Project Management

CERTIFIED SAP FI/CO CONSULTANT

SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS

Cathy has 20+ years of IT Strategy & Systems Implementation and consulting experience having made significant contributions in leading large initiatives. Team oriented configuration professional of SAP FI/CO applications. Implemented four full lifecycles, led project teams, worked in over five projects with Fortune 500 companies and demonstrated an ability to competently analyze current client situation and offer valid solutions provided by SAP systems. Excellent skills in customization, reporting, testing and training of final users strong SAP FI/CO knowledge as well as a pleasant personality and excellent communication skills.

KEY STRENGTHS

SAP R/3 FI /CO Certified Consultant with more than 20+ years of end-to-end implementation experience.

In-depth module expertise in Finance (FI) module, Controlling (CO) module of SAP R/3. Working experience with Material Management (MM) and Sales and Distribution (SD) modules.

Working experience with Project Systems and Solution Manager.

Worked extensively in various stages of SAP Implementation cycles including Production Support and Upgrade. Proven organizational and communication skills.

Proven ability to design and construct enterprise business solutions that fully leverage SAP and non-SAP product capabilities to meet customer requirements including the need for future releases

Business process design, business operations solutions, blueprinting, vendor evaluation, gap analysis, solution design and integration with specific expertise in delivering custom and packaged SAP solutions for Finance and Management Accounting.

Proactive team builder able to motivate and manage teams with tact and respect for their diversity.

Solid communication and presentation skills that adapt to stakeholders at all levels including Sr. Management.

Experienced in understanding ABAP, RFC, SAPScripts, ABAP Query, ALE, IDOCs, BADIs, BAPIs and user exits, set up and worked with LSMW tool for data migration and Vertex for Tax calculation.

Experience in integration of other modules, especially SD, HR, MM,PP and legacy systems.

Exposure to S4 Hana and SAP Fiori. S4 Simple Finance.

Industries: Public Sector, Power & Utilities, Media & Entertainment, Pharmaceuticals, Airport, Manufacturing, Electronics, Rail, Commodities and Poultry, Tele-Communications and the Automotive Industry, Metals.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

04/2017-10/2017 Contractor - KPLC, KAA

Assisting in support work mainly for previous clients and assisting in training and upgrade testing for S4 Hana Cloud technology to test for handheld data retrieval speeds and accuracy from databases. The handhelds used SAP Fiori apps. S4 simple Finance.

03/2014-3/2017 TIMET -Team Lead for Finance and Controlling Team ECC. 6.0

Full-Time Employee

In charge of day to day support work for companies in USA, UK and France.

In addition to this working projects and managing timelines and Go-lives for two full lifecycle projects as well as additional projects listed as below.

Projects

Bank Project - Changing banks after take-over.

Blue print phase - Getting the requirements from all the stakeholders (AP business, AR Business, GL and Managers for month end close). Working with the bank on timelines to determine availability for portals and testing on their end. Working with Basis for placement and transfer of files as needed. Country requirements for USA, UK and France and unique requirements. Explaining to stakeholders what is needed for the project to succeed. In terms of time and urgency. Coordinate with Business on how to communicate to customers and vendors on bank change and determine any issues arising. Interface from HR SAP system of employee T&E and set up of new codes and accounts on the interface screen between FI and HR system. Communication to employees of bank changes.

Time line and cost determined. Project plan set and reviewed. Audit trail documentation.

Approvals by management.

Breakdown of specific tasks for each phase of the project.

Realization - Configuration done.

Master Data - Bank Master, New GL Accounts, New Cost Elements. List of Customers and vendors that need update of bank information. Set up of payment methods. Set up of bank details, Set up of DME. Set up of format required by bank for the file to transmit the correct information. Testing the loading of the file and the process of the payment method from Purchase Order and Sales Order to Finance and the flow of data is correct. Test to make sure bank accounts updating correctly for various payment methods. Test month end close process.

Test banking process for inter-country payments and transactions. Training and Testing documentation.

