In the case of severe weather or an earthquake, First Responders arrive on site to offer assistance and physical aid to those in need. We understand the term ‘First Responder’ to be Firemen and Police Officers that get to the effected area first. In actual practice, though, it is more common that our neighbors are the first to respond. Our neighbors are there before the police and fire departments are able to reach us.

SAP Super Users are very much the same as our neighborly First Responders. During an SAP project implementation, the ability for a user in need to turn to someone who is close in function or proximity is critical.

An SAP Super User can often provide immediate assistance with greater efficiency than a remote technical professional because the Super User knows the environment, the culture and the day-to-day requirements of the users. The Super User acts quickly without wasting time getting ‘up to speed’ on the personal needs of the users.

First Responders are Our Neighbors

FEMA has realized the fact that neighbors are often the First Responders and created the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). FEMA has developed all the training and tools necessary to enable one or two people in our neighborhoods to provide initial aid to others in the case of a catastrophic event.

An SAP project within your organization needs the same type of organization. Your company needs to develop a sustainable Super User organization. These are users (neighbors) with regular jobs within the company, but, are go-to-professionals that the technical departments can rely upon to support the users in real-time.

However, the Super User cannot perform effectively without the basics, like:

• Insider access to information
• Training
• Backup second-level support
• Documentation
• Tools

In addition, SAP Super Users need their own community. They need to be able to collaborate with others performing the roles. They need mentors and pundits.

SAPinsight is holding their annual SAP Super User Conference in October of 2015 * updated 2/4/2015