Podcasts about bpx

BPX 9 - Interstate 35 by Bullet Points

On episode #006 of Geeking Out, host, Jeff French, sits down with his son, Cooper French, to talk all things baseball. The two "uber nerds" take you on an entertaining and informative journey, covering a variety of topics including: specific players and their superhero personasanalysis and predictions for the upcoming baseball seasonthe upcoming launch of the BPX token and Home Team Heroes collectionLinks:Jeff French on Twitter (@ethFRENCHIE)BPX Collective: unites all collectors through exciting experiences and products that celebrate community, creativity, and legacy.BPX Collective Ecosystem: how BPX Collective is redefining digital collectibles and web3 gaming w/ Jeff French (VIDEO) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Marty Brooks is the President and CEO of the Wisconsin Center District in Milwaukee. In this role, Marty also oversees business growth and operations for the Wisconsin Center, UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena and Miller High Life Theatre. He works closely with VISIT Milwaukee to secure unforgettable acts and diverse conventions year-round that heighten WCD's value and brand in the Midwest. With his vision to be bold, proud, and experience-obsessed (BPX), Marty is an energized leader driving WCD toward strong and focused financial performance and growth that results in a thriving community. By thinking unconventionally and taking strategic risks, Brooks is elevating the WCD as a top local and national entertainment and convention center destination recognized for its captivating and buzzworthy experiences. I loved my conversation with Marty, and I believe you will, too.  Enjoy!To learn more about Marty, please visit the links below:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marty-brooks-7137539/Website:  https://www.wcd.orgAlso mentioned on this episode: Kimberly Kane, Omar Shaikh, Peter Feigin, Kay Koplovitz, Bob Gutkowski, Raj Saha, Russ Staerkel, Scott Neitzel, Gary Witt, Sarah Maio, Jim Dolan.To Connect with Mike: Website LinkedIn Instagram Twitter YouTube Coaching Please LIKE

Marty Brooks is the President and CEO of the Wisconsin Center District in Milwaukee. In this role, Marty also oversees business growth and operations for the Wisconsin Center, UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena and Miller High Life Theatre. He works closely with VISIT Milwaukee to secure unforgettable acts and diverse conventions year-round that heighten WCD's value and brand in the Midwest. With his vision to be bold, proud, and experience-obsessed (BPX), Marty is an energized leader driving WCD toward strong and focused financial performance and growth that results in a thriving community. By thinking unconventionally and taking strategic risks, Brooks is elevating the WCD as a top local and national entertainment and convention center destination recognized for its captivating and buzzworthy experiences. I loved my conversation with Marty, and I believe you will, too.  Enjoy!To learn more about Marty, please visit the links below:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marty-brooks-7137539/Website:  https://www.wcd.orgAlso mentioned on this episode: Kimberly Kane, Omar Shaikh, Peter Feigin, Kay Koplovitz, Bob Gutkowski, Raj Saha, Russ Staerkel, Scott Neitzel, Gary Witt, Sarah Maio, Jim Dolan.To Connect with Mike: Website LinkedIn Instagram Twitter YouTube Coaching Please LIKE

Welcome to the Oil and Gas Digital Doers podcast — brought to you on the Oil and Gas Global Network by HPE. This week our host Michael O'Sullivan talks about what digital brings to well flowback with EnerCorp director of engineering Brent Coombe. Featuring a real-life story about BPX. Many thanks to HPE for sponsoring this show. Edge computing? Make sure you have a look at HPE Greenlake. More from OGGN ... Podcasts LinkedIn Group LinkedIn Company Page Get notified about industry events    

Thayer Long brings Linda Casey, editor-in-chief of BPX magazine, back for a third discussion on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on brands. In this episode, they focus on how consumer behavior is evolving and will continue to change shape as we go forward. 

