SAP Project Staffing Models

SAP BW Tutorial Best Practice on Project Staffing

Table of Contents

SAP BW Best Practice Series - Project Staffing Solutions

Global SAP Project Staffing Approaches For Your SAP Staffing Solutions Requirements

A Best Staffing Practices Tutorial

This is a continuation of the SAP BW Best Practice Series on SAP Project Management. In this article I review Project Staffing Solutions.  

As a Project Manager, sooner or later, you will have to consider how you are going to staff up your project from the wide spectrum of staffing options available to you. If you are in the middle of development for your next Go-Live or doing an upgrade of an existing SAP BW or Business Objects dashboard system or working on any type of greenfield or ongoing ERP project, I recommend taking a look at each of our staffing model presentations to avoid a bad start.

 

We have worked with each of these models and they all work in the field but they each have their own Pro's and Con's that may or many not be right for your organization. In this Article, I present Project Staffing Solution practices, a very important and necessary project management planning stage to your overall project success.

Which Project Staffing Model Is The Best Fit For Your Organization

 

Have you ever wondered if your project staffing solution is the best fit for your project or organization?

 

Standard SAP Staffing Model

 

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The above infographic reflects the ideal SAP Staffing approach, as practiced by our SAP Resource Arm.  But what are the other staffing models? 

 

We get this question all the time so we decided to compile and organize the major elements of the 9 most common staffing models we see customers using. As a project manager, Project Staffing considerations ranging from consultant selection to organization and management of your staff has a major influence on overall project risk, budget, management involvement and responsibility and ultimately contributes to the success or failure of your project.

  • Each Staffing Solution Model has its own unique Pro’s and Con’s.

For each staffing solution we:

  • Describe the staffing solution with additional success notes

  • List the advantages and disadvantages to each staffing approach

  • Detail the main assumptions and prerequisites for each staffing solution model

  • Recommend when to use each staffing solution

  • Caution you when not to select a particular staffing model

     

    SAP BW Staffing Solutions

Project Staffing is One Piece of the Project Planning Puzzle

A Comparative Macro Analysis of Project Staffing Solutions

 

The Nine Most Common Project Staffing Models:

 

The Completely Contracted Out Staffing Model

Staffing Model Characteristics:

  • Service Delivery is by 3rd Party Provider
  • Service Level Agreement
  • Fixed Price
  • Variable Price
  • Staffing availability not fixed
  • Customer Management Responsibilities

For a complete description of this staffing solution, download this presentation.

 

View Staffing Model 1

 

The Spot Consulting Staffing Model

Staffing Model Characteristics:

  • Customer is Project Responsible
  • Service Delivery by Customer
  • Consultants are on W-2, 1099 or C2C
  • Fixed Price
  • Time and Materials
  • Highly flexible in Location and Hours
  • Consultant hired direct or through a staffing company
  • Customer Makes Selection Decision

For a complete description of this staffing solution, download this presentation.

 

View Staffing Model 2
 

The 100% In-house Staffing Model

Staffing Model Characteristics:

  • Use own company resources to deliver

For a complete description of this staffing solution, download this presentation.

 

View Staffing Model 3

 

The Offshore Staffing Model

Staffing Model Characteristics:
  • Service Delivery by 3rd Party Provider
  • Service Level Agreement
  • Fixed Price
  • Variable Price
  • Staffing availability not Guaranteed
  • Customer Shares Management Responsibilities with Provider

For a complete description of this staffing solution, download this presentation.

 

View Staffing Model 4
 

The Onshore Staffing Model

Staffing Model Characteristics:

  • Service Delivery by 3rd Party Provider or Subsidiary
  • Service Level Agreement or Subsidiary Cooperation
  • Fixed Price, Variable Price, Internal Transfer Pricing
  • Staffing availability not fixed
  • Customer Has Oversight and/or Direct Management Responsibilities

For a complete description of this staffing solution, download this presentation.

 

View Staffing Model 5
 

The Internal Staffing Model

Staffing Model Characteristics:

  • Service Delivery by Employees or Contractors
  • Should have a Service Level Agreement
  • Pricing using the Absorption Method
  • Staffing availability mostly known
  • Customer 100% Responsibility

For a complete description of this staffing solution, download this presentation.

 

View Staffing Model 6

 

The Internal Management of External Consultants Staffing Model

 Staffing Model Characteristics:

  • Internal Manager has to Manage the External Entities

  • Service Delivery by 3rd Party Staff

  • Fixed Price

  • Variable Price

  • Staffing availability not fixed

  • Customer is Management Responsible

For a complete description of this staffing solution, download this presentation.

 

View Staffing Model 7

 

The External Management of Internal Consultants Staffing Model

Staffing Model Characteristics:

  • Primarily Project Management of your Internal Staff.

  • Service Delivery by 3rd Party Provider

  • Time and Materials only

  • Staffing availability not fixed

  • Project Delivery Responsibility is taken on by the Project Manager

For a complete description of this staffing solution, download this presentation.

 

View Staffing Model 8

 

The External Management of External Consultants Staffing Model

Staffing Model Characteristics:

  • Service Delivery and Management by 3rd Party
  • Possible Service Level Agreement
  • Fixed Price, Variable Price, Enterprise Pricing
  • Staffing availability 3rd Party Problem
  • Customer Oversight Responsible

For a complete description of this staffing solution, download this presentation.

 

View Staffing Model 9

 

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Doug Ayers

I am an MBA, B.S. in Computer Engineering and certified PMP with over 33 years working experience in software engineering and I like to go dancing after work. I program computers, solve problems, design systems, develop algorithms, crunch numbers (STEM), Manage all kinds of interesting projects, fix the occasional robot or “thing” that’s quit working, build new businesses and develop eCommerce solutions in Shopify, SAP Hybris, Amazon and Walmart. I have been an SAP Consultant for over 10 years. I am Vice-President and Co-Founder of SAP BW Consulting, Inc.

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