João Sousa – SCN Member of the Month May 2015

Some insights from João ...

• on the community – I really like SCN and the way people help each other.
• on consulting – I believe curiosity is one of the most important things… even from a business perspective because there is so much to optimize.
• on OpenSAP – it’s a great tool to keep us updated.
• on support packages –  if your customers don’t trust Support Packages it prevents innovation, it diminishes SAP and makes it less competitive.
• and on Angola … well, let’s just say having tropical nights every single day is a good thing!

Can you tell us a bit about yourself, where you live, what kind of work you do, and other things you would like to share with the community (hobbies, fun facts)?
I’m 34 years old and I live in Lisbon, Portugal where I was born. It’s a great city with mostly good weather and nice people, where I like to spend most of my time. In recent years I’ve spent a lot of time in Africa specifically Angola, so I could say Luanda (its capital) has been my second home for the last 5 years. Even better weather, summer all year long!

Inside Deloitte I’m a manager in the Enterprise Applications division, where besides being a project manager, I’ve been responsible for driving technology innovation. I started working 10 years ago with ABAP, but from the beginning I’ve always felt the need to try things out, so I ended up doing many different things like CRM, Mobile CRM (the first one!) and MM/SD on the functional side, and stuff like Office integration, SOAP, BPM, iOS/Android, Webdynpro ABAP. More recently I’ve been focusing on SAPUI5/Fiori/UX. Although I started as a technical consultant, I feel my functional experience brings much to the table, because I’m able to use business knowledge to develop better solutions. I’m a strong believer in the benefits of a functional/technical mix.

During my free time, I like to read, play tennis, jog and in Angola … well, let’s just say having tropical nights every single day is a good thing!

When did you become a member of SCN and which areas are you most active in?

I don’t really remember since I’ve had many different users. My current user is from 2009 but I’ve used SCN from the SDN days, so 2006 is more likely. Regarding the areas, it has changed over the years but I’ve had a constant interest in SAP ERP – Logistics Materials Management (SAP MM) MM and SAP ERP Sales and Distribution (SAP SD), ABAP Development and more recently SAPUI5 Developer Center.

You seem to have a great attitude about the fast pace of change with Internet technologies. How do you keep your skills current and relevant?

I read a lot! Much of the time on SCN but I’m a curious person and I keep clicking links and more links so, as an example, I ended up spending my Saturday afternoon reading about web components, Polymer and Angular 2.0 (web stuff). I believe curiosity is one of the most important things in a consultant, even from a business perspective because there is so much to optimize. But reading isn’t enough, and although I work in a large consultancy which are many times seen as “grey”, I’m fortunate enough to have great bosses who trust me enough to: 1) Let me manage my time so I can keep updated; 2) Experiment!

And congratulations on OpenSAP because it has great content (for free). It’s a great tool to keep us updated.

In SAP support for country-specific legal requirements, you wrote something that resonated with me; can you tell us more about your thoughts on this topic?:

SAP needs to do better support, I would say it’s more important than “going Cloud”

There are two sides to this. On one hand I understand that Cloud needs to be addressed, but I don’t understand the “obsession” when so many customers are On-Premise and most won’t change any time soon (to the public cloud at least, in my opinion). I’ve never heard one customer say he wished SAP was cloud based, but I’ve heard them complain about the price and the quality of maintenance.

More investment could go into testing, because if your customers don’t trust Support Packages it prevents innovation, it diminishes SAP and makes it less competitive. Even “old” ABAP is getting better at each SP, we have ABAP Channels (Websockets) in 7.40, but most customers won’t use them because they don’t trust SPs. I’m very passionate about this as someone who thinks SAP is the best ERP out there, and wants customers to be able to use it to the fullest.

Do you have any fun talents you’d like to tell the community about? Jokes, songs, a dance?
I really wish I had! Well I have to confess I sing a lot while I’m driving alone, maybe I’m awesome!

Is there an SCN member you admire (OK… you can name a few)? And for what reason?
There are a lot, but I will say the first three that come to mind: Jelena Perfiljeva because she manages to talk about serious issues with a lot of humor, Matthew Billingham for being so blunt (sometimes it’s needed!) and Jürgen L because he is just awesome, he knows everything about logistics.

Easy question: Mac/iOS or Windows? Or Android?
Not so easy! I have a Surface Pro 3 and a Macbook Air and I switch a lot (today is SP3 day). Regarding phones I’m an iOS kind of guy, but as a mobile developer I have to “spread the love”, and there is no Visual Studio for Mac.

Are you on Twitter?
I’m @joaoasousa, but I don’t post a lot. It’s a great tool for keeping updated if you follow the right people.

Every month, a member of the SAP Community Network is recognized for exemplary behavior: sharing knowledge with peers, being helpful and taking on additional tasks to support community engagement. See the list of previous members recognized on the SCN Member of The Month Hall of Fame.