Thought Leadership

[New] Prompt Optimization: Unlocking Hidden Power for Enterprise AI Success

Posted by WSS on December 10, 2025   |   Comments Off on [New] Prompt Optimization: Unlocking Hidden Power for Enterprise AI Success

Gaps in Prompt Design Derail the User Experience

What happens when gaps in prompt design or user intent recognition turns everyday AI interactions into a dead‑end waste of time?

Have you ever experienced this type of situation?

For example, I recently tried to claim a rebate for a kitchen appliance, but the company’s AI assistant misinterpreted my request and left me stuck with irrelevant FAQs. The issue was poor prompt design. With proper prompt optimization, the assistant could have recognized my rebate request and guided me to the correct, enabled form. A smarter workflow would have turned a dead end into a faster way to get my rebate money.

What fun!

This experience underscores a critical truth: when prompts fail to capture real‑world users’ intent, the customer experience collapses.

For business and IT users working with AI, this isn’t just a consumer inconvenience, it’s a wake‑up call. Prompt optimization has become a strategic discipline the bridge between user intent and AI execution. It ensures AI systems can interpret nuance, adapt to context, and deliver meaningful results.

Prompt optimization extends this discipline, helping organizations scale reliably across large language models (LLMs) and multiple AI systems so that business goals and IT execution remain aligned.

Whether in customer service troubleshooting, agentic AI-driven enterprise workflows, or customer engagement, the quality of prompts directly determines the quality of the user experience.

In this age of AI agents and assistants, refining prompts is no longer optional; it is essential for building trust, driving efficiency, enabling scalable automation, and achieving successful outcomes.

Reducing AI Project Failures – Understanding Prompt Engineering and Optimization

AI projects don’t fail because the models are weak, they fail because communication breaks down. When business intent isn’t translated into clear instructions, even the most advanced systems deliver poor results. Prompt engineering and prompt optimization have emerged as the disciplines that close this gap, turning human goals into AI assistant ready guidance.

Prompt engineering shapes the initial interaction, ensuring AI systems can interpret nuance and context. Prompt optimization builds on that foundation, refining prompts for accuracy, efficiency, and scalability across large language models (LLMs) and multiple AI systems. They enable organizations to move beyond ad hoc experimentation toward reliable, enterprise‑grade outcomes.

Together, prompt engineering and prompt optimization form the bridge between business and IT: business teams articulate goals and context, while IT ensures technical precision and scalability. When aligned, they transform user intent into reliable AI execution.

According to a RAND report, 80% of AI project failures stem from poor human to AI communication. Misunderstandings between business and IT teams about goals, data, and capabilities are the most common cause of failure. Companies that master prompt engineering achieve significantly higher ROI compared to those relying on basic or ad hoc prompting (1).

In short: success doesn’t come from the technology alone; it comes from how we communicate with it.

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Why It Matters

Prompt engineering, with prompt optimization as a key subset, is no longer a fringe skill. It is becoming a critical organizational capability embedded into everyday business functions.

According to Market Research Future (MRFR), the prompt engineering market [which includes prompt optimization] was valued at $2.195 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow to $32.78 billion by 2035, with a staggering 27.86% CAGR (2).

SAP Prompt Optimization Adoption

Prompt optimization transforms vague queries into precise instructions, guiding AI toward accurate, consistent, and actionable outputs. With AI agents and assistants like SAP’s Joule, Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini, and OpenAI’s ChatGPT, organizations recognize that prompt optimization is essential to maximize AI’s potential and align outcomes with business goals.

SAP has embedded prompt optimization into Joule, powered by the Generative AI Hub in SAP AI Core and Launchpad (part of the SAP Business Technology Platform) and supported by SAP’s AI Foundation, delivering enterprise‑grade accuracy and trust with Large Language Models (LLMs).

At SAP Sapphire 2025, SAP announced a proprietary Prompt Optimizer built with the company, Not Diamond. This optimizer enables enterprises to migrate and adapt prompts across multiple LLMs, supporting consistency, accelerating adoption, and improving the user experience across diverse AI systems (3).

Not Diamond envisions “a multi‑model AI future, with thousands of foundation models, millions of fine‑tuned variants, and billions of custom inference engines running on top of them.” Their infrastructure routes, governs, and scales prompts across these systems, ensuring flexibility and trust.

This partnership confirms prompt optimization as an important, core enterprise requirement, bridging business strategy with technology capabilities for responsible AI.

From Hard‑Coded Prompts to Agentic AI Orchestration

Currently, there is a larger shift from static prompt engineering toward dynamic, context‑aware orchestration. Agentic AI is evolving as the inevitable evolution.

In this rebate example handling with prompt optimization means hard‑coding keywords such as “rebate” and product numbers and writing scripts to manually enable the routing to the appropriate form. It requires constant upkeep.

In the future, agentic AI changes the flow entirely. Instead of static prompts, the agent recognizes, in the rebate example, the intent dynamically, queries the product database directly, and routes requests to backend systems without manual intervention.

Responses adapt in real time, errors trigger self-correction cycles, and product updates sync automatically with the catalog.

This rebate scenario shows the shift from today’s manual prompt engineering to tomorrow’s agentic orchestration moving from scripted rules to adaptive intelligence.

