My role and tools utilization
As a Finance Roll-out Manager for a large-scale SAP transformational program, I play a role in overseeing the implementation and adoption of SAP system within the Finance Department. My position functions similarly to that of a project manager, but with a specialized focus on financial processes, ensuring a seamless transition to the new system. A key part of my responsibility involves daily coordination between SAP end-users, the Program Working program, and Business Parnters to align expectations, trouble shoot issues, and drive successful change management.
Effective communication is central to my role. On a daily basis, I engage with colleagues through MS Teams for meetings, quick discussions, and collaborative problem-solving. For more formal communications, especially when addressing larger groups or senior leadership, I rely on MS Outlook to ensure clarity and professionalism. Additionally, to maintain transparency and track progress, I use Jira extensively for task management, issue tracking, and monitoring program milestones in an Agile framework. During the test phase, we use SAP Solution Manager to do the testing, maintain test scripts and results and problem solving.
New tools
I took a look of the list of applications. Most of them are well-known apps that I have been used in my daily life, such a Chat-GPT, Youtube, WhatAPP. According to the assignment, I need to choose 5 new tools which to be used in daily work. So I considered the apps that would helpful in working environment.
Here are 5 new tools I chose.
- Miro
Miro is able to visualise the collaboration and brainstorm with colleagues. As a Finance Roll-out Manager, I will use Miro for process mapping, brainstorming SAP workflows, and creating visual project roadmaps. It’s especially useful in workshops with stakeholders to align on financial process changes.
Positive side: It is real-time collaboration. Multiple users can edit diagrams simultaneously. There are pre-built frameworks for Agile, process flows and org charts. Miro is integrated with Teams and Jira.
Negative side: Large boards may become disorganized without moderation. There might be learning curves for some users struggle with advanced features.
- Todoist
Todoist is a task management platform. I rely on Todoist to track my daily to-dos, set reminders for follow-ups with SAP users, and prioritize tasks to improve productivity.
Positive side: It is simple and intuitive. It works on mobile, desktop and web.
Negative side: Advanced features require a subscription. - Pi AI
Pi AI is a personalized AI assistant. Pi AI can be used to summarize meeting notes, draft quick responses to stakeholders, and get instant explanations on SAP-related queries.
Positive side: It is more converstional and friendly, and more natural than ChatGPT for quick help. It is useful for quick research.
Negative side: It doesn’t connect to Jira or Outlook like Copilot. It is not advanced thank GPT-4, so it is not ideal for deep analysis.
- Slack
As I know, slack is already widely used in many SMEs for team messaging and quick coordination. Slack can be adopted for instant communication with SAP project team, creating channels for project updates and integrating bots for Jira and Outlook alerts.
Positive side: It is ideal for fast communication, reduces email clutter. It usually works well with Google Drive, Zoom, etc.
Negative side: Constant notifications can disrupt focus. Important info may get lost in busy channels. If the MS teams is in use, Slack is a similar tool, features are almost same.
- Vimeo
Vimeo is ad-free platform provides everything needed to host, manage, and share high-quality videos. Vimeo can be used to record and share SAP training videos, executive updates.
Positive side: Vimeo provides high-quality playback which is better than YouTube for internal use. The privacy controls restricts access to company members.
Negative side: Free plan is limited. It is costly for advanced features.
Key elements for successful digital applications
The success of a digital application depends on several critical factors. These elements ensure adoption, efficiency, and long-term value.
First and foremost, the application must align with clear business objectives. Without a well-defined purpose that addresses specific organisational needs- such as automating financila processese or improving cross-departmental communication. For instance, an SAP implementation in Finance should directly target pain points like manual data entry or reporting delays, with measurable goals established.
Equally critical is user-centric design and adption. No matter how powerful a tool may be, its effectiveness diminishes if end-users find it cumbersome or unintuitive. Successful adoption requires early involvement of stakeholders, comprehensive training programs, and a focus on user experience. A platform like Miro, for example, gains traction because of its visual simplicity.
Integration capabilities also determine an application’s long-term viability. A tool that operates in isolation creates inefficiencies, forcing users to juggle multiple systems. Seamless connectivity with existing software – such as Jira syncing with Slack for real-time project updates or SAP interfacing with legacy SAP.
In practice, these elements create a cohesive digital ecosystem. The most effective digital applications balance functionality with usability, foster adoption through engagement, and adapt to organizational growth.