Testing Phase - Testing in Development and STG environment. Transfer of configuration and unit test by IT. Mainly with Business and stakeholders to make sure transactions and transmissions working correctly. Solving of problems presented. Sign offs on test results.

Cut over plan. Confirmation and sign off from management on sign off.

Go Live - Setting time aside to transfer configuration and inform Basis team if the system needed to be open for any manual configuration. Announce go live and broadcast.

Hyper-Care - Tracking and monitoring any tickets or issues arising from the go live.

Asset Revaluation Project

Blueprint phase - This project was required after takeover. All the assets needed to be revalued in SAP and an external system that holds all the assets for all subsidiaries (not all are on SAP yet). Gathering the requirements and working with the business to make sure the new asset values are available and agreed upon. Estimation of time and need for consultants (one for FAS and another for SAP) to make sure everything goes as expected and works smoothly.

Stakeholders - business users, management, month end close managers and top managers in all company codes involved. Audit trail documentation.

Project plan and timeline and Costs. Approvals

Configuration - Strategy in SAP was to retire all the assets and then acquire new assets with new values. This was smoother. It meant coordinating with FAS to update the new asset numbers to that system. Decided FAS goes first. Use programs to do mass retirement and then mass acquisition or creation from spreadsheets of new assets, work on Acquisition date to coincide with acquisition date. Depreciation date to be the same month as acquisition. Load accumulated depreciation values. Test values are correct. Check and configure country requirements met in reporting. Training documentation.

Testing - Testing was intense. Making sure FAS assets and SAP assets matched. We were a few pennies off due to calculation rounding in the systems. Approval for testing.

Go live plan and sign offs.

Go live and Hypercare.

Fiscal Year Change Project

Blueprint/Requirement: Needed to change the fiscal calendar on the day of takeover. Change from public to private owned company. Time duration 1 month.

Worked with SAP America consultants there are changes only they can do for this type of change. They have a process. Coordinate with all stake holders. Coordination and meetings with top directors to explain the SAP side as the SAP FICO lead. Planning with other modules HR system on separate instance, Basis to open the system. Testing plan. Coordinate with Hyperion team for month end values and interface and upgrade. Costs and user testing. Data migration plans from legacy systems and impacts. Audit trail documentation.

Configuration - Setting up the Configuration plan especially for assets. The dates for asset calendar. Coordination of testing and rehearsal with SAP for their part in the changes. Shortened fiscal year and new fiscal year having shorter periods etc.

Testing plan for business and other users.

Testing - Run through in test systems in rehearsal for production run. Setting up and confirming sequence of events and people in place. Weekend work and tracking and checks to make sure it went well. Sign offs.

Go live and hyper-care.

Full lifecycle implementation of New Company code configuration for HeadQuarters

Blueprint - Head office of new company (that took over) needs SAP to have visibility. New company code on same instance as TIMET but as a separate group of companies. New chart of accounts and controlling area needed. Clear requirements for postings and reporting.

Approvals and timeline. Timeline was 6 months.

Configuration - Set up of all configuration needed. Create Company Code OX02 Create Legal Entity, Define Plant OX10. Sales Area. Assign plant to company code OX18 . Enter global parameters for company code OBY6 . Configure new controlling area. Assign company code to controlling area OKKP. New Fiscal Year variant. Check assignment of company code to fiscal year variant OB37. New Posting period variant. Check assignment of company code to posting period variant OBBP Should have been assigned in the global parameters .Create document number ranges. Define manually in each client . Check max exchange rate difference for company code OB64 Should have been assigned in the global parameters

Check assignment of company code to field status variant OBC5 Should have been assigned in the global parameters. Assign CC to document date for tax determination OBCK ""Configure IC account assignments OBYA . Create new Chart of Accounts to Company Code. Create accounts and Cost elements. Approved on spreadsheets by business first. Number ranges for customers and vendors XDN1 and XKN1. Employee Tolerance groups for posting to GL's SPRO . Add Corporate nodes to cost center standard hierarchy OKEO Do not transport - maintain manually in each client. Create cost centers and profit centers. Any Validation and substitution rules needed. Create secondary cost elements KA06. Other configuration.