Best of Prompt Optimization Capabilities

Prompt optimization is the discipline that converts AI potential into measurable business outcomes, delivering benefits such as:

  1. Clarifies Intent – Ensures AI understands user goals, reducing miscommunication and aligning outputs with business needs.
  2. Customer Engagement & Personalization – Crafts prompts that drive tailored chatbot interactions, outreach, and recommendations, fostering loyalty and satisfaction.
  3. Structures Outputs – Guides AI to deliver usable formats (tables, lists, reports, narratives) for clarity and consistency.
  4. Improves Efficiency & Operational Automation – Minimizes unnecessary token usage, accelerates turnaround, and empowers agentic AI to automate repetitive workflows such as reporting, summarization, and FAQ handling.
  5. Adds Domain Context – Embeds industry‑specific language, governance and compliance rules, approved product names, synonyms, and brand tone for relevance.
  6. Supports Scalability Across Teams – Builds reusable prompt libraries and frameworks that allow consistent enterprise‑wide adoption without reinventing workflows.
  7. Content Quality & Consistency – Ensures outputs are brand‑aligned, accurate, and emotionally resonant across all channels.
  8. Optimizes Across Models – With tools like Not Diamond’s Prompt Optimizer, prompts can be migrated and adapted across Copilot, Gemini, ChatGPT, Joule, and other LLMs.
  9. Enhanced Accuracy & Decision‑Making – Produces precise, consistent outputs and extracts actionable intelligence quickly to support better business decisions.

By uniting these capabilities, prompt optimization becomes the foundation for trustworthy, scalable, and business‑aligned AI success.

Short on Time? Who Manages Prompt Engineering

The shift from prompt engineering to agentic AI isn’t just the domain of IT or developers. It is opening up a wave of business‑friendly, low‑code/no‑code opportunities.

Consultants, contractors, and employees can create value by helping organizations design, deploy, and optimize AI workflows without deep computer science level programming.

Examples include:

  • Prompt Engineer (Business‑oriented) – Designs and optimizes prompts for customer service, marketing, and enterprise workflows.
  • Agentic AI Workflow Designer – Uses low‑code tools to connect AI agents with backend systems, automating rebate claims, reporting, and customer engagement without heavy coding.
  • AI Solutions Consultant – Advises companies on integrating agentic AI into existing processes, bridging IT and business teams.
  • No‑Code AI Developer – Builds AI‑powered applications using drag‑and‑drop platforms and reusable prompt libraries.
  • AI Product Owner / Business Analyst – Guides adoption by mapping workflows, defining requirements, and ensuring AI agents align with business goals.
  • AI Governance & Compliance Specialist – Establishes rules for prompt libraries, agentic workflows, and data handling.

In fast‑paced, short‑handed work environments, these specialists provide focus and discipline, coach key stakeholders with standard operating procedures (SOPs), monitor performance, and refine prompts as business needs evolve ensuring AI systems remain accurate, consistent, and trusted across the enterprise.

Final Thoughts

Prompt optimization and its refinement through prompt optimization evolving into agentic AI is no longer a niche skill or technical curiosity; it has become a core business capability that drives efficiency, compliance, and innovation.

Organizations that embrace it gain a competitive edge, while those that neglect it risk wasted investments and inconsistent results.

By embedding prompt optimization as a business standard, integrated into workflows through enterprise‑wide libraries, governance, and automated refinement, companies can optimize AI strategies to keep pace with evolving models, regulations, and customer expectations.

The future of enterprise AI will not be defined by those who merely explore prompts and agentic AI, but by those who master prompt optimization and agentic AI, transforming raw model potential into trusted, scalable business value.

And as a result, users who want to get their rebates processed can save time by getting answers versus gaps and dead ends.

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Footnotes

  1. RAND Corporation, “The Root Causes of Failure for Artificial Intelligence Projects and How They Can Succeed: Avoiding the Anti‑Patterns of AI,” (August 2024)
  2. Market Research Future, “Prompt Engineering Market Size, Share, Trends, Analysis 2035.” Published (October 2025)
  3. Press Release, “Not Diamond Launches Prompt Adaptation, an Agentic System for Multi-Model Enterprise AI” (May 2025)

Note: This article is also available in the SAP Community | LinkedIn.

Measuring AI Access to Knowledge to Eliminate Thousands of Hours of Wasted Time

Posted by WSS on August 26, 2025   |   Comments Off on Measuring AI Access to Knowledge to Eliminate Thousands of Hours of Wasted Time

Organizations and their users often seek AI access to knowledge but rarely understand its full implications.

As subject matter experts or content contributors, how many times do we have to manually click on multiple internal enterprise-wide platforms (or locations) to find the structured and unstructured information we need securely…NOW?

What is the cost in terms of time and money?

Let’s step back and reflect! How many in our organization are struggling to find the latest information, the digital assets of record, to do their job as it relates to every line of business?

There must be a better way.

In Deloitte’s Global Human Capital Trends study(1) they found that AI access to knowledge ranks in the top three issues influencing company success, yet only 9% of the organizations feel ready to address it.

Survey responses included:

  • Over 50% of surveyed workers found it difficult to locate required information, and 80% reported needing to recreate documents because they couldn’t locate them in their company’s network.
  • 71% of individuals who found information easy to access, perceived its value as above average, emphasizing the link between accessibility and perceived value.

If organizations are carrying out these tasks manually and at great cost, it’s time to consider a better way to bring out the best of AI and search in heterogeneous landscapes.

How Streaming Services are Analogous to AI Access to Knowledge?

We can all relate to watching our favorite TV show or movie.

Imagine if your streaming service could only give you basic channels, but did not allow you the freedom of choice and seamless integrations with Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, BBC iPlayer, and/or WOW (Sky Deutschland). This access is expected.

Clearly it is advantageous to connect to multiple apps and systems, pulling information from diverse sources.

Question: Would you want to be limited to the basic service only, without the technical capability to get the access to what you want and need?

This example highlights that whether we want access to our favorite streaming services, digital asset, or knowledge, it is important in both our professional and personal lives to pinpoint what we want, when we want it, regardless of where it is located for business or home use.

Beyond the technical capabilities, why move forward unless there is a clear return on investment (ROI).