As announced here. This was our second now "monthly" open call for everyone to join. Tune in to hear your fellow community members.   Chat: 15:29:44 From Bärbel Winkler : Hi everybody!15:30:07 From Sue Keohan : Hello! Is there a dial in number?15:30:20 From Bärbel Winkler : No video from me from my office laptop15:32:05 From Bärbel Winkler : Should the poll be visible somewhere? I don't see a link in the obvious places like at the bottom menu15:34:56 From Sue Keohan : I have no microphone so if I had thoughts, I'd have to type them.15:36:20 From Matt Fraser : Sue without a voice!15:36:32 From Sue Keohan : I have a VOICE I have no mic15:36:41 From Sue Keohan : Pick away Craig, I can take it15:36:53 From Bärbel Winkler : Could the question of the poll be also posted in chat?15:37:13 From Sue Keohan : I love those rings. Craig is hard at work making me one, I'm sure15:39:06 From Sue Keohan : Ooooh I see that!15:39:34 From Sue Keohan : Craig, I saw that someone wished we had chat on the SAP Community. Has this been thought about?15:40:15 From Sue Keohan : LOL15:41:50 From greg m : hello everyone, in listening and chat mode only today15:42:25 From Sue Keohan : Hi @greg15:44:10 From Sue Keohan : For a break, I recommend the #Blogitforward series, it's an interesting way to learn about your fellow members.15:44:34 From Matt Fraser : Yes, and I know I am woefully late in getting my own BiF out there. It’s mostly written! I just need to add some photos.15:44:44 From Sue Keohan : So I better watch what I say in the comments now, heh?15:44:47 From greg m : i like the wiki after the latest facelift onto confluence15:45:25 From Sue Keohan : @matt funny that you're procrastinating on writing ;-)15:45:44 From Matt Fraser : Oh, I’m a champion procrastinator15:46:29 From Tammy's iPad : Some great SAP Support content on the wiki; shows up in search results15:46:31 From Marina : hello everyone :)15:46:42 From Tammy's iPad : Especially for those of us in Utilities15:46:58 From Tammy's iPad : Wiki for collaboration?15:47:35 From Tammy's iPad : Hi Marina15:47:48 From Tammy's iPad : Need to spend more time on the topic pages :) I forget about them.15:47:58 From Tammy's iPad : Jim taught me all I know about the wikis15:47:58 From Matthias Wild : Still somehow the best place to organize an Inside Track15:51:14 From Matt Fraser : That’s a good point, Florian. I keep lots of Word docs as my own personal cheat sheets, but perhaps doing those as wikis would be better?15:52:02 From Matt Fraser : Old school15:53:03 From Sue Keohan : Status updates15:53:17 From Tammy's iPad : status updates on community, like we had in Jive15:53:27 From Sue Keohan : It was always fun to see what people were working on 15:53:43 From Sue Keohan : Personal updates, so on15:54:06 From Annetta Miller : is there a posted schedule of upcoming user conferences?15:54:06 From Tammy's iPad : Micro status updates sound cool; timeframe?15:55:10 From Craig Cmehil : https://community.sap.com/events15:55:21 From Matthias Wild : Could be confusing on the other side to have all DSAG AG sessions there as well15:56:00 From Tammy's iPad : would love to show my ASUG chapter meeting on the events page...15:56:23 From Matthias Wild : yes, filters would be great. does not work sufficiently today15:56:26 From Sue Keohan : @tammy that would be great15:57:27 From Hans Senden : notifications. for instance when Craig Cmehil writes a blogpost ;-)15:58:08 From Matt Fraser : I like that method of determine how much of old farts we are…. “What do you call the community still to this day?”15:58:09 From Sue Keohan : Guessing there are a lot of 'old-timers' ;-)15:58:11 From Tammy's iPad : Current S-user was BPX :)15:58:19 From Hans Senden : i also have a 1000points tshirt of SDN (orange i believe)15:58:32 From Tammy's iPad : @Hans - congrats15:58:41 From Tammy's iPad : @Craig - would love to get old swag :)15:58:41 From Mahesh : I think I joined in 2012 but I am active only in the current sap community15:58:42

SDN, SCN, BPX… there have been many acronyms around what is today well known as "SAP Community". Our guest and colleague Craigh Cmehil took the time to give us insights in what makes the SAP Community with it's 2.8 million (!) monthly active users so successful, how it evolved over the years and what is to come. Craig Cmehil (https://people.sap.com/craig.cmehil)SAP Community (https://www.sap.com/community.html)SAO Community Q&A tutorial (https://developers.sap.com/tutorials/community-qa.html)