Testing - Unit testing and cross system testing since on the same instance as other company codes that are already live. Training users and training documentation. Test scripts and sign offs. Cut over plan and coordination of all stakeholders. Notification to all users.

Golive and Hyper-care.

SAP S4 Hana Upgrade with FIORI

Upgrade project to SAP system at database level to accommodate FIORI app for interface of Fiori Apps from the shop floor interfacing with MIS with upload to SAP. The tests scripts to make sure the changes were smooth were done over a month before upgrade with each team designing test scripts after review of upgrade of S4 Hana. I designed the test scripts for SAP FICO. S4 Simple Finance.

Full lifecycle implementation of New Company code configuration for manufacturing company in UK.

Blueprint - Determine requirements and instance where this will sit. Manufacturing requirements of the company and how that will integrate with all modules. Discussions with stakeholders on requirements. Demos on how current system works to see differences and clearly understand requirements. Documentation of requirements and gaps. Managerial decisions and signoff.

Configuration - New Company code configuration, integration with SD, MM, PP, Product Costing and other modules. Company code configurations as above. Additions are costing variant configuration (Standard costing used), Valuation variants, costing types, quality structure, New controlling Area, origin groups, cost component structures, cost element configuration, internal orders, profit centers, cost centers, validations and substitutions, costing sheet configuration, COPA additional characteristics needed for new company code, update operating concern with new controlling area and regenerate, Sales order integration configuration, PA transfer structure from FI/MM, account allocations and integration testing. Settlements configuration and testing. Reporting and data loads to Hyperion. Asset configuration, Vendors, customers, Data migration. Tax configuration.Unit end to end tests, trouble shooting, issue resolution and documentation. Demos to business as needed.

Testing - Test plans and sign offs. Unit testing and end to end testing. Cut over planning spreadsheet. Determination of sequence of configuration transports to production, manual configuration, data migration sequencing, impact on other company codes. Notification to users.

Go live and Hyper-care.

03/2013-10/2013 Seal Kenya

Full-Time as Team Lead for Finance Team

Worked on Support project for Rift Valley Railways. The largest Rail-Road company in East and Central Africa. Support work in mainly Project Systems, Finance, Controlling and Integration with related rail systems. Integration with MM, SD and HR modules. Training and additional configuration as required.

09/2011-12/2012– Indra Spain

Full-Time as Team Lead for Finance Team

Worked on full-lifecycle implementation for SAP Ecc 6.0 for Kenya Airports Authority (KAA).

Worked on Project Preparation phase – interviewing and hiring a team of 10. As well as meeting the client and working on other project preparation activities. Then worked on the blueprinting phase of project since company was manual (no systems at all), there was a high level of reengineering that involved a great deal of change management. Worked on Realization phase where configured all finance modules including Assets and Cash Management. As well as major interfaces such as AODB. Added experience in the Real Estate and Leasing module within SAP. Performed Training, integration testing and all other activities were carried out before go-live. Enjoyed managing my team and encouraging them through the duration of the project.

07/2010-04/2011 – iTelligence Inc. Cincinnati, Ohio

Full-Time Senior Business Analyst SAP FI/CO

Worked on two projects. As SAP FI analyst.

Worked on blueprinting phase of project and proposal of to-be process with demonstrations of how the system will work to resolve company issues for Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, General Ledger and controlling.

Implemented fixed assets for client including settings for the bonus depreciation sometimes called Revaluation of Assets.

Worked on help desk tickets for various clients and some internal projects such as training Junior Consultants.

03/2010-07/2010 – Sentry Group Rochester, New York

Contractor Senior Business Analyst SAP FI/CO

Support Role for corporate office. Production SAP support to business users in day to day issues including month end. Worked on a variety of in-house projects that included credit card processing,Automating processing of 820s, Implementation of Dunning procedure, Creation of new blanket PO process to capture in-house procurements and improve visibility and reporting, creation of new production orders type for custom orders that allowed unique selection of BOM.