The ROI Equation: Knowledge = Competitive Advantage

Organizations struggle to define and measure the exact impact of their knowledge access initiatives.

Consider quantifying the ROI that applies to all lines of business including sales, marketing, communications, HR, onboarding, call centers, finance, operations, supply chain, suppliers, business networks, IT and product support.

Here is a simple equation…

“X” Hours (to find information) x “Y” Users = “Z” Total Hours Spent Each Year

Suggestion: Assess your organization’s activities per line of business and calculate the math.

If there was a way to reduce the time and costs associated with this manual activity, would you be interested?

Suggestion: Use conservative numbers to equate the time, cost, and ROI for your organization?

If this ROI formula sounds hard to believe, consider how PepsiCo Saves 5000 Hours per Year with the Capacity Answer Engine.

The Capacity Answer Engine has a proven track record of saving their customers’ thousands of hours, which equates to dollars saved, by providing secure (ISO/IEC 27001 certified), AI access to knowledge in seconds versus hours (or never found manually in the first place).

This solution provides a library of 100+ connectors which require a huge investment to build, maintain and optimize using a federated search and indexing capability combined with Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) (with an emphasis in the “Retrieval”) to bring out the best of AI and search together.

For example, Microsoft Copilot isn’t designed to perform a federated search or index on internal company documents or digital assets directly. However, Capacity Answer Engine, which is part of the SAP Store and Microsoft Azure Marketplace, can provide knowledge to Copilot via RAG to become the cited bibliography for an organization’s generative AI.

How AI Can Unlock Knowledge Across the SAP Ecosystem and Beyond

So how does this apply to the SAP ecosystem?

When looking at the SAP Business Suite landscape combining AI, data, and applications with the SAP Business Technology Platform, let us consider one or more of the following: SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public or Private Edition, SAP Ariba Strategic Sourcing Suite, SAP Business Network, SAP Commerce Cloud, SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central, SAP Integrated Business Planning for Supply Chain, and others.

Each SAP product or solution has a plethora of digital assets found in multiple internal global locations (or sites) that are at the core of running the business.

Most organizations have heterogenous environments, which includes 3rd party applications, tools, platforms such as:

  • Document Storage (e.g., SharePoint, Dropbox, Google Drive, GitHub)
  • Systems (e.g., Jira, Slack)
  • Messaging Platforms (e.g., Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Copilot)
  • Dashboards & People Search (e.g., Microsoft Power BI)
  • Publishers & Aggregators (e.g., Paid subscriptions, IDC, NielsenIQ)

Limits in the number of data sources and incomplete integration coverage can be problematic. Also, mixing internal with external searches may result in inaccurate, outdated, misinformation from questionable sources.

What is needed is the pre-built connectors from the Capacity Answer Engine library, which are maintained for ongoing performance, scalability, security, and continuously syncs as information is updated, leveraging ID management role-based access control, and ensuring that users have the appropriate access to information and systems based on their job roles and responsibilities.

Looking Ahead: AI Access to Knowledge Will Reshape What We Know—and How We Use It

With the constant changes of market conditions, facts, data, digital assets, products, solutions, services, regulations, compliance, and risks, it is crucial that employees have fast, secure access to the most accurate and up-to-date information.

Organizations that enable its workforce to leverage federated search and index navigation of the constant, overwhelming output of internal organization information (& intellectual properties) will have a higher rate of success with revenues, growth, operational efficiencies, and reducing costs.

Leaders, business and IT experts should consider:

  1. Recognizing the importance of the right information at the right time, anywhere in the organization.
  2. Embracing AI access to knowledge to empower the workforce today.
  3. Prioritizing rapid access to enterprise-wide digital assets as an accelerator, not a barrier.
  4. Optimizing next-generation tools such as the Capacity Answer Engine.

Once this Capacity Answer Engine solution is in place, organizations can consider reinvesting the cost savings (and better use of employees’ time) to shift towards higher priority, higher value activities.

Many organizations are already seeing these tangible benefits with a growing importance going forward.

Where do you stand?

Let’s explore this topic further—what questions, comments or ideas do you have?
– How would you rate your organization on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 = Best).
– Can you search multiple videos to find the specific topic or key word you’re looking for?
– What are your thoughts on the AI access to knowledge in your organizations?
– Does your organization have federated indexing for AI and Search capabilities?

Very much appreciate your insights! Happy to start a discussion per your posts below.

(1) Source: Deloitte Insights: The new knowledge management – The human factor activates the collective intelligence

Useful Links
– AI-Powered Game Changer: Revolutionizing Access to Knowledge – LinkedIn | SAP Community
– Capacity Answer Engine
– SAP Store – Lucy AI by Capacity Answer Engine
– Capacity Answer Engine pioneers next-gen enterprise search using Phi models from Microsoft
– RAG vs ChatGPT

About the Author
Rich Blumberg is a long time SAP Community member and contributor. For 20+ years he’s been an SAP consultant working with SAP ecosystem organizations around the globe. He’s the President of World Sales Solutions, LLC, (WSS) a business development and low-code no-code services company. In his spare time, he is a Drexel University Alumni Board of Governors Emeritus volunteer, ENGin English tutor for Ukrainian citizens, and an aspiring guitar player.

SAP Build Apps Challenge: Can You Enable a Dropdown With an Options List in Under 20 Minutes?

Posted by WSS on July 5, 2023   |   Comments Off on SAP Build Apps Challenge: Can You Enable a Dropdown With an Options List in Under 20 Minutes?

Originally published on the SAP Community

The purpose of this SAP Build Apps blog is to foster ideas, share innovations, and encourage the sharing of experiences with fellow business professionals and coding experts. 

Low-Code/No-Code Is an Ongoing Journey

The best way for a Citizen Developer (aka business practitioner) to gain hands on experience with SAP Build Apps is to learn how to develop an app beyond drag-and-drop.

