Best Built Apps Guidelines: As a Customer, should I care? (WIIFM)?

[TammyPowlas]

SAP Guidelines for Best-Built Applications: WIIFM - What's In It For me as a customer?

At ASUG Annual Conference/SAPPHIRE NOW, Joerg Nalik kindly gave me a copy of the book Best Built Apps.  You can see anSAP Guidelines for Best-Built Applications.

I learned a great deal reading the guidelines:
1. How third party tools should use need to use certain name spaces (see guideline ALM-PRD-7)

2. SAP Design Guild by the SAP User Experience Group- I knew about this site, but haven't visited it for years

3. I might more higly consider those third party applications that say "we developed our application in accordance with SAP guidelines for best built apps..."

4. I found it interesting to see SAP's recommendation for partner applications to integrate with Solution Manager

5. I especially like ALM-PRD-8 that ISVs should provide complete documentation!

6. As a Utilities customer, we especially value SAP certification of third party products (ALM-CERT-1)

7. UI-Tech-6 - I was surprised to see the guidelines not to use BSP's for user interfaces; the last place I worked we used these heavily.  I haven't personally taken the time yet to learn Web Dynpro ABAP

Since we are also heavily invested in SAP Workflow, I was pleased to see this:

As a customer who looks at third party tools, I say yes, as a customer, I do care about the Best Built Applications guidelines; it is something to consider discussing with third party vendors when looking at their applications.

Related blogs:
Best-Built Apps - The First Four Months by Richard Probst

My take on SAP's new "Guidelines for Best-Built Applications"  by Anne Petteroe