SDN, SCN, BPX… there have been many acronyms around what is today well known as "SAP Community". Our guest and colleague Craigh Cmehil took the time to give us insights in what makes the SAP Community with it's 2.8 million (!) monthly active users so successful, how it evolved over the years and what is to come. Craig Cmehil (https://people.sap.com/craig.cmehil)SAP Community (https://www.sap.com/community.html)SAO Community Q&A tutorial (https://developers.sap.com/tutorials/community-qa.html)

OREGON® BP vs BPX contest

During this 20 minute podcast, Jim Link of Forest City gives me the project-tested scoop on many key BPX topics, including: how does a BPXer justify their value to the business, who do they report to, what role do process modeling tools play, and what SAP technical and functional skills do they need to succeed in the SAP Business Process Expert role. Obviously, there are no universal answers to these questions - they are still being sorted out on a company to company basis. But for those listeners who want to understand how the pure BPX role can fit into the existing SAP personnel structure, and interact with Enterprise Architects, I trust you'll find this conversation as interesting as I did.

In this impromptu podcast, inspired by a Twitter conversation thread, Jon Reed interviews Marco ten Vaanholt, VP of the SAP Community Network and the Global Head of the SAP BPX and Business Objects Communities, on how individuals (and project teams) can make a "BPX business case" for SAP TechEd. (Follow Marco on Twitter, and follow SAP TechEd on Twitter.

In the second of two live Sapphire podcast recordings, Jon Reed of JonERP.com interviews fellow SAP Mentor Dick Hirsch to get his impressions of Sapphire 2009. Listen in as two self-described "BPX geeks" discuss the themes of Sapphire from a BPX perspective. Jon gets Dick's reactions to the Sapphire keynotes, and also gets his view on how Twitter is changing the experience of live events, both for virtual attendees and the actual participants. Dick also offers tips for how SAP professionals can move their skills into a BPX direction.

Recent SAP TechEd Shows have emphasized NetWeaver BPM and the importance of the Business Process Expert. To get a sense of why SAP is so committed to building a true "Business Process Platform," and whether or not BPX skills are still relevant in this struggling economy, Jon Reed spoke with Puneet Suppal, the SAP SOA Solutions Leader for Capgemini North America. (Puneet also writes on SOA trends in his "Cafe Innovation" blog for SAP SDN/BPX.) At the time of the podcast taping, Puneet had just returned from giving a presentation entlitled "The Business Process Imperative" with Global BPX Head Marco ten Vaanholt at TechEd Berlin. He also shared plans to head out to TechEd Bangalore to deliver a similar talk. Having done this presentation at TechEd Las Vegas as well, Puneet's views on this podcast are informed by his recent SAP Community experiences. The result is a focused conversation on how project teams and individuals should approach "BPX skills innovation" during challenging economic times.

In the second podcast in my TechEd in Review 2008 podcast series, I spoke with BPX Community Evangelist Marilyn Pratt and got her honest take on TechEd Las Vegas 2008. This podcast has an interesting interactive twist - at a few points in the podcast, Marilyn turns the tables on me and gets my own reactions to what we saw in Vegas. Themes of this podcast include: the increasing importance of BPX themes at TechEd, an assessment of BPX Community Day, and the "greening of SAP," one "bottom up" idea at a time. In the first section of this thirty five minute podcast, we get into what a "BPX Community Evangelist" is all about and why authentic conversations are so much more powerful than "marketing messages."

There's a lot of talk about "SAP Business Process Experts." SAP even has an online "BPX Community" set up around this emerging skill set. But what does this really mean to the individual consultant? For the first time ever, Jon speaks in-depth with a senior functional consultant, Samantha Gammill, President of Osiris ERP Consulting, about her pursuit of the "SAP BPX skill set." In this podcast, we get the story of why a certified MM/PP functional consultant with a broad SAP background and 14 years of SAP consulting experience decided to pursue the BPX skill set, how she went about doing it, and what the reactions of her team members were to this skills transition. During the podcast, Samantha talks about her efforts to move into her role as "future functional business process expert." In the process, she gives listeners a view into her approach to self-education. Samantha funded her own attendance at the TechEd 2008 Las Vegas BPX Community Day, and brought what she learned about that day back to her team.

