Is SAP certification a must?

Dennis Howlett initially picked up on the theme that SAP are pushing to emphasize the importance of SAP qualified consultants as a means of improving overall consultant quality.

Jon ERP responded with the very valid point that he felt that focusing on certification rather than experience, soft skills, full life cycle experience, training and change management, business know-how, and some techno-functional skills was a mistake.

It’s a view that we agree with at sap1. Which is why although we ask users to complete a detailed profile primarily focused around their skills and area of expertise, we also ask for other information which helps to complete a much more rounded profile which we believe is of much more value than a certification level.

However, we can appreciate that for some employers certification can give them some (perhaps false) confidence.

It was interesting to see the response from SAP confirming the evolution of the certification levels and that they are incorporating field experience into the master level SAP certification, as well as considering recognizing community involvement.

So in conclusion, it looks like the industry is catching up with what we’ve all been thinking; certification that recognizes experience and contribution would be the best way forward!