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Daniel, SAP Consultant

About Me

 

My Technology Skills

blau-neu.pngSAP Customizing

gelb-neu.png SAP/ABAP Development + RPA Development

My Soft Skills

blau-neu.png Teamwork + Creativity + open mindset 

gelb-neu.png Agile working

 

Technology I'm proud of working with

computer-chip.png SAP S/4Hana  

 

What is your job at Arvato Financial Solutions?

The best way to answer this question is to tell you about the three major projects I have been involved in since joining AFS:  

One of these projects was with Shared Mobility mit Lynk & Co.as the first major customer. The Chinese company is currently revolutionizing the concept of mobility. With Lynk & Co, consumers can not only buy cars, but also use them via a monthly membership or share them with others. The sharing concept entails complex financial processes, and payment between two members must be straightforward. With our Aquont platform, we take care of the entire order-to-cash process and ensure that all processes run smoothly. I was in charge of the conception and implementation to map the functionalities of the sharing platform in the accounting. In the meantime, this product has gone live for Lynk & Co. as our first customer, but it is being further developed and new functionalities are being added so that we can use it to land further customers. 

Another project - this time internal - was the automation of a process for disbursement approval. The process was previously carried out completely manually and in Excel. By using automated checking algorithms, SAP now decides for itself in many cases whether an amount can be paid out without further ado or whether the case has to be checked again by a clerk. This has enabled us to achieve an enormous saving in working time for our case handlers.  

The third project, which is still current and ongoing, is the implementation of "software robots" that serve SAP, for example. This technology is better known as Robotic Process Automation (RPA). We have a dedicated team in Potsdam for the development and implementation of these robots. I am responsible for designing the whole thing on the SAP side and also identifying processes that we can automate using robots. These are processes that are often repeated and can be executed based on rules. This is a very exciting topic that will certainly become even more important in the future. 

 

What technologies and methods of working do you prefer?

I am a fan of SAP S/4HANA. I am convinced that there is no better product for our projects in the finance area. For example, when developing the FI-CA module, SAP deliberately built in events, "little doors" so to speak, so that users can extend the code according to their own requirements without having to change it completely. Figuratively speaking, you have a prefabricated house in front of you, into which you can add walls or a garage at will. For me, a decisive factor in choosing an employer was that these state-of-the-art products are already integrated into the technical landscape. Many companies are just now implementing SAP S/4HANA.     

In terms of ways of working, I feel very comfortable with our agile project methods. When we switched to agile working according to SCRUM last November, it naturally took time for everything to settle in. In the meantime, you can feel that we are working much more efficiently and faster than before. That's why I wouldn't prefer any other way of working to agile. 

 

As an SAP consultant, you are in great demand on the market and can virtually choose your employer. Why did you choose us? 

There are several reasons for that: 

First of all, I think it's great to work in-house and still have a lot of customer contact. As an SAP consultant in one of the large consulting companies, you naturally have to deal with customers even more frequently and thus gain a lot of exciting insights. However, in this job you rarely see the results, the impact you have created through your contribution, and it involves frequent travel. Our team works on our own products or platforms such as Aqount, which is then sold by our colleagues in sales. So we can track the performance of the products very well and are close to the action.  

And although I often have to deal with customers and their requirements, in practice this does not involve any travel for me. By offering mobile working, I can even do 80% of my work time in my home office after the pandemic and will definitely use this. I live about an hour away from the Münster location and am very happy about the time savings that result from the home office arrangement. I also very much welcome the recording of working hours via our web client, as this also tracks overtime, which can then be reduced as needed without any problems. I definitely prefer this system to trust-based working hours.  

What I also think is great is that, of course, we are a corporation. And a corporation always brings with it the association that about 18 approvals have to be obtained before an innovation comes about or a good idea is implemented. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that a lot of decisions are made by the team, and executives can be contacted directly if necessary. The decision-making paths are therefore very short and encourage people to contribute their own ideas. 

Do you have a favorite game?

I am actually not much of a gamer. I'd rather spend my free time with soccer training, playing darts or watching a TV series. At the moment I watch Peaky Blinders on Netflix, I can recommend it! I also have a dog (beagle) with whom I go out 3 times a day, so there is not much time left for gaming. But a round of Mario Kart in multiplayer mode with friends is always fun! 

Daniel Stegemann
Daniel Stegemann
SAP Consultant
E-Mail
daniel.stegemann@arvato.com