Tyson's core problem

Currently Tyson doesn’t have the confidence internally to upgrade their core SAP IT system to the latest version, transition over their data and configuration and use the new multi-currency support required to meet their tax obligations.

Solutions

• Use an external consultant

  • Pros

    • Relatively risk free, they know what they are doing, probably can do it on time.

  • Cons

    • External consultants don’t understand Tyson as well as Tyson staff.

    • Expensive

    • Their interests might not be aligned with Tyson

      • Tyson may still lack expertise of how to manage their core IT system.

• Use staff to do this

  • Pros

    • If they can do it - then Tyson gets a new competitive advantage by being in control of their business

    • Could be less expensive having that expertise

  • Cons

    • What if they make a mistake and do it wrong?

    • What if they don’t do it on time?

• Are there other middle ground solutions which could be considered?

  • Pro-actively support your own staff to go through the logical steps of getting new version of SAP and get confidence configuring it.

• Create a new company entity

  • But old version of SAP doesn’t have multi-currency support

    • Need to install the latest version of SAP

      • How do we make this less risky?

• If Tyson creates a fresh Linux server

  • And installs the latest version of SAP on it

    • And then misconfigures it

      • What is the worst thing that will have happened?

        • NOTHING

What’s Next

• Tyson needs to make a decision

  • Does the company want to develop the core expertise to control their own critical IT systems?

  • If the answer is yes - then is the management of the company willing to commit the time and attention required to coaching and supporting their own staff to step this process?

    • First step - let’s install a new server with a new copy of the SAP application.