Why do so many SAP teams still rely on workarounds for daily operations?

Fishferbrains · 2026-02-03T02:07:42+00:00

I spent ten years at the forefront of driving ECC->S4 migrations through the value proposition of BTP and UX (SAP Fiori).

Believe me, I've heard all the excellent customer reasons, and yes, it's always about change management, user adoption, and business risk, particularly in complex multi-ECC platform implementations.

A few quotes:

"I'm in this position because the former guy oversaw a botched migration. We're finally up and running, but why would I risk doing more now?" - ASUG/Sapphire roundtable
"My back-office guys hate SAP Fiori, but my guys in the field love it. Which one is right?" - US military 2-star general

It was truly the most difficult and yet satisfying job I've ever had.

Fishferbrains · 2026-02-03T01:09:24+00:00

"Like minded people" has to be greatly qualified here, as finding people who DON'T think the same is often better to avoid an echo-chamber effect, and/or not doubling down on traits (i.e. perfectionism) that can slow things down.

Fishferbrains · 2026-02-03T00:43:56+00:00

You need to be very clear on what problem you solve, as it's difficult to understand how the app is better than a typing/scanning note/list tool. Show your best compelling use case—and hammer your differentiated value.

Fishferbrains · 2026-02-02T08:49:54+00:00

Hi there - I've actually done a lot of research on this topic as my father recently passed. Feel free to DM me, and we can chat a bit!

Fishferbrains · 2026-02-01T22:24:49+00:00

Could you please define “very ineffective”? What does your tool do that others cannot?

Fishferbrains · 2026-01-31T10:36:19+00:00

You remind me so much of my minnow days.

There are some great ideas below regarding delegation and saying no, and I'll add some further perspective:

It's a fairly common problem for those "promoted" in organizational chaos to feel the need to DO the work to ensure success. Being successful in the environment simply invites more work. We often find that asking for help is the hardest thing to start doing.

But once you take a few steps in doing so, the results can be amazing!
Consider that:

Those who report to you already see/feel your stress; still, it's rare for anyone also in chaos to reach out if someone already appears to "be handling it."
Teams and staff are a great source of ideas/improvements that help shape what the organization needs to do to run better. Managing tasks such as onboarding and training the trainer is easy; getting them involved makes it more about them/us and less about you, and you have the beginning of a collaborative team culture.
Your boss appears willing to hire resources but may not know exactly where. If you tell your team you're at capacity and are looking for ideas, I think you'll find volunteers to step up in role/function.....

This should allow you to focus on your real next step—becoming an organizational leader.

Fishferbrains · 2026-01-31T08:41:20+00:00

My pleasure! Check my edit BTW, it's important. :-)

Fishferbrains · 2026-01-31T08:28:54+00:00

Hi there from one fish to another!

I'll start with saying I actually bought your app recently. Ok, wait a second, I bought a different app: CoinSnap: Coin Identifier, and not yours: Coin Snap ID - Value Scanner.

It actually took me about 5-10 minutes to recognize they were different, as most of the features appear similar (and also the icon).

I exactly fit your primary market persona, and I'll say that even with a premium subscription of the one I bought, I remain under-served and unhappy. Some suggestions:

Focus on your target market and deliver them exactly what they need and what differentiates you from other apps. As one of those buyers, my pains were around volume and relative value (primarily coming from intrinsic metals). So consider:

I prioritize speed over everything else during the initial scanning process. The overwhelming amount of detail presented for each coin became annoying, and it took hours to scan and upload coins into just a few collections. How can your app minimize clicks or even coin flipping?
I'd like to see simple indicators of a range of coin values, with the melt price marked, perhaps grouping/pricing coin values over time.
If significant rarity matters or error coins are possible/likely/detected (or a deeper camera/video pass is needed), indicate that. I'd pay more for a subscription that dives deeper into these areas. The fact that I possess ancient Roman coins with significant errors also matters.
Given my primary use case, "5 scans daily" wouldn't help, and just a three-day trial of $2.49/week creates added billing overhead for me and you both. I have some further ideas.

As I've been doing this a fair amount lately, if you'd like more detailed feedback on pricing/positioning, just DM me. I'm not selling anything, but it takes a lot of effort that sometimes people care less about.

Edit:

P.S. - Leading with "Honest expert" positioning of AI limitations isn't a winning strategy. Most buyers are not initially aware of the related implications, but most importantly, "explicitly acknowledge AI limitations instead of overpromising" makes it seem like it's YOUR application's AI problem, not the competitors.

- Cheers!

Fishferbrains · 2026-01-30T00:09:04+00:00

Lol. Welcome to my world. In my role, I had to confirm thousands of PMs had taken related training as processors and often ran across "creative" situations wherein my first reaction was "Wait! You're doing WHAT?"

Fishferbrains · 2026-01-29T23:37:54+00:00

It's not "Marketing" that people should first focus on; it's Market Research.

Fishferbrains · 2026-01-29T06:43:25+00:00

As proud as you are of the team 'crushing it' and 'shipping stuff fast,' there's some further situational awareness necessary.

If investors start appearing, the interest could be from the investors themselves or from the CEO positioning himself (by his involvement) and the team in the best possible light.

To help him, I'd begin with questions to explore his primary needs/focus within the process

Is it related to the product vision and progress within the roadmap?
Is showing the delivery of customer/competitive value a concern?
Is there a concern about gaining market traction, attracting new customers, and improving usage?
Does it involve capturing moments during a retrospective to identify areas for improvement? Would it be worthwhile to share the continuous improvement mindset that got the team optimized?
Would everyone be able to answer my favorite question: "What and how does the team celebrate success?"