10/2009-01/2010 – Vitro America Memphis, Tennesse

Contractor Senior Business Analyst SAP FI/CO

Support Role for USA branch of company. Resolved Asset Accounting issues regarding Bonus Depreciation calculation also known as Revaluation of Assets. Created depreciation keys to correct calculations from 2008 and 2009 according to government guidelines. Worked on new interfaces with POS systems.

08/2006-03/2009 – Computer Science Corporation Falls Church, Virginia

Full-Time Senior Systems Analyst SAP FI/CO

Project Federal Mogul Southfield Michigan (Full Life-Cycle)

Senior Systems Analyst – Assistant Team Lead

Responsibilities/Deliverables

The Credit Management group in the US presented an opportunity for custom code changes as part of the upgrade project. This involved the need to find a solution that met both US and European Global operational models.

Achievements

My recommendations identified through gap analysis and documented were accepted with approval by the client management team because it provided a more efficient operational process and reporting while ensuring the integrity of the existing SAP system and user functions.

Full life-cycle project to upgrade to ECC 6.0 for the North American roll out that included US and Canadian operations.

Implemented and integrated the global model used for the European operations to fit the requirements of North America

Conducted workshops with North American super user experts to explain the global model and demonstrate all functionality. Quickly understood and documented gaps between the proposed global model and North American requirements made recommendations for the solution for closing the gaps.

Conducted reviews of deliverables with Senior Managers and gained sign-off. Successfully received approval of identified gaps and recommendations for SAP, including the new required reports and interfaces required to meet North American operations.

Documented all required configuration (COE) that included Interfaces and reports

Facilitated reviews and approval of interface and reporting requirements.

Implemented all configuration changes.

Coordinated the testing project encompassing the interfaces, data migration using LSMW tool for assets, reconciling regression testing (verify from old to new) and reports, across business and technical teams. This included integration testing of all modules and sub-modules.

Primary coordinator of all changes to the GL Interfaces (mainly HR interfaces and Employee Travel Expense Reimbursement systems)

Assigned as primary resource responsible for Accounts Receivable and all integration with CARMS and other systems that included Accounts Payable Module and integration with bank for positive pay and bank statement reconciliation,

Assigned Asset Management Module responsible for meeting unique requirements of Canadian and American (USA) tax laws without affecting already implemented European requirements in the same system.

Coordinated interface configuration and testing with Vertex for required upgrade with new SAP version ECC 6.0 configuring with Internal Orders and Cost Centers.

Wrote some report queries to meet customer requirements, including coding as required.

Wrote training documentation used by the users for all financial and controlling modules with new interfaces and reports, including user roles as defined by the client.

Conducted training-the-trainer for super users who, in turn, train their staff in the respective departments

Conducted Go-Live implementation activities support

In-House Project Computer Science Corporation – All In One Project.

Senior Systems Analyst

Responsibilities/Deliverables

Major project to bring attain All In One (AIO) Certification for Computer Science Corporation (CSC).

Internal project that lasted one month and involved working through all weekends and evening to complete the configuration and documentation as required by SAP America.

Achievements

Configured the FI module and prepared all training documentation.

Demonstrated the configuration and reviewed the documentation with members of SAP America. These Demos took several days and were highly visible across the client organizations.

Personally, received individual recognition for my efforts and glowing reviews from the Project Manager from SAP America for my demos and was chosen as a key team member for facilitating the successful certification for the company.

Project Verizon Wireless Ashburn, VA

Senior Systems Analyst

Responsibilities/Deliverables

Major project consolidated several geographical operational divisions onto one platform of the SAP system in the USA, EMEA (Europe Middle East and, Asia), South Africa, Mexico and Canada to one harmonized global system.

Achievements

Streamlined the configuration for all functions found to be relevant to the new consolidated company. In addition, implemented newly acquired companies into SAP Global.

Integrated systems across interfaces for all affected affiliates

Rolled-out ECC 5.0 and Hyperion roll-up for management reporting tools.

Responsibilities concentrated on the areas of FICO Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, Asset Management, new treasury module FSCM, credit management and related interfaces.

