Jan Hendrik Henke
Looking back, my first dive into the world of S/4HANA was a few years ago, and that project is still a standout memory for me. It was a project conducted 80–100% on-site in a large conference room. We had a dynamic mix of consultants from different departments like development, sales, procurement, logistics, and various other modules, engaging in intensive discussions about the best solution approaches. It was all about intense discussions, sketching out processes on flip charts, and swiftly tweaking system settings. The beauty of it all was seeing those initial results pop up across all modules. Tasks such as setting up the right tax code in a Q-system were addressed quickly and easily, as all consultants were sitting at the same table.
Unfortunately, when it came to training and final tests, we had to do things remotely. But during the Go Live, we were on-site and could experience it all together.
Since then, a lot has changed, and many of these changes have been positive.
Working from home provides a number of perks – more flexibility, less distraction, and travel times and costs are eliminated. However, I often find myself missing the spontaneous discussions, the spur-of-the-moment collaboration, the casual chat across the table, and, of course, the post-work social gatherings with colleagues.
Nevertheless, I’m happy to say I welcome home office. In fact, my project team and I have successfully completed an entire project while working from home. While fully remote projects might not be the standard, they can still be effectively managed.