The 5-step “dropdown with an option list” capability below is (a) guaranteed to work; and (b) helps build confidence in empowering business users.

The benefit of learning SAP Build Apps and Low-Code/No-Code overall is that business professionals, as activity and process experts, can develop applications without the technical coding skills. Given the current and projected global shortage of skilled IT and technology talent, there is an enormous opportunity for data-driven business users to respond quickly to digital-first requirements.

As a result, here’s what I have done before and after teaming with two outstanding Drexel University student interns (co-ops), Kai Thompson and Mari Cincotti who helped take my skills to the next level:

  1. Learn – Reviewed the SAP Low-Code/No-Code Learning Journey (Units 1 & 2)
  2. View – Completed the SAP Build Apps “in-apps tutorials” (located at the bottom of the UI Canvas) –  Learned new terms and concepts such as logic, variables, data, and formulas.
  3. Proof-of-Concept – Identified and built a use case that provides value and impact.

The more of us Citizen Developers who successfully take small steps forward to develop SAP Build Apps, which are impactful, the better we can build our knowledge around Low-Code/No-Code app development throughout our ongoing learning journey!

As result, business practitioners (with occasional help) can deploy proof of concepts, pilots, and full deployment (within an IT governance framework), which provide value to our organizations, customers, partners, and employees.

Building a Dropdown With an Options List in 5 Steps

Dropdowns are very common on PC, Tablet or Mobile apps so let’s build one!

By definition, they are the way to show the user what selections they can make to help pinpoint their search results.

Step 1: UI Canvas Set-up

a) Drag the “Dropdown Field” component onto the UI canvas
b) Click anywhere on the “Dropdown Field” component to open the Properties field on the right.
c) Click under “Label Text” to rename the Dropdown.


Step 2: Set-up the list labels

d) Click on the “Option List”
d) Add labels (in this example we’ll use Food A, B, …)
Note: Make sure to use lower case for values, as it makes it easier to reduce errors later on when leveraging a backend / database.

e) Click on “Save”


Step 3: Return to the UI Canvas and click (1) “Save” and then (2) “Launch”


Step 4: Preview Your App

f) Click on “Open Preview Portal”

g) Click on “Open Web Preview” and “Open” the SAP Build App you are working on.

Step 5: Congratulations! You did it!


Where do “you” go from here?

In my case, every time I have built a part of SAP Build Apps, such as dropdowns, I feel a sense of victory!:-)

One building block of success leads to another.

Next, I suggest learning about backend / database (hosted in Visual Cloud Functions). I would have written a blog on it, but the two that were written, by Daniel Wroblewski are excellent and highly recommended:

Both blogs represent an excellent step-by-step explanation.

Once you get further along, A Business User’s Guide to Becoming a Citizen Developer with SAP AppGyver (now SAP Build Apps) by Kimay Ramnarain provides an intermediate level explanation of variables, conditional logic, and REST APIs.

As business practitioners seeking this knowledge, she makes it easy and straight forward to understand concepts, which otherwise might feel daunting.

Overall, I encourage you to have a hands on understanding of how to use SAP Build Apps and focus on a use case or scenario that adds value and interests you, your team, and your organization.

Where do “we” go from here?

First, as Citizen Developers let me know if you succeed with this challenge!

Recognize that there are 2 key personas who both need to collaborate and foster ideas together:

  • Software Developer/Engineers (e.g., professional coders) can provide insights on the more technical aspects of SAP Build Apps.
  • Business Professionals (low- or no-coders) who have an expertise around processes, change management, and/or a specific activity requirement.

For us Citizen Developers we must realize that SAP Build Apps goes beyond drag-and-drop to make it work at an optimal level with backend data, REST APIs, automation and more.

And that’s O.K. We can do it!

Keep in mind.. Low-code does not mean low effort! 

Remember that according to leading analysts from Gartner, Forrester, and IDC, the Low-Code/No-Code (LCNC) market will grow exponentially over the next few years! All the more reason for business professionals to start LCNC development and help their organizations respond quickly to digital data-driven requirements.

A few questions or comments?

  • Are you a business professional leveraging SAP Build Apps? Yes or No?
    – Where are you in the process? Beginner, Intermediate, Expert?
    – What can you build confidently now?
  • What do you want to learn?
    – What use cases or scenarios are you considering or working on now?
    – What other how-to’s or tips are you looking for from a Citizen Developer perspective???

Let’s continue this discussion.

Greatly appreciate your comments below along with any insights, so that more Citizen Developer related content and how-to’s can be shared with a straight forward way to follow the steps and put them into action.

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Useful Links

Business Teams Can Create Their Own Apps (with Occasional Help!)

Posted by WSS on April 30, 2023   |   Comments Off on Business Teams Can Create Their Own Apps (with Occasional Help!)

View the original blog on the SAP Community.

Inspired by the growing opportunity for business professionals to leverage Low-code/No-code (LCNC) tools, I decided to take the SAP Build LCNC Learning Journey, share a few thoughts, and encourage fellow business Citizen Developers to join the SAP Builders group to connect to peers and experts.

Reprioritizing Opportunities

As inflationary pressures and marketplace conditions are challenging business leaders to focus on game changers and reprioritize investments, the need to move faster, increase automation, and become more productive is more important than ever.

As a business practioner, professional coding with SAP ABAP, JavaScript, Python, and Swift are incredibly admired, but too complicated and out of reach to work with hands on.

Until recently leveraging the SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) to gain access to SAP S/4HANA Cloud, SAP SuccessFactors, and other SAP and third-party apps and data was best left to the professional coders.

For many of us, it was like standing on the side of a swimming pool and watching all the experts (aka coders) swim. We business people were stuck on the side to watch, admire, or hire a professional programmer to do the work.