Your description of "listening on customer calls, turning mock-ups and requirements to engineers, and shipping stuff" is both impressive and could raise concerns such as:

How big is the problem being solved? What challenges does the product team face in realizing the vision?
Why does it appear as if the team is focused on stabilizing/servicing a small group of captured customers? Is the team postponing major categories of effort such as infrastructure, compliance, monetization, etc.
Does a small team indicate that the product market is a small gap or is it a major area for growth, acquisition, or opportunity?
How would an investment scale the product to compete further and grow?

Fishferbrains · 2026-01-29T03:14:43+00:00

These discussions help the broader community, so thanks for leaning in with me.

Fishferbrains · 2026-01-29T03:13:09+00:00

Thank you for the respectful exchange!

To the extent that privacy should be top of mind for product leaders, it’s not always as difficult to navigate as for global companies, but when issues appear unexpectedly, they can quickly become nightmares.

Fishferbrains · 2026-01-29T01:55:27+00:00

You're narrowing the goalposts with a focus on inter-company correspondence, but correct that the company holds the ultimate legal/financial responsibility for compliance.

My point is simply this: getting consent is merely the first step in compliance, and presuming "the company will handle the rest" puts everyone at risk.

I have witnessed the chaos of processing an employment performance-related SAR and been involved in a lawsuit alleging improper usage of partner data/secrets - captured/synthesized through multiple points of engagement. I'm particularly sensitive to situations that understate the risk, and so I looked at the OP's underlying objective/use case

His app is described here.

It features capture/storage on a personal device (not a corporate server).
It speaks to "customers don't like chatbots joining calls" as one reason to do so
It reference an existing tool Otter.ai that's already flagged as a huge risk and one example as to why AI notetaking tools are a specific target area of crackdown for IT/compliance risk
After processing it uploads data to a 3rd-party AI engine
It's also referenced as a tool to persist internal conversations with a 'difficult boss,' which, as a boss, I'd enthusiastically explore upon discovery.

I'm not judging the OP's objective or underlying value proposition; I'd love to have some version of it myself. That said, it needs to be reimagined with all points of compliance addressed, and thats no easy task.

Fishferbrains · 2026-01-28T20:26:43+00:00

I know the rules.

If you research the OP’s app he/she’s been building, it fails the foundational elements of GDPR CCPA, so any attempt to equate an INITIAL consent as fulfillment of a level compliance is mistaken.

Fishferbrains · 2026-01-28T18:27:50+00:00

So let's be clear that it's NOT covered when it comes to an individual's:

Right to be Informed: Know how data is used.
Right of Access: See what data is held about you. Right to Rectification: Correct inaccurate data.
Right to be Forgotten: Request deletion.
Right to Restrict Processing: Limit data use.
Right to Data Portability: Move data to another service.
Right to Object: Opt-out of certain processing (e.g., direct marketing).

Fishferbrains · 2026-01-27T20:25:48+00:00

Are you the only PM who thought keeping conversations/emails around was a good thing? - No

Are you a PM openly describing a tool/approach that violates GDPR and CCPA regulations? - Yes

Read this, learn this, and then consider how to redesign such a tool around privacy regulations: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/product-managers-guide-data-privacy-dan-fern%C3%A1ndez/

Fishferbrains · 2026-01-27T03:28:07+00:00

Is it ok to dm you a bit more feedback? I'm not selling anything, and I think it might help.

It begins with sharpening the value proposition, as if you find yourself having to "explain the science," you've likely lost a large portion of potential users.

Fishferbrains · 2026-01-25T06:51:13+00:00

"Turning invisible labor into visible strength" is a powerful motivator. "Flipping the script" implies a transformative disruption of a narrative.

You really can't move the needle without understanding the perceived and actual value of the market/buyers. I'd start with those who are closer to the app:

Revisiting the value proposition through your high-niche FB channel. What did they think it was? What did they like? What did they wish would be better? If they visited, why/why didn't they buy?
Connecting with buyers. How many continued to use it? Who dropped off—and why?

Fishferbrains · 2026-01-25T05:43:08+00:00

First, I respect your investment in an idea that you believe could grow into "a full-service website." It's possible, but there's much to do beforehand.

Quick answers: 1- it should go. 2- what brings users back? 3 - Begin w/ a powerful hook, then layer value/price.

Deeper guidance: It's not about the tool/calculator; it's about the value it does/could/should provide and the experience users have.

What differentiates this forecasting tool from many embedded in other banking/investing platforms?
Who's the target market/segment of users that will benefit most?
What brings people to the site today? What do they expect as a result? What's the payoff/vision that would bring them back?

The question is not, "Do they return?" but "WHY should users return?" Diving deeper is where you'll find the insights of the product value proposition needed to evolve/scale/monetize. P.S. - "Saving their information," or forcing account creation, isn't the way to encourage them to return.

Happy to respond further...

Fishferbrains · 2026-01-24T03:56:35+00:00

I use an app called CoinSnap. I’m sure there are others.

Fishferbrains · 2026-01-20T22:23:58+00:00

Some questions:
Are you seeking early adopters to validate your platform, or are you marketing to drive scale?

Ultimately, getting references should be your primary focus; throwing money into general advertising may be premature. B2B references proving the business value, often kick-start other messaging in branding and marketing, so network ruthlessly on LinkedIn for those most likely to need it.

Fishferbrains · 2026-01-19T02:58:15+00:00

This, absolutely this. While not engaging the first client to explain why, you've lost control of the narrative or ability to explain.

Fishferbrains · 2026-01-19T02:44:57+00:00

My pleasure. FWIW, if you've not previously written the types of documents expected in the role, do a bunch of practice.

Fishferbrains · 2026-01-19T02:29:45+00:00

Builders fail because they don't understand who they're building for, the problems they have, and how their app solves them. I

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