This article is dedicated to all unknown SAP heroes, ex., current and future colleagues, to those who are or will be implementing S/4 in 2025 but firstly to my beloved son William who pushed me go back to my childhood hobbies: writing and ping-pong. Things that obviously make me happy.

When you google for top 5 Funny SAP Acronyms, you’ll probably find those:

1. Sorry About Production
2. Suffer After Purchase
3. Send Another Payment
4. Start Adding People
5. Slow and Painful

I don’t know who the author is, or the authors are, but I believe they all belong to SAP multidisciplinary teams who have delivered a living system, to all of us who have survived one or more SAP GO-live(s).

The fact is whether we like it or not that in every joke there is a little of truth. So how would you call those top 5 Irony, Sarcasm, Cynicism or All-in mix of undefined emotions?

To quote Oscar Wilde “I am not at all cynical, I have merely got experience, which, however, is very much the same thing”.

Let me try decoding those based on the recent empirical observations, give them the purpose, and transform them in a positive message or if you prefer lessons learned that will be your Swiss knife during your SAP implementation journey.

Sorry About Production decoded as Secure Agile Production. Yes, you can do it. When implementing SAP your goal should be to maximize the value of the product and not permanent defect fixing. Let’s be honest it is not SAP’s fault if you don’t use it correctly!

Suffer After Purchase decoded as Stronger After Purchase. It is a journey. Sometimes or even most of the time a very long and stressful journey. Bear in mind that after SAP implementation experience it is not unusual that the honest and transparent relationships built between business and IT make your teams stronger.

Send Another Payment decoded as Stop Another Payment. Well, all is about invoicing. I don’t think so! Don’t pay for things your internal resources are capable to do. Rather motivate them to raise up to the challenge and do it!

Start Adding People decoded as Stop Adding People. Break your own illusions. It is difficult to recognize but most of the time it’s about the organization and not about the resources. Just think on a football game, would the loosing team win if you would add 12th or 13th player on a pitch?

Slow and Painful decoded as Speed and Plan. You are the one controlling the speed and not your implementation partner. Yes, it’s possible to speed it up. When recruiting SAP consultants check their reading skills. If consultants have trouble reading and understanding your requirements it can be slow to achieve the expected results.

Totally experimental and with love by
Master Dana (nickname I got when I was responsible of Master Data – the one who gave it to me will recognize himself…)

As an entrepreneur and woman in IT, I decided to evaluate AI, more specifically Chat GPT by asking a quite simple question "Can you write an article about women in IT?"

I must admit that I am positively surprised, chat GPT provides a particularly good draft homework. My Sunday challenge is to take the best out of it and make it more attractive to read.

The IT sector has long been perceived as a domain reserved for men. Yet, women have played a key role in the modern technologies, and their contribution continues to transform the digital landscape. Despite considerable progress, challenges stay, but there have never been more opportunities to change the situation…

Introduction

The IT sector has long been perceived as a domain reserved for men. Yet, women have played a key role in the modern technologies, and their contribution continues to transform the digital landscape. Despite considerable progress, challenges stay, but there have never been more opportunities to change the situation…

The forgotten story of women in IT

Chat GPT reminds us of Ada Lovelace, often considered as the first female programmer, or that the 1960s and 1970s were marked by the extraordinary achievements of two women: Grace Hopper, inventor of the compiler, and Margaret Hamilton, who was responsible for the Apollo program software and who passionately contributed to the development of the computer science.

However, from the 1980s onwards, the decline in the number of women in IT has coincided with the rise of the stereotypical image of the "male geek” and the progressive exclusion of women in this field.

And here we are facing the contemporary challenges perfectly defined by Chat GPT.

Today, women represent about 28 % of the workforce in the technology sector according to UNESCO, and this figure is even lower in some sectors such as artificial intelligence (AI) or cybersecurity. This under-representation is explained by several factors.

1. Gender stereotypes
2. Lack of role models
3. Discrimination and bias
4. The wage gap

To counterbalance the weight of these challenges, which are more or less important depending on the country, Chat GPT also informs us of the existing opportunities and initiatives.

• Educational programs and mentorships
• Professional networks
• Corporate policies

As Chat GPT has mentioned 3 pros for 4 cons I could not resist temptation to make it more human and introduce a fourth very simple opportunity that everyone could/should practice.

Opportunity to communicate clearly.

This fourth opportunity is the result of the reflection of several women enrolled in the 'IT Inspired Women' initiative organized by SAP Belgium, and I am proud to be part of it!

Surprisingly or not, we have found the same challenges as Chat GPT. On a more human note, and reflection we have analyzed what we could improve. Maybe unconsciously inspired by the book of Simon Sinek, we started with 'WHY' and very quickly we concluded that yes, there were times when we have missed out on a career opportunity simply because we haven't clearly said yes I want it without hesitation instead of thinking about it or yes we accepted to be paid less as long as we didn't clearly say I want to get this salary...  Clarity seems to be essential to ensure that the message is understood.

Thank you Chat GPT, I completely agree with your conclusion, we understood the lessons and our agenda for 2025 is incredibly challenging!

Conclusion

Women have always had their place in IT, and their contribution is crucial to meeting the technological challenges of tomorrow. While there are many obstacles, the opportunity for overcoming these barriers is just as important. With growing awareness, targeted initiatives, and structural changes, it is possible to build a more fair, diverse, and inclusive technology sector.

Dana STOJANOVIC, entrepreneur, and consultant.