With less professional coders than business experts, SAP Build represents a substantial opportunity for business teams to create their own apps (and yes, professional coders can give much appreciated tips and guidance).

Over time it has become apparent that Low-Code/No-Code (LCNC) apps, platforms, and tools are an important, growing part of the IT landscape. According to Statista, the LCNC platform revenue will grow from $22.5 billion (USD) in 2022 to ~$32 billion in 2024 (CAGR: 26.1%).

That stat along with many other indicators show that there is an enormous opportunity for business people to set free their expertise, provide significant value, and help their organizations do more with less.

Learning LCNC Requires Effort

Given this market trend I started on the SAP Build Low-Code/No-Code Learning Journey. It’s exciting to learn about the three key apps:

Keep in mind that Low-Code / No-Code does not mean no effort. It takes focus and time to learn about these tools and put them to use. Each week I set aside some time to learn and deep dive into the Learning Journey concepts.

The good news is that the learning exercises to build these tools along with the free access to an SAP Build Apps sandbox makes it all very accessible.

For example, for years I wanted to work with certain SAP and third-party apps to set up connections to the open data application programming interface (Odata API) to fetch data, but didn’t have the coding skills or knowledge.

With SAP Build Apps I created my first mobile app using the scenario of scanning a barcode and pulling data (using the JSON format) from an OpenFoodFacts API to populate data around products and calories. I jumped for joy when it worked knowing that as a business practitioner the possibilities are endless.

Going forward – Unleash Expertise

Thankfully, the SAP Community provides many resources for Citizen Developers to connect, collaborate, and learn including:

The future is bright where SAP Build apps and tools can make incredible impact in working with organizations, customers, and strategic partners.

Afterall, when working in SAP environments, leveraging SAP tools is a big advantage.

Clearly the teaming between business practitioners and professional coders is very helpful and worthwhile in terms of gaining LCNC insights related to expertise, support, tips, security, governance, and enterprise compliance.

In this business climate where doing more with less is paramount, business Citizen Developers can use their knowledge and experiences to work with SAP Build to leverage SAP and third-party apps, data, and tools, which were previously out of reach to unleash their expertise!

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Appreciate any comments…

  • Are you taking the LCNC Learning Journey now or in the near future?
  • What are your experiences with any of the SAP Build products? What have you built?
  • Are you working on any interesting use cases?
  • Please leave any comments below!

RISE with SAP and Capgemini: Spotlight Interview with David Lowson

Posted by WSS on July 29, 2021   |   Comments Off on RISE with SAP and Capgemini: Spotlight Interview with David Lowson

Originally published on the SAP Community

Many organizations are assessing the best ways to address digital transformation holistically.

SAP and Capgemini are teaming with customers around the globe as trusted partners, to go beyond technical migration, and address intelligent business processes and new business models as part of the RISE with SAP initiative.

Capgemini’s Renewable Enterprise with SAP S/4HANA approach which is designed to put the user experience at the center. It uses modern approaches such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and embedded analytics, DevOps, Cloud architecture, APIs and Microservices to help organizations reimagine themselves, unlock business value, and outpace competition.

Recently I had the pleasure to meet David Lowson, Capgemini’s head of SAP Center of Excellence (COE) Europe, to learn more about his journey and views related to RISE with SAP and the digital core.

Philippe Schmitt (PS): What inspired you to get into the field of consulting and high tech?

David Lowson (DL): When I worked in high-tech, I found I was a very poor engineer so when I had an opportunity to work on an enterprise resource planning (ERP) project, I took it. This experience proved I was quite good at this kind of work and is why I made the move to consultancy.

PS: In your blog Consumer Intelligence Products and Retail Therapy, you shared, “As countries around the world reopen, we observe four priority themes emerging with consumer products: sustainability, digitalization, efficiency, diversification.” How does the RISE with SAP initiative enable these themes based on Capgemini’s expertise?

DL: RISE with SAP reinforces many of the messages we have been giving to the market about the renewable enterprise, a standard core, savvy use of a cloud infrastructure and application program interface (API) led architectures. These features have been provoking more activity in the market and shifting SAP to be a platform for digital transformation.

PS: You presented at the SAP Global Partner Summit and shared that you, “believe SAP needed to launch the RISE initiative to remain relative for digital transformation for the next 25 years.” What makes this initiative so impactful to the success of customers?

DL: SAP and Capgemini are in position to address business process redesign, technical migration, and building the intelligent enterprise in one package to simplifies customers’ journey. By focusing on innovation and differentiation taking place in the SAP Business Technology Platform surrounding it, the RISE initiative is a clear statement of the importance of providing accelerated business outcomes with integration, data to value, and extensibility. It opens the door to exciting new consumption models.

PS: You’ve recently commented that the market has responded positively to RISE with SAP. Can you share one or two examples of this positive reaction from Capgemini customers?

DL: As you can appreciate, I can only speak of overall projects vs. individual projects. We have started RISE based projects all over the world. With the use of the RISE model, I have seen customers become more confident that we can deliver and provide a standard core, as well as an architecture that does not build technical debt.

PS: When Capgemini refers to the Renewable Enterprise with SAP S/4HANA, it refers to the “S Curve of Innovation” and Intelligent Technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Internet of Things, Block Chain, and the Customer Experience power by data and driven by people. What are one or two examples of how customers are adopting these intelligent technologies to support their customers and keep a competitive advantage?

