RE: Managing Oracle and SAP projects are similar enough?

I agree. I once worked for a good manager who felt that "if you can drive a Chevy, you can drive a Ford" when hiring programmers. Obviously, this didn't always work out but we did hire people who didn't exactly match HR's job description but turned out to be excellent. Same is true for project management. Like you say, so long as the project manager listens to the people who actually know the details, know the likely timeline for particular tasks, and know the likely pitfalls peculiar to the work at hand then they should be able to do a creditable job with either type of project.

If they don't...good luck...been there too...

Kip

|There is a difference between managing and doing. The basic skills to =
|manage people or tasks are transferable from one project to another. As =
|long as the manager depends on the Technical people to help define and =
|execute the plan, yes a good manager can move from an SAP project to a =
|Oracle projects without a problem. That is why project management is a =
|discipline unto itself. It has nothing to do with what you are project =
|managing, but with process, details, communication, and execution of the =
|plan. As always, a bad manager can kill a good plan and a good manager =
|can normally recover from a disasterous plan. People do matter at every =
|level.

|-----Original Message-----
|From: oracle-l-bounce_at_freelists.org =
|[mailto:oracle-l-bounce_at_freelists.org] On Behalf Of Ram K
|Sent: Wednesday, March 23, 2005 5:34 PM
|To: oracle-l_at_freelists.org
|Subject: Managing Oracle and SAP projects are similar enough?

|Hello all,

|I was talking to a manager friend of mine. He is of the opinion that
|managing an Oracle project is not a big deal for a manager who has
|managed a SAP project (I am assuming managed successfuly). 'Assign
|different pieces of work to different people and follow-up on things'
|seems to be his way of approaching it. I have a strong feeling there
|is lot more to it than that.

|We did not talk about whether it is something like:

|managing SAP Financials first and later Oracle Financials project
|or
|SAP Sales and distribution and later Oracle Financials project.

|I know so many other factors may go in to that than just technical
|expertise in Oracle and SAP, but still on the face of it the statement
|looks unacceptable to me. Please give me your thoughts.
|=20
|SUMMARY: Can a person who has managed SAP projects successfully manage
|Oracle project(s), all else being equal.
| =20
|Thanks.
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