Conducted Workshops with key business users in each department and discussed system use and requirements

Mapped all existing requirements from the old systems to the new SAP ECC 5.0 software and integrated new requirements to come up with the blueprint for the project.

Documented the Statement of Business Requirements (SOBR) for sign-off by subject-matter expert (SME) users

Customized system according to SOBR and set up demos with the client to confirm requirements were met and exceeded

Created training documentation Manuals with roles of users clearly defined.

Trained Super Users so that they in turn train other users in their respective departments

Tested Interfaces and conducted data migration

Go Live and Go live support.

08/2005-07/2006 – Perdue Farms Inc. Salisbury Maryland

Senior Systems Analyst

Responsibilities/Deliverables

Led the Blueprinting effort around Finance and controlling activities for various divisions within Perdue Farms. Responsibilities included understanding and provided insight into business processes. Created all process flows for different steps of the finance and controlling process including the benefits of the process. This analysis helped the management team make good decisions about proceeding with the project.

Collaborated with the team to identify processes that require development or configuration to improve the logistics and finance modules

Led the Blueprinting effort around Finance and controlling activities for various divisions within Perdue Farms. Responsibilities included understanding and provided insight into business processes.

Analyzing Business requirements and documenting gaps

Documenting TO BE processes. Met with key members of all business units to gain Buy-In on requirements

Mapped the requirements to the new software (SAP and SMARTsoftware)

Analyzed the existing logistical systems (Bourque and G-log) to see if we should include them in the project.

08/2003- 08/2005 Endress and Hauser Indianapolis, IN

Team Leader – Full Lifecycle Project

Modules: Asset Management, AP, AR, GL, Cash management, CCA, IOA, PCA, PA, MM, SD, Product Costing, BW (2.2 in R/2 upgrade to 4.6C), Business One

This was a full life cycle upgrade project for Endress and Hauser from R/2 to R/3 for FI and CO modules.

Achievements

Helped the company cut down on asset management taxes by 30% after researching how the company could group assets and revalue assets as recommended by State and Government laws.

Responsibilities/Deliverables

As part of harmonization project was able to deactivate profit centers working with SAP America and testing the solutions suggested.

Customized all modules in the R/3 system and then migrated the data from R/2 to R/3 for manufacturing company within Endress and Hauser.

Customized system, migrated data, Tested migrated data and trained users in R/3 Version 4.6C of SAP

Worked with Business One as part of roll-out to South American branches of company.

Harmonized the project for South East Asia company branches by setting up reports to have a certain structure in report painter and writer, standardizing all communications with vendors in dunning letters and payment advices as well as other reports

Worked on production problem tickets for all company divisions across Asia, Europe and the Americas

Provided profitability analysis for month end runs for Sales companies as well as productive companies

Executed and trained users on product costing runs

Set up Asset Management for Canadian company branch

Supported work for Business Warehouse. Attended training in introduction to module. Coached users to print reports and analyze data from BW.

Executed month-end processes for Material Management (MM) and Finance and Controlling (FICO).

As part of another project, set-up SAP positive pay with the client bank used by Endress and Hauser companies.

01/2002- 07/2003 Keane Consulting Project - Whirlpool St Joseph, MI

Modules: Asset Management, AP, AR, GL, CCA, IOA, PCA, PA, MM, SD, DART (version 3.1 upgraded to 4.5)

This was a project located in Rochester, MN to remotely support the SAP systems for Whirlpool Corporation of Michigan.

Achievements

Provided SAP functional analysis problem solving and for new business development projects as well as supporting and maintaining the existing Whirlpool operation by supporting the SAP modules and users.

Helped the company meet legal requirements without outside users directly accessing the system.

Ensured all month-end and year-end closing activities ran smoothly across Financial and Management accounting modules. Helped the company meet state and government reporting requirements on time to make the most of payments to vendors –maximize payment terms and maximize receipts from customers by analyzing customer data in good time.

Responsibilities/Deliverables

Developed configuration changes for the Profitability Analysis module with the Senior Manager who worked onsite to provide the requirements

Worked on daily trouble tickets solving user and system problems

Collaborated with the EDI team and tested EDI programs that linked to the Check run program and to the Lockboxes for various bank accounts.