DL: There are so many user cases, and we keep a library of them available for our clients and partners to access. They are also published every week by our innovation leader, Alex Bulat, Chief Technology & Innovation Officer of Global SAP Business, but the two I would pick out are:

  • Servitisation – Where clients move from selling products to selling services. Think of a connected car or washing as a service; this is a perfect solution for the new away of thinking. Multiple products orchestrated to deliver new digital businesses that flex as the market develops.
  • Sustainability – So many of our large engagements are driven by this concept, especially the desire to operate in new, low carbon markets. This requires greater connectivity, artificial intelligence (AI), use of data and a fast-agile core.

PS: When students and recent graduates contact you for informational insights what guidance do you give for them to pursue a career in consulting and high tech?

DL: I see SAP consulting as a three-legged stool:

  • Be nice and have good people skills
  • Know about the industry you’re working in
  • Learn about SAP products and solutions

A company like Capgemini can provide the third bullet, but the other two can be done on your own. Also, read business papers and the SAP website at least once a week. Do a bit more to engage with and understand the direction of the company and products that stand out.

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Thank you for sharing comments on the Renewable Enterprise, Digital Transformation, or advanced Intelligent Technologies.

Please post any feedback below.

Useful Links

• SAP S/4HANA Cloud
• RISE with SAP
• SAP Analytics Cloud
• SAP Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence

SAP Champions & SAP Mentors Spotlight Interviews

Posted by WSS on July 2, 2021   |   Comments Off on SAP Champions & SAP Mentors Spotlight Interviews

Check out the SAP Spotlight Interviews which combine a combination of videos and Q&A format. These blogs help showcase SAP Community experts and advocates. View >>

SAP Mentor Spotlight Interview: SAP Learning

Posted by WSS on May 30, 2021   |   Comments Off on SAP Mentor Spotlight Interview: SAP Learning

Originally published on the SAP Community

The SAP Mentor Spotlight Series highlights key strategic topics, such as learning, and provides insights from Mentors and SAP leaders on turning ideas into innovative approaches that impact people, process, and technology.

Empowering Transformative Outcomes Through Continuous Learning

Staying on the cutting-edge during times of change is more important than ever. One of the keys to success is the lifelong pursuit of knowledge and learning.

As business, technology, and user experiences change, there are a wide range of ways to continually refresh existing skills, acquire new ones, and evolve new ways to think about business and IT challenges.

To reflect on how to take advantage of SAP and SAP Community learning resources, Max Wessel, EVP & Chief Learning Officer at SAP, caught up with Tammy Powlas, Senior Business Analyst at Fairfax Water and SAP Mentor, to discuss what role learning has played in her life, and how she has furthered her knowledge through the SAP Community.

During their session they discussed:

  • Enabling learning, whether experiential on the job, or formal learning to help one progress in their career.
  • Adapting to many changes given the realities of the last year to address digital transformation and embrace the importance of continuous learning.
  • Pressing one’s skills; pushing forward to take expertise to the next level.
  • Turning to the SAP community to get inspired and engage in peer-to-peer learning.
  • Assessing RISE with SAP and how members of the SAP Community can keep their digital transformation initiatives moving forward.

As Max shared during the session, “When driving transformation, the more value we bring to the table, the more guidance we can deliver that helps people step forward, the better it is for all of us.”

SAP and the SAP Community provide many learning resources to support building knowledge, driving innovation, and staying agile.

How do you learn? Let us know in the comments below!

Related Links

COMING SOON: Science & Innovation: 11 Ways to Orchestrate Your Next Job!

Posted by WSS on May 1, 2021   |   Comments Off on COMING SOON: Science & Innovation: 11 Ways to Orchestrate Your Next Job!

Author’s Note: This blog has been adopted into a Job Seeking book which will be announced and published in the upcoming months. The book, which is written and designed, is going through the final review process. Stay tuned! 

Explore Featured Assets:
 – Target Multiple Organization – Template
– Interview Preparation Sheet >>
– Job Interview Preparation: A Winning Formula!
– Networking Preparation
– Interviewing Tips

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Whether you’re a new graduate or long-time worker the best practices required to succeed have many common characteristics.

In sales and business development you must sell a product, solution, or service while in the job hunt you must sell one thing: yourself.

Back in the day, when I graduated from Drexel University, it was beyond hard to find a job that I truly enjoyed. Years later I learned that my graduating class landed in the middle of a BIG recession which added to the challenge.  My path took me on travels through Europe, Middle East, and Hawaii over a year’s time so it was not easy to jump start my career upon my return.

While I found work it was more about “settling” vs. directing my searches. After paying a former professor big money to coach me in “how to get a job” I made a vow, “If I ever learned how to find a job” based on a scientific and innovative approach, “I would share it with others who would follow in this path.“

As a result, I have compiled this top 11 list for all who are interested:

