Construction Software Review .com

• Estimating Reviews
• Job Cost/Accounting Reviews
• Project Management & Scheduling Reviews

SAP ENTERPRISE RESOURCE PLANNING (ERP) USER REVIEW: SUNCOR ENERGY (1 of 2)

Suncor, a vast energy producer with about 5,000 employees, uses a variety of software programs to supports its team of construction professionals who oversee and manage the corporation's process improvements, additions and expansions.

"SAP is interfaced with Prism software for purchasing and cost control on all of our major projects. I have also used SAP for cash-flow forecasting, scheduling and resource planning," said Darren Cyr, who uses the program for his job at Suncor. "SAP allows the project to be directly interfaced with the company's accounting system to facilitate cost-tracking and purchasing."

SAP is costly but worth the investment for individuals involved in finance, project controls and purchasing.

Cyr noted the sophistication of SAP when he said, "It is very large and there are many modules and transactions that are not required in project controls." Due to this complexity, he recommended that users have about five years of computer experience before tackling SAP.

Cyr rated SAP a 9 out of 10 as a construction project management and enterprise resource planning tool.

What kinds of construction projects do you mostly work on?
 
How long have you been using this tool?
 
Where did you obtain it?
 
How much did you pay?
 
How are you using this product?
 
Why did you pick this product?
 
Did you look at other tools on the market before picking this one? What was it you didn't like about them (or made    this product better)?
 
Comparing the way you work now with the way you worked before you bought this tool, what has changed?
 
Can you give us an example of a job where this tool really made a difference?
 
Can you estimate how much time or money you saved or other measurable benefits your firm realized using this    tool?
 
What are the best features (for your business) in this tool?
 
Do you think it's a fair value for the price you paid?
 
What would you change about the product if you could?
 
Are there features that you don't use? Why not?
 
Who would you recommend use this tool?
 
How much computer experience do you think someone needs to use this tool effectively?
 
Did it take much training (or studying) to learn to use this tool?
 
Have you ever called the company's support lines and asked for help? What was your experience like?
 
How would you rate the user documentation? Is it helpful?
 
When the next version of this software comes out, will you upgrade to it?
 
Overall, on a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate this tool?

What kinds of construction projects do you mostly work on?
In 1967, Suncor pioneered commercial development of the oil sands. Since then, Suncor has grown to become a major North American energy producer and marketer. I am involved in process-related projects, typically involving building construction to support process improvements, additions and expansions.

How long have you been using this tool?
I have used SAP for five years.

Where did you obtain it?
The companies I work for typically have large IT departments that look after the software purchase and installation. Most of our software would have been purchased directly from the developers.

How much did you pay?
I do not know.

How are you using this product?
SAP is interfaced with our Prism construction software for purchasing and cost control on all of our major projects. I have also used SAP for cash-flow forecasting, construction scheduling and enterprise resource planning (ERP).

Why did you pick this product?
SAP allows the project to be directly interfaced with the company's job cost accounting software system to facilitate cost-tracking and purchasing.

Did you look at other tools on the market before picking this one? What was it you didn't like about them (or made this product better)?
I am not sure if Suncor considered other software.

Comparing the way you work now with the way you worked before you bought this tool, what has changed?
SAP has revolutionized the project controls environment. It allows the project to be completely linked with real-time financial data. This is very important to manage a project effectively.

Can you give us an example of a job where this tool really made a difference?
On a portfolio of more than 100 projects, we created a standard construction schedule for each project and then adjusted that standard schedule as required. The technical services department of approximately 200 personnel and the engineering and construction hours, were then loaded into each project stage. This allowed us to effectively perform resource-leveling.

Can you estimate how much time or money you have saved or other measurable benefits your firm has realized using this tool?
In our company I would have to estimate that SAP has saved $200 million a year, to justify the implementation costs.

What are the best features (for your business) in this tool?
SAP has very strong financial management features.

Do you think it's a fair value for the price you paid?
SAP is very expensive but it delivers extensive improvements to all business processes, so yes is my answer.

What would you change about the product if you could?
I would make it more intuitive to use.

Are there features that you don't use? Why not?
SAP is very large, and there are many modules and transactions that are not required in project controls.

Who would you recommend use this tool?                
I would recommend this enterprise resource planning software to everyone in finance, project controls and purchasing.

How much computer experience do you think someone needs to use this tool effectively?
I think about five years of experience.

Did it take much training (or studying) to learn to use this tool?
Yes, but I mostly learned through hands-on training.

Have you ever called the company's support lines and asked for help? What was your experience like?
No, I have not called them.

How would you rate the user documentation? Is it helpful?
I have never seen the documentation.

When the next version of this software comes out, will you upgrade to it?
Yes.

Overall, on a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate this tool?
9.