In July 2010, the SAP Active Quality Management (AQM) organization launched a global pilot quality accreditation program targeted at value-added resellers for SAP Business All-in-One which has already been expanded to SAP Business One channel partners and SAP BusinessObjects partners. The program has been created to focus on actively managing quality with our channel partners. It not only provides transparency across partner-led projects but also goes further to embed high standards of quality within the partner organization itself.
Today, there are more than 120 partners worldwide participating in the program of which more than 20 have already received the active quality management accreditation. The program aims at enabling channel partners to adopt a quality approach to drive successful projects and achieve high quality standards across both sales and delivery. It provides tools, templates and offers a formal SAP quality accreditation, for those who qualify against specific criteria. The success of the pilot has led to the creation of a global team within SAP’s partner services delivery organization that focuses on driving the quality program to partners within our volume partner base.
How do partners achieve the accreditation?
In order to get the accreditation partners need to have a quality plan in place that aligns to 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 learnt for at least two projects. Partners who have successfully passed the accreditation receive a certificate and may issue a press release. The AQM program carries no charge for participation or accreditation and needs to be renewed on an annual basis. Currently, value-added resellers for SAP Business All-in-One and SAP Business One as well as SAP BusinessObjects partners are eligible to receive the accreditation. Additionally, we are planning to expand the program to selected services partners.
What’s in it for partners?
The program helps channel partners to raise awareness for quality principles, improve customer satisfaction, reduce profit dilution, and avoid escalations. It allows partners to leverage the SAP brand to improve their bids as they are able to document their quality standards to prospects upfront. The quality accreditation creates a certain level of comfort in projects as it ensures and monitors for high quality throughout the process.
What do partners say about the accreditation?
Ian Johnston, Consulting Director at itelligence UK appreciates the advantages the program puts forward for his enterprise: “It is not just the accreditation but the participation that leads to tangible benefits such as the highlighting of potential project risks.”
Breno Gomes, Services Director at Spektrum Comércio e Consultoria, a Brazilian SAP Business All-in-One channel partner, appreciates the following program benefits: “Monitoring quality within the AQM program from SAP helps us to monitor potential risks, to avoid losing time and money or worse to lose credibility from our customers.”
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Less than one year following its acquisition of Sybase, an industry leader in enterprise and mobile software, SAP is opening up mobile solutions from the Sybase portfolio to partners within the global SAP ecosystem. This marks the first time that SAP VARs currently authorized to sell SAP BusinessObjects and SAP Business All-in-One solutions get the opportunity to sell select Sybase-branded enterprise mobility apps and solutions for application development, device management and security, and more. Read the press release.