  1. NETWORK:  Identify successful people who are in the field that interests you. Make connections and request “informational interviews” to learn about how they got in their positions and background on the challenges they face.  Ask for referrals and knowledge; understand that they “may not have a job” or know of one but they can point you in the right direction. Send everyone who helps you a thank you!
  2. TRENDS:  Research compelling business issues and marketplace conditions which impact organizations that you are targeting. Send notes to those quoted and their teams to make meaningful connections on current and emerging opportunities. Find out where investments are taking place – “Follow the money!”
  3. TARGET:   Confirm a target list of companies and roles that interest you. Connect with the economic decision makers (i.e. VITO = “Very Important Top Officers“) and their teams around posted and non-posted opportunities. Minimize primarily going to Human Resources and Job Board postings. See book list below.
  4. PLAN:  Develop a spreadsheet which tracks your progress. Set goals for each day and week and show your progress to yourself and perhaps one or two friends (or coaches) (Review: JOB_PLANNING_TEMPLATE). Learn the proper way to prepare for an interview.
  5. TIME UTILIZATION: Spend 70% of your time networking and outreach (on-line and in person), 15% with recruiters, 15% with job boards (i.e. Monster.com, etc.).  Too many job seekers have these time ratios in reverse and don’t take charge of their own destiny. Note: If you see a job on a job board focus on a 3 prong approach: (1) Post; (2) Identify who you know (i.e. alumni / friend / colleague; (3) Confirm the economic decision maker. 
  6. SOCIAL MEDIA:  Update you’re Social Media sites such as  LinkedIn and others so they can help you network and build your brand. Makes sure your resume is impeccable and consider new ways to connect including Twitter, YouTube videos, thought leadership blogs as well as building your own website to showcase your skills, work experience and related professional passions. Take down any photos from your sites that are not professional. Prospective employers will check out your Facebook / Social Media posts.
  7. ALUMNI:  Leverage the resources that you have earned as a graduate of a university.  Reach out to your alumni office and career services; make connections via the directory, events, and/or volunteer opportunities.
  8. VOLUNTEER:  Provide weekly and monthly service to a non-profit (i.e. association) or charity around the skills and work experience that you have now or seek to secure in your next job. Find a cause that connects you to leaders, professionals, and the community. Also, make sure you have some part-time work that pays a few dollars as well.
  9. PERSIST:  Expect to receive rejection and a few set backs. When you run into trouble step back and move ahead. It takes small steps to achieve goals; understand there is a process – you can not easily (or practically) leap frog to the end result; start with the end in mind. Remember the famous saying, “When one door closes another will open.”
  10. ACCOUNTABILITY: Accept self ownership. No one owes you a job.  You must wake up each day and make forward progress. Stay disciplined and focused and the results you seek will come to you…but they may take a bit longer then you would like… remember, “patience is a virtue” (just not too much of it!)
  11. 3 PRONG APPROACH:  When you post for a position (i.e. LinkedIn, Indeed, Job Board) make sure you ask yourself:  Who do I know or connect to (i.e. Alumni)? Who is the top economic decision maker (i.e. VITO, CEO, Chief Marketing, Finance, Operations, Information Officer or their teams)?

As you contemplate this list ask yourself what are you passionate about? Where do your skills, education, and work experiences point you to?

Think of a job as an exchange of time and services in return for money. What can you provide that is worth the time and money to an employer who is investing in you?

During your search create small amounts of value along the way. Give your skills to others for free in small amounts. Chip away and success will be yours!

Remember…everything on this list takes time and hard work.

Over the years when I have shared these points with friends and colleagues looking for work they yield results 100% of the time, BUT only a small percent are willing to do what it takes.

It takes discipline and persistence to search for the right position.

If you are willing to climb the steps vs. expect an easy elevator ride to the top than you can secure a great job based on a proven scientific methodology and practicing an innovative approach along the way.

Reading List:
Selling to VITO (“Very Important Top Officer”) – Anthony Parinello
Winners Dream – Bill McDermott
Think and Grow Rich – Napoleon Hill

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Richard D. Blumberg, President, World Sales Solutions, writes this series of blogs to help senior executives and their teams, leaders, influencers, educators, and students develop effective strategies and tactical execution which results in more revenues, profits, growth, jobs, and value. More >>

 
 
 

 

Elevating SAP Collaboration with Microsoft Teams and SharePoint

Posted by WSS on July 17, 2020   |   Comments Off on Elevating SAP Collaboration with Microsoft Teams and SharePoint

Originally published on the SAP Community.

When SAP and Microsoft announced they are building integrations to Microsoft Teams across solutions many of us were inspired. With the new reality of remote and hybrid work, the importance of elevating collaboration has grown significantly.

While the advancements of this integration are impressive, it is important to deploy these solutions the right way to achieve tangible business outcomes.

Since today’s globally distributed workers are no longer confined to office buildings, the “workplace” has transformed into a digital “workspace” allowing colleagues to meet, collaborate, and connect virtually across organizational boundaries. A great user experience is a necessity versus a “nice to have.”

Christian Klein, SAP CEO and member of the Executive Board, said it best that this partnership will address, “New ways of working, collaborating and interacting to completely transform how we operate,” and bring collaboration to the next level.

Collaboration is changing rapidly. Each of us are collaborating more often, increasingly mobile, and working on a schedule that enables us to connect more virtually.

Disparate information kept in silos and organized in ad-hoc ways becomes an impediment to performance and productivity. One of the challenging things to do is to keep Microsoft Teams and SharePoint, along with the SAP portfolio, organized so that the content is valuable to users.

Thoughtful leaders step back and ensure that SAP Collaboration represents how the business works both in the short-term and going forward.

The Information Architecture Pre-Request 

Each time you create a new Microsoft Teams you automatically get SharePoint with the Microsoft 365 Apps including Power App, Power BI, OneNote, and Exchange with email and calendaring.

Project teams working with SAP applications such as SAP S/4HANA Cloud, Digital Supply Chain, SAP SuccessFactors and learning communities, SAP CRM and Customer Experience, Industry 4.0 solutions and/or SAP Activate Methodology should prioritize and implement a well-planned information architecture as a pre-request for a high quality, high-performing intranet, central hub, or group.

It’s important to understand the audience and help them find what they need quickly to support them in getting their work completed efficiently. One expert once referred to it as “help the user get to where they need to go in ONE CLICK versus many clicks and endless folders to assist in completing a task.”

Putting in the time to address Information Architecture helps improve user satisfaction and adoption while reducing information overload.

Customer-Centric Enablement

In this video, “Remove Barriers for Your Sales Teams with SAP and Microsoft it shows the power of the integration,” there are many exciting front-line capabilities, but the power is in the information architecture that supports the tangible outcomes.

Could a sales, marketing, consultant, pre-sales, operations, services or other front-line worker to customers, strategic partners or suppliers have everything they need by primarily using their own individual OneDrive or SharePoint?

