The Open University
Developing and Implementing a Fit for Future Collaborative Support Model
Developing and Implementing a Fit for Future Collaborative Support Model
Challenges
Solutions
Benefits
NTT DATA Business Solutions has worked collaboratively with us to meet our needs, augmenting their approach and ways of working to fit with our best practice. They are a great intermediary between The Open University and SAP. They have been open to our ways of working, and the journey we have been on has shown that they don’t just do things in one way.
Stuart Overton Grace Head of ERP Products, The Open University
The Open University is a distance learning and research institution based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1969, it is the largest University in the UK, with over 175,000 students enrolled in undergraduate and postgraduate courses. The Open University has a unique approach to learning, offering flexible study options that allow students to fit their studies around their other commitments. This includes online lectures, tutorials, and interactive assignments.
The relationship began when NTT DATA Business Solutions was selected by The Open University to implement a wide range of integrated SAP solutions including SAP S/4 HANA, SAP SuccessFactors, SAP Concur, SAP Ariba, SAP BPC and SAP Payroll.
Once the initial implementations were complete, the University recognised that it didn’t have the necessary SAP skills and expertise in its in-house team to effectively manage the extensive SAP landscape. They turned to NTT DATA Business Solutions and worked collaboratively to develop a unique SAP support model.
For the last three years, NTT DATA Business Solutions has provided the University with a dedicated Service Delivery Manager who works solely on the University account, along with similarly dedicated team members who work blended in with the University’s in-house SAP team.
This has proven a powerful model which has enabled the University to increase its agility and ability to respond to the changing needs of the organisation.
Daren Carpenter, Account Director for The Open University explains, “The team have full use of the University’s systems – we’re fully integrated and embedded into their way of life, a true-blended team model. Our team members bring a range of specialised skills and knowledge. We’re not just there to support, we architect and collaborate with Stuart, Head of the University’s ERP Product Team, on an ongoing basis to understand what needs to be achieved. For example, if there is an SAP SuccessFactors release, we’ll look at the new features that will be specifically relevant to The Open University and we’ll recommend which would be beneficial to implement based on our understanding and knowledge of their support tickets.
Stuart Overton Grace, Head of ERP Product Team at The Open University comments, “We’ve come from a place where we didn’t have enough knowledge in our own team, and through this long-term partnership, we have built strength and capability over the last three years. There are going to be peaks and troughs and we’re going to have to scale up and down. Every year our resourcing requirements are going to differ and that’s the value and flexibility of the partnership.”
City, University of London uses SAP Business Warehouse (SAP BW) to support management decision making. The benefits that SAP BW can bring are endless for the University with student data being an integral part of reporting.
We now have far better performance from our BI platform with enhanced dashboard reporting and we have scaled up to more than 3,000 users.