In this landmark podcast, Jon speaks with Kent Sanders, Senior Technology Architect for CSC Consulting, about the beginning of the end for the traditional R/3 Basis Consultant, and how to make the skills transition to "NetWeaver Engineer." Kent explains why mastering NetWeaver is essential for getting involved with eSOA, and why eSOA has moved from hype to reality. Loaded with practical skills tips for consultants and project teams, Kent SAP professionals an inside view on how they can round out their skills, avoid being outsourced, and stay marketable in the NetWeaver era. During the interview, Kent talks about the differences between the classic Basis skill set and the emerging "NetWeaver Engineer" skill set. He goes into the specifics of the tools that SAP technical professionals need to master in order to remain marketable instead of becoming obsolete. Drawing on his own experience, Kent explains how project teams should approach building NetWeaver and eSOA skills sets internally. Kent also talks about how the business process orientation of SAP is impacting all SAP skill sets, and most importantly, how SAP professionals can educate themselves for these transitions - in particular by leverage the SDN and BPX communities.

In this Sapphire in Review mega-edition podcast, Jon Reed Interviews Kent Bettisworth, President of Bettisworth and Associates, and gets his take on the key themes of Sapphire 2008. Kent is a senior Project Systems snd Fixed Asset consultant whose company also offers SAP System Access in conjunction with Michael Management. After you listen to this podcast, you will understand why Kent is one of Jon's "go to" people when it comes to analyzing SAP skills trends and staying ahead of the skills curve. During this back-and-forth discussion, Jon asks Kent for his reaction to the SAP keynotes and the trends Kent noticed in terms of SAP-for-the-BlackBerry, Business by Design, Role-Based Portals and beyond, and the emphasis on personalization and useability of SAP - not always SAP's strongest aspect historically. A major focus of the podcast is a closer look at the so-called "SAP Skills Shortage" and how SAP professionals should respond. Topics covered in this podcast include: - Kent's take on the keynotes, and why he was struck by Hasso Plattner's emphasis not only on Role-Based Portals but even more personalized user experiences, leveraging the technology being developed for Business By Design. Kent also talks about the SAP-for-the-BlackBerry announcement and which parts of the enterprise should be most impacted. - Jon asks Kent for the key trends driving SAP staffing, and Kent explains that at the conference and in his own client work, the major driver is still core upgrades as well as merger and acquisition implementation activity. Kent does make a distinction between the type of SAP consulting activity we see today versus what we saw in the mid-90s. He talks about the focus on technical upgrades, but that his clients are also doing functional enhancements in targeted areas. Business Intelligence is also a factor now. - The so-called "SAP Skills Shortage" was a major talking point at the SAP press conference. Jon asks Kent for his view, and Kent agrees that the skills shortage is not so much across the board as targeted in specialized areas of higher demand. He also thinks that part of the issue is that SAP customers have a harder time leveraging the skills of less-experienced SAP folks (under five years). Kent shares some ideas around a mentoring structure that would allow clients to take better advantage of less experience talent in conjunction with senior mentors such as Kent. - Jon asks for Kent's take on how specialized an SAP consultant needs to be in order to be successful, and gets Kent's take on a situation where his work was balanced on a project by another expert in the product costing area. - Kent delves into the Project Systems area of specialization, and related skills in Fixed Assets and Portfolio Management. He shares the latest trends in Project Systems consulting in areas related to capital management, revenue, and investment management. Kent also tells Jon what the value is in the xRPM xApp and how it fits into the landscape of SAP functionality. xRPM is different from classic PS work in that it involves more technical skills in BI and Portals work in order to implement it. - The talk then moved into a discussion of how SAP system access can help a consultant get a better feel for these emerging areas in PS and Investment Management, as well as other new areas of SAP. Jon and Kent talk about how the SAP ecosystem can be a great source of self-education for the SAP professional in transition. - Last but not least, the last segment of the podcast gets into Jon and Kent's debate about the Business Process Expert skill set. Kent has maintained that the best SAP consultants have always had a business process focus. But Kent also agrees that today's BPX world has new communities (like the BPX community) and new tools to master. Kent talks about how he always saw the value of business process management expertise, whether it was Six Sigma or Total Quality Management. - Jon and Kent talk about the pieces Jon has done on SAP configuration skills and whether they are going away anytime soon. Jon and Kent talk about the ideal skill set for the SAP consultant - a combination of focused specialization in a marketable niche with a broader (but related) business process and industry expertise.

