Managerial gamification

Here is the case.

For instance, there’s 1 000 000 euro worth contract for implementing super complex project, for n years. Probability that your company will be chosen by the client is equal to ½. In order not to complicate the game, there’s another one competitor willing to get the bid. Duopoly.

But we’re not considering your actions against you’re the only one competitor, I would like to see how company A (your company) acts so that it is getting competitive advantage against another company (company B).

Let’s say 2 sales reps are working on the case from company A side. According to sales letter from CEO of the company, each sales rep is getting 5% out of the overall contract price. By doing comprehensive calculations we’re getting 50 000 usd out of the closed deal as a maximum payoff.

Then the game starts…

a1 –is a sales rep 1

a2- s a sales rep 2

They have to work so that at the end client picks company A, but not B.

Let’s take a look at utility functions for each party of the game… But before, we need to set possible actions for each of the player, let it be (work hard and goof off). So we’re getting classical Prisoner’s Dilemma here. We just have to decide, if our players will be ‘looking’ for equilibrium, or they will be selfish person acting based on principle of Adam Smith’s ‘Wealth Theory’, which states that ‘In competition individual ambition serves the common good’, i.e. individual should act on the interests of his own self, but not the group.

So let’s see at the payoff functions for both players:

S1 (a1, a2)= (Work hard; Work hard)= (25 000; 25 000)

S2 (a1, a2)= (Work hard; Goof off)= (50 000; 0)

S3 (a1, a2)= (Goof off; Work hard)= (0; 50 000)

S4 (a1, a2)= (Goof off; Goof off)= (0;0)

It is pretty much clear now, that it is better for both of the players to work hard, not to goof off, cause payoff of goofing off is zero in any case.

Obviously, 2 equilibriums, S1 and S4. The rest –game is incomplete.

Normally, people should realize this and act rational, but at THAT particular moment, everything depends on the management strategy. So if CEO’s policy is to cultivate competition among its staff, then both players will chose S2 and S3 accordingly, i.e. one is acting on the interest of his own selfish self. But if the company management is interested in closing the deal, then choosing S1 strategy makes pretty rational sense.

Rationally I understand that working only for your own interest will pay more, but it might happen, that due to hidden competition between uncoordinated sales reps activities, client will prefer to work with company B. This is more behavioral stuff, more managerial stuff, than strategic.

Motivation is the key. 

Automatic Payment Program issue

Never, ever agree to do ad-hoc consulting if it relates to Automatic Payment Program. Never! EVER!

So here's the case. Client requires to imlement MT100 format, which is payment request for vendors, via APP. And then when it comes to configurations, client states 'we're doing configurations of APP and you do the format'. Ok, there's that standard MT100 format existing in SAP, you copy it to your own ZMT100 and do all the required adaptation. Life seemed so very fine, until we've realized that initially client cofigured APP so that when extracting MT100, it was generating bank document as well.
But we've configured the APP so that now it generates payment request and the format, no bank document, it has to be posted manually.

I mean, moral of the story is that, if there's a task to do some part of one of APP processes, never agree to implement part, do the whole implementation, from the initial configuration, cause there may be problems with understanding of how APP operates and what is the aim of it on that particular project.

Thinking of requesting some 2-3 days workshop for FI consultants regarding this APP, cause there are so many requests on configuration it. Upcoming 2 implementation and localization projects already include APP stuff.

December

Time flies...

It is almost two years since... Nothing changed much. 

It was supposed to snow today, head aches. 

By the end of the year, normally, I feel very exhausted and out of energy. You look back, you summarize, so many things to achieve,  disappointment with gained achievements, things you could do much better than you did...

It is ok.

Was dreaming of Venice 2 days ago, such a nice feeling.

Add-on, part II

I've looked what they have there in Kazakhstani add- on regarding VAT forms (for the record, according to local legal requirements we have 9 forms, besides general one). 

So far what I've seen is just 2 forms: for outgoing and incoming payments, haven't seen general VAT form yet, 'calculation totals' function doesn't seem working properly, but we'll see..

So you do all the prerequisites to make all things work the way they should to: 

- do all the configurations for master data of vendors/customers;

- define tax codes, with their assignments to G/L accounts (t-code FXTP, or directly in FS00);

- then you must create additional number ranges for both- incomings and outgoings (special t-codes for KZ add-on);
- activate KZREGINV product for partner 'KZ', after you've done this step all the invoices will be stored in FIKZD_REGINV_IN and  FIKZD_REGINV_OUT tables respectively via se16).

