ASUG Western Canada (Calgary) Chapter Meeting - 14Jun2011
I returned to Canada this week for the Western Canada Summer ASUG meeting. I hadn’t been in Calgary since the Winter Meeting so it was good to return and explore without freezing temps. I really enjoy Calgary and have included several links to give you a closer look at the city’s offerings. I arrived Monday evening and the hotel recommended a great Thai restaurant near the hotel – the Gaeng Khiaw Wan was outstanding. Since Calgary is at 51° N Latitude, I took advantage of the late sunlight and walked down 17th Ave SW. There was plenty of activity, especially with Game 6 of the Stanley Cup in process.
The ASUG meeting started early on Tuesday. The company sponsor provided their auditorium and a couple breakout rooms for 50 attendees in the morning and even more in the afternoon. I saw a few familiar faces and met several others. The afternoon breakout sessions favored EAM, Contractors, and Finance; so the attendees matched up accordingly. Tim kicked off the meeting with a call for volunteers; unfortunately he is on his own right now so please consider helping out. The Calgary ASUG group has great attendance and topics – thanks to Tim for keeping such a high standard even without a full Chapter Team to assist with all the hard work. 
The opening presentation was on SAP Sustainability Performance Management (SuPM) and the presenter/sponsor gave details on the 2 Canadian companies that have recently implemented. I hope to see more companies embrace sustainability and utilize SAP functionality to help them with data gathering and reporting. Now is the time, SuPM 2.0 includes additional KPI library items, reports/dashboards, and export to Excel functionality. After a short break, we heard from a company that has rolled out a disciplined Release Methodology with goals to maximize benefits and reduce risks. There were many detailed questions from the audience, proving to be a very hot topic. This led us into the next presentation on setting up an SAP Center of Excellence (COE). As in other ASUG meetings, Solution Manager was mentioned as a crucial component. There are 2 levels of certification and this company is on a 2yr journey to reach the Advanced level. They are already seeing value in a large reduction of unplanned maintenance time.
After lunch, we split up to attend the breakout sessions. I attended a Service Entry and Contractor discussion and was pleased to see a number of companies using SAP Service Entry Sheets. A great step forward in the process of managing contractor spend! Most companies in Alberta and Saskatchewan utilize a large number of contractors, and there were many suggestions for best practice. I appreciated hearing all the ideas and will use the feedback as we evaluate enhancements to TOP® Software.
I followed the ASUG meeting with a run on the Bow River Pathway. There were so many people (recreational and work commuters) using the path, but everyone was very polite and enjoying the weather and fantastic path that runs along both sides of the Bow River.
I rode the C-Train that evening and walked by the Calgary Tower, but didn’t venture up to the observation deck – maybe next time. I ate dinner at a great cafe and had the delicious Buddha Burger with yams. Back-to-back amazing meals, nothing better when you are on the road. The walk back to the hotel gave me a chance to look at more Calgary Stampede artwork in the shop windows. It’s only a few weeks away and sounds like something worth experiencing …. just like volunteering for the ASUG Calgary Chapter. (ASUG Volunteer Link)