SAP development is changing rapidly, and this technical evolution is impacting both technical and functional SAP professionals. To get an inside look at the future of SAP development, Jon interviewed Thomas Jung, NetWeaver Product Manager with SAP Labs and an influential blogger on the SAP Developer Network. Jon asked Thomas about a number of "hot button" topics in the SAP development space, including the innovations of the CE environment and the modeling tools needed for eSOA-driven development, the impact of outsourcing and how to make your skills "outsourcing proof," why ABAP development is alive and well, and how's SAP's SDN and BPX communities are affecting how SAP professionals interact with SAP and enhance their skill sets. In this thirty-three minute interview, hosted by Jon Franke of SearchSAP.com, "the two Jons" and Thomas cover the following topics: - Thomas' role at SAP Labs and how his NetWeaver Product Management team is involved with the rollout of the NetWeaver product line and the interaction with SAP users at events and seminars. - Why the online communities have had such an effect on SAP development and how knowledge about SAP products and skills trends is disseminated. - Jon asks Thomas to explain why his presentation on "Updating Your ABAP Skills to NetWeaver 7.0" has been so well received at SAP conferences, and what the key adjustments a 4.6 SAP developer has to make to be effective in NetWeaver 7.x and eSOA environments. Thomas points out that one key aspect of the "SAP developer of the future" is simply mastering object-oriented programming and ABAP Objects - something you can get started on even while working on 4.x projects. - Frequently, Jon his from readers who ask him "is ABAP dead?" Thomas puts these fears to rest once and for all by explaining that ABAP is still very much a part of the NetWeaver development environment. He describes some of the situations where ABAP is more useful and some where Java-based tools are more relevant. ABAP works best for powering high-volume, core transactions and Java is ideal for "edge programming" where SAP is extending its functionality via Enterprise Services. But ABAP can be "opened up" as well, and many new SAP components are built partially or fully in ABAP. - The impact of offshoring - Thomas gives his take on which SAP projects are better suited for outsourcing and which development projects are more effective to have in-house. Thomas doesn't believe that it makes sense to outsource all SAP development projects, and he goes on to describe some of the ways that SAP programmers can make their skills "outsourcing proof": don't build a "wall" between you and the rest of the team, keep up on your knowledge, stay visible, and become known as the person who learns the latest SAP technical tools and shares them with others. - Thomas shares the highlights of the SAP Composition Environment (CE), including the integration between CE and the Enterprise Services Repository (ESR), Visual Composer, Guided Procedures, and the other bells and whistles of this EE 5 environment. - What is the makeup of the ideal SAP project team? Thomas puts on his CIO hat and talks about the kinds of people he would put on his SAP technical project team. More than anything, he'd be looking for self-starters who aggressively educate themselves through their involvement with SDN and other learning communities. He'd want to see a mixture of Internet, Java, and ABAP skills on the team, but more important than specific tools is an SAP technical team that can adapt to the pace of innovation. - In terms of "soft" business skills, Thomas places a high value on those who get outside their cubicles and interact with the project team, making an effort to transfer knowledge to other team members. Thomas believes that you can't get away with being a "cubicle coder," anymore. If you aren't needed on site, then you run the risk of being outsourced. One way to differentiate yourself is to know enough about the business to be able to help business users define their requirements and what they want to accomplish technically. - Thomas explains why the latest batch of modeling tools are catching on and why modeling is having such an impact on SAP development. There are two types of modeling tools: those that help business users model processes on a higher level without needing to program (Visual Programmers), and those that help programmers reduce repetitive programming tasks (Web Dynpro for Java being one example, and other modeling tools added to the NetWeaver Developer Studio and the ABAP Workbench being other examples). - Jon asks Thomas about SAP's eSOA strategy and how it is impacting development. Thomas agrees that eSOA will allow companies to build Enterprise Services using the language and platform of their choice, but he also notes that SAP is building some of the best SOA development and consumption tools on the market. - Jon Franke of SearchSAP asks Thomas about how business users can get more involved in these trends, and Thomas points out the BPX community, and how business users can get involved in a variety of ways, including through BPX's industry vertical communities. - Jon points out that Thomas' "Update Your ABAP Skills to NetWeaver 7.0" seminar is available on the Virtual TechEd '07 track on SDN (for a fee), and Thomas shares the forward schedule for when this workshop will be held next. - Thomas wraps the podcast with a compelling argument to avoid career panic in the face of new SAP technologies. He makes the point that SAP developers should follow their passions, and when you are the best at what you do, that's an excellent way "outsource-proof" your skills.