And I think that's it, post the invoice, and run RPFIKZ_REGINV program via se38, or find the report in FI-AR and FI-AP user menu trees (in reporting section I guess).

Ah, one more thing, assign the authorization F_KZ_REGIN object to your user so that you will be allowed to run mentioned program. Use PFCG transaction, I created new role, assigned just one object, and that's about it. 

What else...

Still haven't figured the way how it is possible to activate tax -related fields in FI-AA master data, they have only two developments (for transport and property taxes), and to run these developments you need to activate mentioned fields on master data level.. Since I had no time on troubleshooting to SAP about the issue, actually I did tried to reach the person accountable for KZ add-on from SAP, but response was like 3 weeks after I wrote support message. 

So middle of December, we're about to start localization project, which will be mainly about adapting add-on solutions. Besides, there will be couple of additional, out of add-on, developments ,related to Fixed Assets, namely, Corporate Income Tax form.

About add- ons and etc.

Have started testing first release of Kazakhstani add- on.
Last time I worked with add-on, but Russian one, was years and years ago, that was my first ever full- lifecycle implementation experience, for financial institution, we were the first ones to implement SAP for financial intermediaries in Kazakhstan. If I am not wrong, it was 2004 or 2005, when the project started.
So speaking of add- ons, my first experience wasn't quite productive, at the end of the day, they've decided not to use Russian add -on, cause that one was very raw, no one knew exactly how to work with it, and most important, we didn't know how to adapt it to local legal requirements.
And then I did, as I always do, actually- I just go to ABAP department and tell them 'I want this to be this way' and that's it :) Everybody were happy, no one really did care, how the system works, just show the output, that convince everybody- regular accountants, people accountable for financial statements, auditors, managers, executives and etc.
But today situation is changing, in a good way, I would say.
So they've released first version of add- on accustomed according to Kazakhstani legal requirements. What I've seen so far, is Financial ,let's say, pre- customization stuff.
Surely, using that add- on will significantly reduce the amount of time you normally spend on configurations. But from my point of view, it is way too raw still.
For instances, where am I supposed to activate country specific fields for fixed assets. Surely will have to troubleshoot next week. Activating tab layout for tax time- dependent fields is not working. Most of the tables are referring to tables and views from Russian add- on, that would be just great, if SAP people could at least mention this link in their help files. Check this when you're trying to do basic configurations for transport tax. It took me 1.5 days to do all the configurations and filling all the tables out, just to make transport tax report work. If I would do it, the way I used to, i.e. by using ABAP coding, it would take me a week, or five days in best case scenario, just to develop two forms for transport tax- current payments and final declaration. So results are quite impressive, I would say. And it will ,definitely, change the whole concept of implementing SAP solutions. But let's see how it is going to be.. I am a bit skeptical still, I really want my skepticism to be ruined, so fingers crossed. Property tax configurations are pretty similar- go through all of the tables related to taxation- districts, regions, OKATO codes, assign OKATO codes to districst, define tax rates, and MAIN thing- ACTIVATE country- specific fields, which is an issue.
Next I need to test VAT invoice print form.
To activate the Kazakhstani add -on, go to IMG SPRO and pick the 'Activate business extension' and there you have it, enjoy! :)

Concerto # 3

Once they've asked Horowitz 'could you please tell us how to become a great pianist as yourself?', and he responded, probably jokingly, the following way 'you need to be both- gay and Jew'. 

I can listen Horowitz's performance of Sergei Rachmaninov's piano concerto #3 for hours, it is inspirational... It is spectacular, unbelievable, fantastically structured concerto  in such a brilliant implementation. That particular concerto makes pianists lose their minds, that's how complicated the structure of concerto is.

Horowitz was born in a Jewish family, family of musicians. During the WWII his family was captured in concentration camp, but he moved to the US. Leaving his father's house, he got the following parental advice 'you need to keep playing Tchaikovskiy's Concerto #1, this one will make you famous'. And he was playing it first when he got to Europe, in France... He was playing it so that masses were getting crazy, they were ruining and crashing concerto hall, that's how excited people were because of what they've experienced. A real master, that could lead masses with the piano play. 

Then he moved to the US, and after the WWII he was trying to get his sister out of the post- war USSR, but they didn't allow him to do this. That's how he lost all of his family.

As far as I know, in the US he married a daughter of great Italian composer Toscanini. Later his wife was telling journalists, that couldn't get any interview of maestro, she was saying 'you need to wait for him, as I did, for almost 15 years'. 

