A big thank you to Amber and Omar for this interview, we LOVE this!.  Omar has attended every SAPinsight Annual Event since the Community kicked off in December, 2013.  Now that’s a huge testament to the value of having a Community dedicated to the critical role of the Super User.  Thanks Omar, we LOVE you.  Reader, come join us this year and SEE why Omar keeps coming back!

Interview by Amber Christian, Founder – ConsultAce

Ever wish you could become that highly sought after person, the one that is always wanted on new projects?  Is there a secret sauce for how to do this?  Read on to hear from Omar Morales from Celanese, as he holds the recipe.  He currently works as part of IT as a Business Relationship manager, serving as a liaison between business and IT functions.  He has 26 years of IT experience, and has learned the importance of being a strong advocate for Super Users.

What is your favorite part of your job?

“I get to think out of the box, design solutions, face new challenges, and teach others to become self-sufficient.  I enjoy helping others!”

How does your day-in-the-life look?

“This is not going to be a short answer: I have the belief that everyone has an inner Happiness savings account, so I cheer up myself every morning or every time that I can to make a deposit on my happiness account.  When things go the wrong direction, it’s up to me whether or not to let the circumstances draw that happiness from my account, so I don’t allow that to happen, that is what keeps me in calm and in some degree in control. 

Now let’s talk about business day:  Meetings begin at 7 AM and run till noon because of projects.  In between the meetings there are always some team members, super users, or users sending Instant Messages and asking for some type of assistance.  My role in those cases is to understand what is the scenario, asking key questions of what/where/why and in 50% of the cases the requestor realizes they know the answer.  In some other scenarios, I do direct the User to the Super Users with the intention of the User contacting the Super User as first front line of defense, and secondly Super User can identify if the request is due lack or training or a brand new scenario. When the requestor is a Super User, then we commonly schedule time to analyze business scenario, and analyze our transactional data for periods of 18 months which give us a good understanding of business trends.

A good part of the time I also spend documenting solutions that can be shared, giving advices on how to perform special tasks, and looking for opportunities where I can keep learning.”

Are there any challenges that you wish others could experience because it helped you grow?

“Two things I do consider have been key in my professional life:

First, always volunteer to be involved on complex requirements/projects. It gives you the possibility to learn new things.

Second, pass the knowledge acquired to improve the skills of others. This helps build strong alliances, clears your schedule as there are more people trained to perform similar tasks, and you become a to go person to get new exciting challenges.”

What is the biggest benefit to your company to have Super Users? 

“Our Super Users are a Safety Net to ensure our operations have continuity.
Super Users are allies on projects and daily activities because they are SUPER:

• Speak for the User Community and communicate back and forth between User, Top Managers, and IT.
• Usually have a broad SAP Security access to see end to end process that help resolve challenges.
• Provide test scenarios to ensure adequate coverage of key business scenarios.
• Evaluate and improve proposed solutions.
• Relieve IT from having to do 100% of training by helping and designing training that speaks directly to the users.”

If you were a super hero, which super hero would you be?

“Mister Fantastic – He is wise, keeps calm, and uses everyone powers to create synergy.  Recognizes the value of the team. “

PS:  Please if you have in mind me dressing like Mr. Fantastic  that won’t work because he is so skinny and I am in round shape (which is also a shape, so I am in shape)!

Are you a strong advocate for Super User programs?  If not, why not?  If you want to learn more about advocating for these programs and how they benefit both the business continuity and IT operations, see who’s coming, see who’s speaking, and Register here for Superuser Experience Event #SEE17, October 26-27th!  Be sure to check out our previous interviews.  And stay tuned as we share more articles profiling the incredible talent presenting and attending #SEE17 – We SEE you Super Users!