As a former SAP configuration consultant, I have seen how organizations can lose millions of dollars by focusing too much on technology and not enough on their own people. Consultants conveniently forget to tell you that training your staff to run SAP is easier than you think.First, have your team shadow and learn from their consultant counterparts during the initial implementation. We matched our security guy with the corresponding consultant, and so on. Don't allow your consultants to simply do the work and walk out the door or you will hurt later on.

As for additional training, use SAP Press's do-it-yourself books and SAP's online help. A small outlay for these books will pay huge dividends by developing a strategic internal knowledge base and demonstrating that you are willing to invest in your employees. You should also get the power business users engaged throughout the blueprint and realization phase--beyond sharing critical business-process insight, they will also begin to appreciate what is involved in providing ongoing support.

One thing to be mindful of is the talent exodus that sometimes comes after an SAP implementation. If you have any larger companies within a 30-mile radius that need SAP skills, your team could be poached. Being aware of this helps determine how to allocate education funds, and we found open and honest communication was our best employee-retention strategy. Staff took advantage of the learning opportunities we provided, and cross-training ensures that you have backup if someone does decide to leave.

Hutchinson, Brown and Hardee are all members of the CIO Executive Council, a global peer advisory service and professional association of more than 500 CIOs, founded by CIO's publisher. To learn more, visit council.cio.com.