After a long silence, for quite a while he wasn't giving concerts in the US, because of what was happening in the USSR to his family members, he gave the first concert in 70's. He was treated for severe depression, for many years... Talented people, really blessed with talent, they can see how tragical this life is. 

One of my colleagues bf (he worked in La Scala for quite a while) was telling me, that today there's a new school of really talented piano performers- chinese school of pianists. I've never heard about Lang Lang before that conversation, and I was very interested to see if this one is true.He is quite technical, but it is not about passion, or deep understanding of Rachmaninov's sould when playing one of his concertos, it is about doing show from what he is doing. Classical music can not be popular, it can not be intellectually affordable for masses... I am not trying to be arrogant in my thoughts, but this is true... When I was in Italy, I was surprised that local people don't go to opera theatres, they just don't value what they're having in there. It is not that you were born in the homecountry of opera and you so very got used with it, so now you just don't give a dime about it. This is different, this is... something about your inner hunger for something really beautiful and real. Real... Have you ever felt empty so that you were crazy about getting something to fulfill the emptiness? If yes, then you probably know the 'hunger' for real music..

So if you want to listen really great performance of Rachmaninov's concertos, listen to the author's performances, or Horowitz's, cause ,once again, he is a great pianist.Or book a tickets to the nearest concert of Denis Matsuev, this guy is also great, so called 'piano demolisher' from Syberia :) 

I would like to write about my passion to Beethoven's music, but I will do it a bit later... 

That's about it for now.

I never liked things most of the people like. Say for instance, there's that super awesome movie coming on the screens next month, and that's it- people are getting crazy and obsessed with reading books (reading is always good intention, but reading everything they offer you to read, these junk readings... I don't even know which one is worst for the brain), waiting for first releases, watching exciting trailers...

It is not the cinema thing... Now I am thinking why am I so skeptical about cinema art itself? Vladimir Il'ich Lenin was saying that 'cinema is the art for masses'. Couldn't agree more. 

So it is not the movie thing, it is 'people intellectually eating everything they offer today' thing. I was always wondering, what do people find in all these super 'thougtful' quotes from Paolo Cohelio (not sure if I wrote the name correctly, but I don't think what he is doing is worth my time on googling his name), Garcia Markez, Dan Browns, if we talk about russians, Daria Doncovas, Boris Akunin and many many others... Actually ,Akunin is quite readible cause of the language he was trying to copy from old- old- ooold Russian classics.

Cohelio must be responsible for what he is doing with minds of nowaday's femine readers :) Quoting this stupidness must be prosecuted by the law. I mean seriously, this is way too much, how come someone says obvious, silly things, and others start quoting him, as if THIS is the truth in its last instance :)))

Junk reading is something you read lying on the beach, and the next very day you forget it, it shouldn't be memorized, and ...dear Lord, it shouldn't be spread across people!!!! 

Ok so... what I wanted to say is that I've read one of the books that ,I think, will be one of the bestselling books this year. Oh well, yes, I've became a victim of marketing and advertising. During my Italian vacation, in Milano, I've seen the tram with adv of Dan Brown's book on it, which is called Inferno. To tell you the truth, it is such a thoughtful marketing trick :) Cause first thing that comes into your mind is Dante Alighieri's 'The Divine Comedy'. And then I went to local Feltrinelly and bought the book. Very easily readable, easy forgettable junk reading, and leaving taste of little disappointment after you're done, cause book didn't overcome your expectations... I never read non of his books, I figured he wrote about 10 or even more, and that each single book is like bestseller or something like that... So that was my first ever Dan Brown experience.

What I liked about it -is Florence, of course. By all means, I totally share author's love towards this absolutely astonishingly beautiful citta. Hall of five hundred, Ponte Vecchio, towers, Art galleries, super unrealistic adventures in this marvelous city. All of the memories, good ones, were taken on the surface from the deep down inside of my memory storage :) Then there was a little bit of Venice and Istanbul, but they were mentioned so very briefly, so you don't even have time to remember what was Robert Langdon doing there :) 

This book is such a speculation, it is that particular book's second name actually 'SPECULATION on readers' feelings' :) 

What I wanted to say is that... don't read everything, be picky, don't watch everything they show you, be picky, listen to something that is really beautiful, not just popular, otherwise you might end up by being just another brick of this huge and unending wall of global informational consumerism. 

ps: Gianny Radari was writing for children by the way, not for super mature adults...