SAP QM Module - Honest assessment wanted

Our senior corporate management is considering implementing the SAP QM module. We use SAP for much of our enterprise solution, but have not been sold on the functionality of SAP QM. Is anyone using SAP QM, and if so, can you give me some feedback on what modules you use, and your honest assessment of the software.

It depends on the industry-sector you are; the expectations/scope set for SAP QM; + industry sector you are in...

if you are not in Devices/pharma industry (or industry w/o Regulatory purview...) then it might be simple story; otherwise its got its own dimension of validations, etc.,

Now, coming to the scope/expectations...
SAP-QM offers a fair amount of functionalities&features to map various QA & QC processes. Right from supplier qualification, specifications, First lots, Quality control processes (sampling, analysis, results, batch release), equipment maintenance, ...
you can visit help site of SAP for getting info on what sAP QM can do ... viz.,
http://help.sap.com/saphelp_47x200/helpdata/en/a6/df293581dc1f79e10000009b38f889/frameset.htm
http://help.sap.com/printdocu/core/print46c/en/data/pdf/qmptbd/ale_qm.pdf

Most of the QM-process can be automated through SAP; What needs to be determined is that, to what level does SAP-QM satisfy/match your documentation standards/practices. ( i.e., , flexibility/ease of re-engineering the processes for implementation ...it could be either you existing processes or your customizing SAP QM)

SAP QM claims (it does have) most of the features, (even says it has all Laboratory Information Management System features)

And the trick is to start getting used to SAP QM with easiest/simpler processes viz., Warehouse controls (material control/release, sampling, COAs, supplier controls..) then gradually keep adopting (configuring/customizing/re-engineering ) the processes one after other.

we have to take the question wearing different hats...
1. if you are wearing management hat... then SAP almost has every feature required for monitoring/controlling the relevant processes.
2. if you are wearing the analyst/engineer's hat... then it would require considerable amount of re-engineering SAP or your internal processes to start using the SAP-QM modules.
as i said earlier... above view would also change depending upon the industry sector(influence of FDA, validations et.c,) you are in.... size of implementation. (people & processes involved...)

for us it was quite a task to convince analyst&managers to adopt QM processes. Because the whole process starts with mapping value streams against SAP...which often exposes the redundancy/slack etc., and then there is natural resistance to change....or may be fear of new systems which oftens pushes the process off-balance for a while!!!

If you could put across a specific processs/scenario we would try to put relevant learnings...
hope that helps.

Just a warning

with no connection to SAP or any other software.
I have seen to many companies that rather than using software to help- the software runs the system and does not allow them to operate correctly.

I get the same feedback from people but haven't used any SAP product in nearly 10 years. I can tell you that someone I know quite well works in a company that has done an SAP install within the last year. She is totally frustrated and says it now takes a week sometimes to do what she did in a day. She is near retirement age and says she is seriously considering retirement because SAP has made her job difficult and frustrating. She is a customer service rep for a very large company. Her complaint aligns with Howard's warning: "...the software runs the system and does not allow them to operate correctly...".

My personal experience with SAP goes back to about 1999 where I got a taste of it at Coors in Golden, CO during my consulting days. SAP really sucked big. (My opinion, of course).

This is from a recent email from my friend (We were discussing her being 62 and social security): "I have not considered applying for SS this year, since I am still gainfully employed (although since we've transitioned to SAP, I don't know how much longer I can stand to be employed there). I will hold out as long as I can stand it. It's not only me, everyone at our location feels the same way.....SAP is so f'ing restrictive to the point of severe functional limitations, and we're all so frustrated, but have no alternatives. Things we used to be able to do on the fly and satisfy our customers and could be done on our old systems immediately, now take weeks to get thru the SAP process."

I personally never liked SAP. My opinion was it was a big, clunky software system that was sold to management and pushed on the employees, and it did more harm than help.

SAP = "Danger, Will Robinson"

After almost 2 years of using SAP in an aerospace manufacturing environment, I totally agree with Marc's opinion of it. Nothing about it is intuitive or user friendly. Unless you have very few inspection characteristics or a ton of hours to spare setting up your inspection plans, the recorded inspection results are nearly worthless.

Gailg said:

After almost 2 years of using SAP in an aerospace manufacturing environment, I totally agree with Marc's opinion of it. Nothing about it is intuitive or user friendly. Unless you have very few inspection characteristics or a ton of hours to spare setting up your inspection plans, the recorded inspection results are nearly worthless.

Click to expand...

We use SAP QM extensively, and globally, for Inspection, Calibration, and NCRs. I would echo most everyone where in that the software is not intuitive.

However... if you have a very large operation, and employees that are dedicated to specific tasks, then there can be a tremendous advantage in streamlining the process. We find that only our users that use it constantly truly begin to understand how it's put together.

It's ability to tie straight into IM/WM (Inventory Management / Warehouse Management) makes quality hold, inspection, and disposition on a large scale work truly well.

I don't have any experience in smaller operations, but I would say in a smaller operation that it's not worth the cost of implementing.

Other than the functions stated above, we use an eQMS for everything else. SAP QM only makes sense for operations directly tied to inventory movements.

commonly known here as Stupid Azz Program......

Not a big fan of SAP in general and less of the QM module.

They more flexibility your organization requires the less valuable the module is. SAP was designed as an accounting tool. The further it gets away from that strength the more issues it creates.

At my last company we called SAP -Stop All Production