Clearly, they need the right resources (“assets”), at the right time for effective engagement including:

  1. Access – Enable secure private, enterprise, and/or external access.
  2. Central Hub – Deploy one location for individuals, teams, and the enterprise to find pertinent information.
  3. Teamwork – Allow for collaboration, chat, video conferencing, calls, meetings, and surveys.
  4. Content – Ensure easy to find central hub for content, information, contributions, and useful links.
  5. Components – Leverage multiuse calendars, planning, notebooks, and other tools and web parts.
  6. Collaboration – Microsoft Teams, comments, surveys, discussion treads, and news updates.
  7. Communications – Engagement and outreach to bring the audience to the central hub and share news, planning, announcements, updates, and access to key assets.
  8. Continuity – Plan that the collaboration continues versus the initial excitement and the investment in a quality set-up drop off months later.

When these items are brought together in full or part, the sum is truly greater than the parts.

Digital Transformation Realized with SAP Collaboration

Collaboration is nothing new and yet it remains a critical success factor for every organization.

Enabling workers to leverage and build upon the work of others is a fundamental principle. When team members work in a silo, they reduce productivity and have a higher probability of duplicating efforts.

With SAP Collaboration, Microsoft Teams and SharePoint the goal is to…

  • Help elevate workers to take advantage of modern platforms and digital transformation environments
  • Increase high quality teamwork, cooperation, and communications
  • Impact the value, growth, revenues, services, and outcomes with a focus on exceeding customer satisfaction.

Working together, people feel more connected to their work and their organization.

With these integration capabilities in place, combined with a well-deployed information architecture, users will always have access to the right content at the right time, to find what they are looking for more quickly and consistently, and support their business requirements.

Purpose-Driven Design for the SAP Build Work Zone Digital Learning User Experience

Posted by WSS on April 30, 2020   |   Comments Off on Purpose-Driven Design for the SAP Build Work Zone Digital Learning User Experience

Written by Elle Savage on the SAP Community.

When deploying SAP Build Work Zone and related SAP HR/Learning solutions, there is a great need for design solutions that are positioned to support business processes and add value to the user’s experience.

The challenge is to create high-quality graphic designs that turn ideas and missions into visuals that engage and excite employees, customers, partners, and other stakeholders, while also optimizing the business objective.

According to a recent McKinsey Quarterly study, “The Business Value of Design,” companies that address all four of the following design priorities are rare, but those that have, reported increased revenues and total stakeholders returns compared to their counterparts. These four key elements include:

  • Analytics – Bringing data to life
  • Cross-Functional Teams & Talent – Enabling visuals to go beyond the silos of a respective group or organization
  • Continuous Iteration – Continued review, improvement, maintenance, and testing to optimize the user experience
  • User Experience – Design a seamless user experience that adds value to their business requirements

In order to achieve the best user experience, designers must be closely aligned with a project’s business leaders and subject matter experts to ensure they understand the mission and design with purpose.

Assessment of the Design-Driven Maturity Curve

Purpose-driven design should be an integral part of a project’s strategy from day one. In today’s increasingly digital world, users have come to expect an interface that is both attractive and easy to use.

There are many corporate tools at our fingertips to satisfy this expectation such as company libraries of images, icons, videos, font guidelines, etc., which should be leveraged to develop standards, repeatable processes, and efficiencies. Still, it is highly recommended that a project’s core team includes a design professional who understands how to maximize the benefits of available design elements.

Setting high-quality standards, per the “Design-Driven Maturity Curve,” sends a message to your audience that a SAP Build Work Zone custom home page or group landing page is valuable, credible, properly maintained, and well thought out.

What is the SAP Build Work Zone Design Value?

Throughout a project’s development, it is important to recognize design as a priority versus as an afterthought. The most forward-thinking organizations will strive to make it a substantive part of their activities because they see the value of design at both a strategic and tactical level.

Designing an intuitive user experience will increase efficiencies and generate higher value by enabling site visitors to quickly navigate the interface and find essential information, therefore optimizing businesses processes.At the same time, the interface must maintain the organization’s brand and messaging throughout the experience.

While a high-quality UI (User Interface) fulfills a user’s wants by delivering an attractive digital environment, an excellent UX (User Experience) fulfills their needs by allowing them to efficiently complete the task they set out to do quickly and with ease.

The Delivery Methodology for Optimizing Design Elements

When building a new digital learning community, group, or site, it is vital that the delivery methodology has user testing baked in to the team’s approach from the start (“Initiate” and “Assess”) to finish (“Deploy,” “Post-go-live,” and “Adoption”). Taking an agile approach allows project leaders to incorporate users’ feedback throughout development in order to create the best user experience possible.

Incorporating a Purpose-Driven Design Approach

Business process mapping enables teams to understand the project requirements and objectives before developing the interface design.

When key participants come and go from the project, there should be guidelines in place, by way of standardization, procedures, and protocols, that can be leveraged while still maintaining the team’s ability to be creative.

Organizations and teams that prioritize design addressing the four key elements discussed (Analytics, Cross-Functional Teams & Talent, Continuous Iteration, and User Experience) as a core part of their strategy outperform groups that take a more ad-hoc or even intermediate design level approach.

A purpose-driven design combined with the proper delivery methodology streamlines organization operations, which allow business leaders, subject matter experts, and contributors to focus on creating high-quality content, boosting productivity, and providing a consistent, impactful user experience.

Sources:

  • “4 key stats on the importance of design for business.” Adobe Blogs. Harmer, Tony. October 2015.
  • “The Business Value of Design.” McKinsey & Company. Sheppard, Benedict; Sarrazin, Hugo; Kouyoumjian, Garen; Dore, Fabricio. October 2018.
  • “The Value of Design.” Design Management Institute.