Let me start off by saying this deals with pigs. Not doing it to offend religious sentiments.
So, I am reading InfoWorld and a letter says changes to SAP are like dressing up a pig. A few weeks ago a CIO told me he had a project to pretty up the SAP UI. Lipstick on a pig, he called it.
Then I read Thomas Otter's post on SAP efforts with its Design Services Team, and I say good stuff. SAP is rolling out widgets, and other UI improvements (though I cringed when I read they have already been at it for 2 years. I guess there are no 90 day projects in SAP world).
But here is what I commented on Thomas' blog
"I will be delighted to see that. I am tired of Apple this and Google that, but don’t just throw out widgets and pretty UIs. Thomas, it is all relative. If you were a start up I would already be impressed with what you say above. Customers pay you $ 5 + billion a year in maintenance. There has to be substantive new functionality and business changing innovation for that. And I think you are playing catch up for the last 3-4 years."
To me what is important is to see SAP help its customers deliver their own innovation around business processes. Vertical best practices. Regional innovations. Helping them lower their cost of utility IT and free up more for innovation IT. And so on.
This is not so much about making Babe look nice. This is about how Babe helps Farmer Hoggett. By learning to be a sheep dog. By navigating the mean streets of the city. By helping him save the Farm. Lipstick is optional.
