But first things first – what is DSAG?
According to their own description, DSAG is the German-speaking SAP User Group and one of the most influential user associations in the world. Numerous dedicated members from over 4,000 companies form a strong network, with representatives from small and medium-sized enterprises to DAX-listed corporations, from specialist departments to the CxO level, across all industries within the DACH region.

DSAG Technology Days is an event that offers a platform for exchange between experts, users, and enthusiasts. Various technological advancements are presented, there are keynote speeches that shed light on practical aspects of implementing overarching strategy, interactive sessions, and, of course, presentations from the community on their lessons learned. This event makes you wish cloning – or at least the practical implications of quantum theory – were more advanced, as you’d like to be in several places at once.

After two days at the event, I came home with copious notes and a head buzzing with impressions. As one of my mottos is: sharing is caring, I can't help but pass some of that buzz on – spiced up with a few seemingly unrelated recommendations. But, as we’ll see – everything is interconnected!

From Gauss and Lomonosov – with precision
IT and technology play a dual role in today’s world. It is fascinating what powerful tools like SAP and other ERP systems can do. However, they remain “just” tools, dependent on the representatives from functuinal areas who breathe life into them. While I thoroughly enjoyed leadership presentations and expert keynote speeches during the DSAG Technology Days, the most insightful and memorable moments came from lessons learned by users – not “techies”, but tech-savvy subject matter experts. Learning first-hand about the practical aspects of business partner implementation or resistance to change during the rollout of a master data management concept resonated with me on a different frequency. Each topic had a huge technological and IT aspect – we all agree here. At the same time, it is first and foremost the subject matter expertise and the strong sense of ownership for the IT tools that drive the quality of the solution and unleash their full potential.

Now comes the fun fact. This contrast – “technology vs. subject matter” – reminded me of a playful conflict I once learned about in school. There’s a fairly well-known quote by the German mathematician Carl Gauss that “mathematics is the queen of the sciences.” What is less known in the English-speaking world is that the Russian scientist Mikhail Lomonosov extended it cheekily: “Mathematics is the queen of the sciences. And the servant of physics.” You can guess which version adorned one of my classrooms…

From Kim Ki-duk – with serenity
There’s a variation of the Red Queen Hypothesis (aka “you have to run very fast to stay in the same place”) that applies to the current development: you have to make a lot of things very complicated in order to make them very simple. Or, at the very least, you need to orchestrate a carefully planned domino effect of many initiatives, projects, studies, and pilots to ensure your organisation is ready for the step that will simplify a lot of things and thus bring it to the next efficiency level – a kind of technological El Dorado.

That’s why it becomes crucial to have a solid and well-thought-out roadmap to El Dorado. This roadmap must cover the (under)groundwork and basics – they must be rock-solid and can’t be skipped. At the same time, we must accept that reality will paint a slightly different picture, and surprises will occur. That makes having a roadmap even more essential – so you can track where you are compared to where you want to be, and take corrective action along the way. On top of that, a good roadmap will be a source of inspiration and consolation during difficult periods. Just as spring inevitably leads to summer and then to autumn, when you can reap the fruits of your labor, your infrastructure and master data project will eventually lead to a changed status quo where the implementation of the new ERP system lets you benefit from cumulative synergies.

This is the moment I quietly step aside and leave the stage to the great Korean master Kim Ki-Duk, with his mesmerizing Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring again. Lose yourself in the beautiful cadence unfolding before you and trust its wisdom.

From Douglas Adams – with a bat of an eye
The synergies we just talked about can only be realized under one condition: the interconnectedness of processes must not just be a buzzword. It must be fully reflected in concepts like master data management and business process management. Silos are fine for storage – not for learning, enriching, or exchanging. Thinking “end-to-end” ultimately means considering the process from its start (possibly even outside your organization) to its finish – once again, with your client.

As “breaking silos” might already sound overused, let’s invite another maestro to the stage. In Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, Douglas Adams brilliantly shows how a holistic approach and an understanding of interconnected events can solve all kinds of cases – even murders. We don’t need to go to extremes here – but why not to try this integral approach when planning your digital transformation? So, I’ll close this entry with a warm recommendation for both the book and the TV series.

And may the holistic power be with you.