Partners Focus on Quality

SAP partners looking for a way to differentiate themselves from the competition now have an additional means to show customers that they hold the key to success for their upcoming IT projects. That key is top-notch quality management and dedicated resources direct from SAP.

The SAP-supported Active Quality Management (AQM) partner accreditation program puts the spotlight on quality to help partners improve customer satisfaction, drive success, and minimize risks. And it’s getting customers’ attention, too – resulting in more bid wins for partners. “Since we work with the AQM framework, our bids are different from the competitors, especially since we offer more value to increase our customers’ satisfaction. This means higher sales,” says Sebastian Bamonde, SAP director at Tecnocom, an SAP partner in Spain that has been in the AQM program since 2010.

Quality Built In

The AQM partner quality program, part of SAP Partner Service Delivery, is designed to support SAP partners in providing more predictable, profitable implementations through unified quality standards and procedures. Participating partners receive an SAP global accreditation for the active management of their sales processes and delivery methodologies based on their fulfillment of an annual quality plan and quarterly quality reviews. Begun in 2010, the program is part of SAP’s efforts to further deepen its collaborative relationships with partners and customers and to raise awareness for quality principles.

To achieve accreditation, partners must develop a quality plan that aligns with SAP’s quality principles, fully participate in the AQM program for at least six months, complete a minimum of two sales or delivery cycles, and demonstrate lessons learned from past projects.

Upon achieving AQM accreditation, partners receive the AQM Partner Kit, which contains tools and templates to help them build up a robust quality management system in their organization. They also receive access to premium services in the form of regular, collaborative discussions with dedicated Partner Quality Advisors. These advisors underscore the value of the AQM program. With visibility of over 450 projects, they provide qualified guidance and advice to partners throughout their implementation projects. This direct and immediate collaboration with experienced SAP experts helps partners to maximize benefits and mitigate potential project risks – thus avoiding costly escalations that can damage credibility. Experts are further available to accredited partners through e-training opportunities in the form of remote, collaborative quality workshops designed to help partners grow their SAP business.

Write a comment

cforms contact form by delicious:days