Mariano Cabalen – SCN Member of the Month November 2015

Mariano Cabalen is an industrial engineer specializing in supply chain management and production planning, and the SCN Member of the Month for November 2015. Mariano is based in Buenos Aires, where he is a partner in his own consultancy, as well as a husband, father of three boys and soccer fan. He helps his customers achieve process improvements and business transformations using SAP products and solutions.

Some highlights from our talk:

• Regarding finding time for SCN, he told me he enjoys helping others, because it not only feels good to help, but participating in the discussion forum allows him to keep his skills fresh and learn
• Regarding keeping SCN content quality high, he thinks rejecting basic questions through moderation is essential
• Regarding SAP product improvement, he wants SAP products to be made available on every mobile device; hopes for better reporting; and wants the SAP GUI for JAVA to catch up to the version available for Windows

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 live in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I am married and have three kids. I started working in SAP in 2003, most of the time as a freelance consultant. I have been working in different processes and modules: PM, QM, MM, WM but I am stronger in PP and SCM. During all these years I played different roles: consultant implementing a template in different countries, or defining the template for a multinational company, or supporting process and modules, working in assessment and redesign of processes and SAP, etc. I would say that my favorite role is when I am involved in the designing of processes and SAP to improve business indicators.

When did you become a member of SCN and which areas are you most active in?
I became a member in July 2014. I am most active in SAP ERP Manufacturing – Production Planning (SAP PP) and SAP APO – Demand and Supply Network Planning.

What motivates you to keep coming back to SCN and help members get answers to their questions?
I have written a blog about this…  [In July] I decided to return what I had received during so many yesrs…I understood that I was not only trying to help others, the SCN community was also helping me again. Spending my free time in SCN is the best thing that I have decided to do for me. This is a win win case…

I noticed your post Script Recording & Playback for Dummies has been quite popular. To what do your attribute its popularity?

I really love the SAP recording & playback. It allows the automation in SAP. In my professional experience I always saw how useful was the use of this tool for the users, this is why I decided to make a simple document to introduce this tool to everyone.

SCN Community a Free HelpDesk? also created quite a spark. What do you think can help limit the posting (and answering) of basic questions?
I think the only option is to be stricter in the moderation. Sometimes people reply to basic questions because they want to help others or because they want to get some points or because they don’t think it is a basic question. Now if we do so, then people will always attempt to post their questions in the community, since you can get a response without making any effort. This is not good for them, it is not good for the contributors and it is not good for everyone that will need to use the community to search for a solution to a problem.

So in my perspective the moderators should reject these posts and not only send warnings.

What’s your advice to newer members? Top 3 mistakes to avoid?

1. Search before open a thread. Most of the responses to the problems have been already posted.
2. Read and follow the SCN Rules of Engagement.
3. If the issue was resolved or the response was helpful, mark the answer as “helpful” or “correct”. Mark the discussion as “answered,” so other members can find the answers more easily.

You’ve been working with SAP technology since 2003. What’s the most important thing SAP needs to do to keep you enthusiastic about its products in the future?

I think it is time to improve the reporting aspect of SAP. It is also time to be accessible from every mobile equipment. The SAP GUI java is not good and cannot be compared with SAP GUI for windows.

Is there an SCN member you admire (OK… you can name a few)? And for what reason?

• Caetano Almeida: He is very good in the PP space. He is very clear and has a very good technical background.
• Jürgen L: He is the best! He knows everything in his space.
• Privacy Privacy: I like the way in which he reacts when someone posts a basic question. I also like that he always explains the technical aspects knowing the implications in the process.

Are you on Twitter?
I am on Twitter, but I am not an active user. My account is: @mcabalen

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.