevance of BPM in a downturn, why BPM will be a major focus at this year's SAPPHIRE, and how the BPM use case wiki on SCN is becoming a central location for real life examples of BPM use across industries.

SAP Career Outlook 2010: The Intersection of Talent and Community
By Jon Reed of JonERP.com
Exclusive to the Career Center, Part of SAP Community Network

Jon Reed notes:  For the last couple of months, I've been involved in a major collaboration with the Career Center on SAP Community Network. I'm now happy to announce the official release of my two part white paper series on SAP career and skills trends in 2010. 

You can now download or view the PDF versions of both articles. I did my utmost to make these papers fun to read, practical, and true to the challenges SAP professionals face heading into 2010.

Part One: Creating a Winning SAP Skills Strategy for 2010 (PDF - 54KB)

Part Two: Beyond the Social Networking Hype: Achieving SAP Career Visibility (PDF - 64KB)

I hope you enjoy these papers - together they represent my most significant piece of writing on SAP skills trends since my original SAP Consultant Handbook. I'll look forward to your feedback, which can be incorporated into follow up blogs, podcasts, and videos.

At the time of publication, there was a big announcement pertaining to the Career Center on SCN: the Career Center is now free of charge to all applicants and employers worldwide.

"Read more" for a table of contents preview.

"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
Podcast: Listen Now!
[PC users: "right click" to download file]
note: this is a 30 meg sound file, so it may take a minute to download

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
Podcast: Listen Now!
[PC users: "right click" to download file]

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.

Podcast: Listen Now!
Vendor Podcast - Moving ALM Into the Community:
An SAP Community Podcast
Hosted by Jon Reed of JonERP.com
Podcast Interview Date: December 15, 2009
View Transcript

Starting with SAP TechEd 2009, Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) became an important point of content emphasis inside SAP. But why does ALM matter? And why now? How does it work in conjunction with Solution Manager? These were some of the questions on the table when Jon Reed of JonERP.com interviewed Evan Stoddard, Senior Product Manager with SAP, and Michael Schwandt, Program Director with the SAP Community Network. During the 18 minute podcast, Jon asks Michael and Evan about the expanded ALM presence on SCN, as well as the new ALM blog category.  

"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
Podcast: Listen Now!
[PC users: "right click" to download file]

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.

Podcast: Listen Now!
Vendor Podcast - Turning Knowledge Into Consulting Success:
Building a Reputation with the SAP BusinessObjects Community
An Interview with Freddie Guerrero of Penitus Global Solutions Hosted by Jon Reed of JonERP.com
Podcast Interview Date: December 11, 2009
View Transcript 

Turning social communities into business wins is still a largely uncharted territory. To actually tell your clients you're reducing their billable hours, and you're doing it by utilizing an online community to solve their problems - that's unheard of. In this SAP BusinessObjects Community Podcast, Jon Reed of JonERP.com asks Freddie Guerrero of Penitus Global Solutions about how PGS has used the BusinessObjects Community (BOC) to improve their knowledge base, increase client wins, and develop industry visibility.  

Jon Reed: Welcome to this SAP Community Network podcast. I'm your host, Jon Reed of JonERP.com. Joining me today is Evan Stoddard, who is a senior product manager at SAP, and Michael Schwandt, who is program director with the SAP Community Network. We are here to talk about the emergence of Application Lifecycle Management and why it can have a real impact on the bottom line of SAP users.

Jon Reed: Hi, welcome to this SAP Business Objects Community podcast. I'm your host, Jon Reed of JonERP.com. Joining me today is Freddy Guerrero, who is the principal partner with Penitus Global Solutions. We're here today to talk about how Penitus has taken advantage of the Business Objects Community to further their business and make a unique contribution in the Business Objects area.

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.

"Driven to Perform" in an ERP World:
Can SAP's GRC and EPM Suites Address the Gap Between Strategy and Execution?
by Jon Reed
Unabridged Edition, Never Before Released

If you ask veteran IT directors what their biggest beef with ERP is, one of the most common complaints you're going to hear is: "We don't get enough business value." ERP's success in automating transactions is tempered by its struggle to deliver value from that transactional data - especially when executives start asking for actionable, real time information that can support decision-making. Former SAP Vice President Nenshad Bardoliwalla has an answer to this "ERP value problem": align execution with your strategy.

In his recently-released book, Driven to Perform: Risk-Aware Performance Management From Strategy Through Execution, co-authors Bardoliwalla, Stephanie Buscemi and Denise Vu Broady outline a methodology for how to tie strategic, "risk-aware" management approaches into day to day business operations.

"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
Podcast: Listen Now!
[PC users: "right click" to download file]

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
Podcast: Listen Now!
[PC users: "right click" to download file]

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.