Continuing his ongoing podcast series with SearchSAP, Jon Reed interviews Marco ten Vaanholt, Global Director of the SAP BPX Community, for a compelling look at the changing SAP skill set and what it takes to become a "Business Process Expert." During the podcast, Marco describes his work with the SAP BPX community, and how BPX is working collectively to help define the skill set that SAP professionals will need to stay relevant on both the functional and technical side. Jon asked Marco to be on this podcast because during TechEd 2007, Marco's presentation on becoming an SAP Business Process Expert (BPE) provided the most practical "next steps" for how an SAP consultant can evolve their skills that Jon had yet seen. Marco came through on this podcast with an excellent overview of how the SAP market is changing, how BPX is supporting the SAP skills transition, and what consultants can do to keep their skills in line with the market. By the time the podcast is over, there is a clearer sense of how the SAP professional of today can involve themselves in the BPX community, honing their own skills while also contributing to SAP's product evolution. In this thirty-one minute interview, hosted by Jon Franke of SearchSAP, Jon and Marco talk about the following points: - How Marco got involved with SAP and how he wound up in his current role as the Global Director of the BPX community. - The origins of the SAP BPX community in 2006, and how it has achieved phenomenal growth (200,000 + members) through a grassroots approach to community building. Marco also shares the vision of BPX, the emergence of the industry forums, and the "horizontal and vertical" areas of BPX built around SAP's Business Suite, core ERP, and GRC products. - Marco explains why the BPX community has been so compelling to SAP professionals, by tapping into their desire to evolve into BPE (Business Process Expert) consultants and be better prepared for the eSOA era. - Marco also describes how the collaborative BPX community has also helped SAP partners reduce the "cost of ownership" around educating their consultants about eSOA. SAP customers have also turned to SAP BPX to help support their employees working on the SAP "Business Process Platform." - The SAP BPX community also influences SAP through its product management cycle. Marco explains how the SAP BPX world can serve as a feedback channel to SAP and also support the launch of new product initiatives going forward. - Jon asks Marco about the importance of the Business Process Expert (BPE), and why this person is going to be so important to the SAP implementations of the future. Marco shares the BPX community definition of the BPE: "This business process expert has both the business knowledge and IT savvy to make business process innovation happen in real time, by adapting, composing and executing business processes, using best practices, composition software, and enterprise services." - Marco explains that while there are many different definitions of BPEs, they most commonly describe themselves as having "one foot in IT, and one foot in business." Marco highlights the range of job roles that fit in under the Business Process Expert "umbrella role." - Jon brings up one of the most riveting aspects of Marco's TechEd presentation on becoming a BPE: the argument that both ABAP jobs and core functional configuration jobs are going to go away. Marco clarifies this point, and reframes the discussion to step back from the "shock value" of Jon's statement. Marco explains that ABAP and configuration jobs are not going to go away, but that it's important for all SAP professionals to acquire composition skills, especially technical consultants. - Marco talks about the evolving SAP Composition Environment (CE) and why both technical and functional SAP professionals will want to get experience with the CE going forward. He also hones in on the importance of "soft skills" and provides concrete examples of the types of "soft skills" that will be crucial, including industry expertise. - Marco emphasizes the importance of process modeling skills, and he mentions some of the modeling tools of today (Visio, Visual Composer, ARIS for NetWeaver) and tomorrow that both technical and functional SAP folks will want to get a handle on. - Jon and Marco agree that the "alarmist" view that the current SAP job roles are going away is not the right mindset. The right attitude is to make a commitment to transforming your skill set along with SAP. - Marco talks about other key skills of the "BPXer," including Business Process Management (BPM) methodology know-how and BPM tools like Six Sigma. He tells us why Web 2.0 and community-building skills are so important for the BPE, using blogging, wikis, and collaborative forums to "evangelize" your solutions throughout a global project. - Jon and Marco talk about how SAP professionals now have access to free resources to self-education. Since cost for training is not a barrier, it's more of a mindset shift: (1) getting access to new SAP technical information, and (2) joining communities like BPX to share "best practices" and lessons learned. - Marco makes some distinctions between sharing processes at "process level zero" versus "process level three," and why there is a difference between collaborating on "commoditized processes" versus working on more "disruptive" or strategic (level three) areas. This latter type of collaboration would likely take place in a closed area and shared with the broader community as appropriate. - Jon asks Marco about how today's "SAP functional configuration expert" and "SAP application consultant" of the present needs to evolve to become a BPE. Marco explains how the CE and other Business Process Platform modeling tools will change the relationship between functional and technical teams. He also talks about eSOA, and how, alongside the Enterprise Architect, the functional specialist will be working with SAP eSOA resources like the Enterprise Services Repository.   - Jon Franke asks Marco about how to improve your soft skills, and Marco gives a "big picture" response that starts with how you carry yourself on client sites and work with executives and project teams, and goes on to include various areas of formal and informal education such as organizational change management, process modeling tools, Web 2.0 technologies, and Enterprise SOA. - Jon tries to put Marco on the spot by asking him to explain how the "disruptive innovation" he is advocating can exist alongside of SAP's customer message of "innovation without disruption." Marco explains that there is not a contradiction because the kind of innovation he is advocating takes place in a closed environment that does not involve disrupting the transactional system. - Marco also explains that the distinction between commodity processes and strategic processes comes into play when understanding the cycle of disruptive innovation. He uses the example of Nike's product rollouts and the cycle of innovation in the mobile technology space to describe the difference. - Marco issues a formal invitation for all listeners to get involved with the SAP BPX community. There is a robust "getting started" area to get new members involved quickly with the issues and projects that the BPX community is tackling. Marco also highlights the SAP upgrades area within SAP BPX as a great resource for project teams. - Jon wraps the podcast by talking about the shifting trends in SAP employment, and how it's easy to end this podcast because the next step is to sign up with SAP BPX and get further involved in your SAP skills transformation.

