SAP Peer Forum Fall Executive Summit

SAP Peer Forum Fall Executive Summit

Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Westin Boston Waterfront
Boston, MA

The SAP Peer Forum Executive Summit is an all-day in-person networking event where members will discuss these strategic SAP topics:
    • SAP COE Staffing: What Head Count Is Really Required?
    • SAP COE Operating Budgets: How Much Is Enough?
    • Maximizing Your SAP Relationship

Overview Agenda

Monday, November 9th

Networking Dinner at 7pm at Sauciety at the Westin Boston Waterfront.

Tuesday, November 10th

07:00 a.m. - 08:00 a.m.     Breakfast and Welcome

08:00 a.m. - 09:00 a.m.     Introductions

09:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.     COE Part 1: Budgeting - How much is enough?*

10:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.     Break

11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.     COE Part 2: Staffing - What headcount is really required?*

12:30 p.m. - 01:30 p.m.     Lunch

01:30 p.m. - 03:00 p.m.     Maximizing Your SAP Relationship*

03:00 p.m. - 03:30 p.m.     Break

03:30 p.m. - 04:30 p.m.     Agenda Development and Feedback

 05:00 p.m. - 07:00 p.m.    Opening Reception - AMR Healthcare and Sustainability Exchanges

*See Agenda tab for session descriptions.

If you have questions, please contact Crystal Ellis.

Member Co-lead: Raj Kulkarni, Director-SAP Center of Excellence, Textron

All companies struggle to justify the staff in their SAP COEs, especially when the budget axes come out. Based on a SAP COE Field Study of SAP Peer Forum members, we’ll look at how members allocate head count by role and what factors, such as user counts, extent of SAP functionality, and landscape complexity, affect these decisions. We’ll also discuss options for staffing between employees and outsourcing partners, as well as geographic deployment of staff. The session will give members a combination of quantitative data and peer experiences to adjust or defend their staffing posture.

Member Co-lead: Rob Rizzo, Transformation Lead, Cargill

Under pressure to reduce costs, many SAP COEs feel like they’re cutting to the bone. What drives SAP operating costs? Do certain functional areas or technologies drive up costs? What are companies doing to reduce costs (offshore resources, staff in low-cost countries, hosting, application management services, and outsourcing)? The discussion will draw on data from the SAP COE Field Study of SAP Peer Forum members.

Member Co-leads: Michael J Grosso, IS Director, Global Development Services, General Mills, Inc. and Gloria Samuels, former CIO of Simon Schuster

All Peer Forum members have made significant investments in their relationships with SAP. This summit session will review how effective relationships translate into ROI for your organization and accountability (KPIs). We’ll review member best practices and discuss, given their status within the SAP ecosystem, what a new relationship framework may look like. Lastly, AMR Research’s Contract Negotiation and Benchmarking Service will provide best practice examples for structuring long-term, value-added relationships with SAP.

Accommodations

Westin Boston Waterfront

425 Summer Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02210 USA
Reservation Number: (617) 532-4600

Group Rate
$229/night (plus tax)
To receive the group rate, please call the Westin Boston Waterfront directly and reference AMR Research.
(617) 532-4600
The group rate is available until Friday, October 23, 2009, and is based on availability. There are a limited number of rooms available at this rate, so make your reservations soon.

Cancellation Policy
To cancel hotel reservations, please contact the hotel directly. The hotel policy dictates that all reservations are guaranteed by the individual. Cancellations must be made 7 days prior to arrival; all cancellations made after this time will be charged one-night’s stay. All no-show reservations will be automatically billed to the individual’s credit card for the full stay

Summit Information

The SAP Peer Forum Fall Executive Summit is open to members only.  Each member company is allotted two seats to the event.

Attire
Business casual is the suggested attire for the meeting. Average daytime temperature for this time of year is 50 degrees.

Ground Transportation

Transportation to and from Logan International Airport is readily available. Taxis are available outside of the baggage claim area (rate of approximately $25).