Stepped in to assist the project manager to assist SD module production problem tickets and customize adjustments in the SD module such as new sales office and new condition types.

Planned and performed all testing to ensure changes were validated and code was deployed correctly.

Executed the archiving function for the SAP based program called DART; tool used to archive data to tape or CD and download info for the auditors to run reports.

Executed the monthly upload of the Tax program used by Whirlpool called VERTEX and performed trouble-shooting for problems as they arose.

04/2000- 12/2001 Abraxas Technologies – Sr. Systems Analyst

Project - Guidant San Jose, CA

Modules: AP, AR, GL, CCA, IOA, PCA, PA, MM, SD (version 4.5B)

Achievements

New cash management implementation helped reduce company costs for processing payments to Vendors and customers while reducing (bank) processing fees.

Responsibilities/Deliverables

One year project. Worked on enhancements for various company codes

Configured new cash management implementations and payment procedures for several company codes

Worked on trouble tickets from world wide branches

Tested programs and solved user issues with system

Tested interfaces with new systems such as GETPAID…a vendor automatic payment program

Worked on tax codes, worked with batch input program to create new BDC sessions to ease users input of data and to validate data

Enhanced tax report program and created queries as per user needs.

Worked on interface programs MM, SD and FI/CO

Project - Energizer Cleveland, Ohio

Modules: Cash Management, AP, GL, CO (version 3.1H)

Responsibilities/Deliverables

Implemented Phase II of SAP FI/CO project (Cash management module).

Set up own project plan. Designed AS-IS and TO-BE analysis, EDI requirement.

Set up transitory and actual bank accounts, liquidity forecast Reporting and Accounts Payable review.

Extensive customization, testing and user training

Achievements

New cash management implementation helped reduce company costs for processing payments to Vendors and from customers by reducing bank processing fees.

Project - Natsteel Electronics Portland, Oregon

Modules: AP, AR, GL, CCA, IOA, PCA, PA, MM, SD. (Version 4.6C)

Responsibilities/Deliverables

Mainly User and Support team training project.

Trained and configured examples for AP,AR,GL,CCA,IOA,PCA,PA,MM,SD.

Created end user documentation and trained users and super users in charge of maintenance of configuration

Achievements

Higher education to company managers helped improve productivity and efficiency.

Project - Applied Materials San Jose, California

Support FI/CO Configurator

Modules: AP, MM, Reporting. (version 4.5B)

Responsibilities/Deliverables

Reviewed and adjusted configuration to test for complacency for upgrade to 4.5.

Customized in development system and tested before transporting to main system.

Reviewed current Accounts Payable processes in preparation for upgrade

Structured, designed, and configured new processes such as recurring entries for ease of data entry.

Troubleshooting and improving various internally designed programs as well as testing new ones.

Revised integration issues with MM and procedures of updation in consignment goods to financial accounting.

Tested and updated ABAP programs and output (debugging).

Worked on-call for any help desk inquires from users from all over the North American region.

Achievements

Streamlined accounts payable processes improved payment procedures and monitoring for Department Managers.

07/1999 – 03/2000 PriceWaterhouseCoopers

Project - Micron Technologies Boise, Idaho

Modules: AM, MM, Reporting, FI, CO. (version 4.5B)

Responsibilities/Deliverables

Reviewed current business processes related to Finance. Designed new proposed business processes that improved on old methods.

Created scope document used to assess and agree on extent of business engagement with Client Company. Identified the phases, tasks and deliverables expected during implementation of SAP system.

Designed configuration elements targeting various business processes within financial and management services.

Configured system to comply with business requirement specialized in asset management, accounts payable, cost centre accounting, profit centre accounting and internal order management.

Created test scripts for use by client to test and validate that new system.

Troubleshooting and modified accordingly.

Created training materials and worked with training team to rollout to the client.

Achievements

Met all deliverables on time. Had to fill in after previous analyst quit suddenly. No impact to project deadlines.

Project - IBM San Jose

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