This is Jon Reed's "roaming podcast" from the floor of SAPPHIRE 2007, Day 1. Follow Jon's unscripted, instant reactions to the press briefings and executive interviews he conducted on Day 1. On Day 1, Jon conducted numerous interviews with SAP product managers. He also sat in on several press briefings including a CIO panel of SAP customers. Jon reported back his insights from each event, and took an honest look at how the latest developments will impact consulting demand.   Highlights from Jon's uncensored and unscripted conference reactions included: - Why mid-market companies are looking at outsourcing and why they find that some SAP consultants are too specialized for their needs. - How SOA has evolved from a "good idea" to a product that SAP's partners can truly sell and therefore truly endorse. - Why "On Demand" Solutions like CRM On Demand are not as appealing to mid-market companies as one would think. - The significance of leveraging "unstructured" data and how partnerships like Duet are focused on this area. - Which SAP consulting areas seemed hot based on the day's interviews and why (hot areas included CRM, SOA, and BW/BI). - Why functional and technical skill sets are converging. - A NetWeaver executive who admits on the record that there are not enough of the "new wave" of techno-functional NetWeaver consultants to meet customer needs. Jobs like Composer and Repository Keeper may not have emerged yet, but the demand for those skill sets has. - The need for consultants with more industry-specific know-how and more business process knowledge (and why the BPX community is a factor here). - The problematic Microsoft partnership...all smiles at SAPPHIRE, but what happens when Microsoft wins a bunch of SMB business from SAP? Will Microsoft partnership ever deteriorate like the Oracle partnership has?