CIO — In the go-go ’90s, large companies everywhere decentralized and customized their ERP systems. Now that the party’s over, it’s time to clean up and work on the difficult task of integrating many systems into one. This kind of systems rollup will be the predominant type of ERP project CIOs at large companies will face during the next half-decade.

At Celanese, a $4.5 billion global chemicals maker, rollup means integrating many SAP systems?plans called for 13 when the project started, but that’s been scaled back to seven?into one. Celanese’s project, called OneSAP, began in summer 2001 and won’t end until mid-2004?1,000 days. This story is about one of those days, Oct. 3, 2002, with Celanese’s IT group in Dallas, when CIO Karl Wachs and his project leaders are finalizing the system’s blueprints. The day starts early.

[6:45am] Project Leadership Morning Meeting
Where Is That Software Module?

The purple night sky is turning morning blue, but the sun hasn’t yet risen over greater Dallas. Two dozen Celanese project leaders are settled into their regular morning meeting, taking turns giving progress reports on OneSAP.

Wachs is here, though he usually avoids these meetings for fear his team will speak less freely with the boss around. Standing in front of a business process flowchart on the wall, Wachs sips a Pepsi One. (This could be a product placement; Celanese makes Pepsi One’s sweetener.) One of the project managers introduces this reporter, perhaps as a caution to the team to behave. Across the room, a staffer leans back in his chair. "So, have you chosen a genre for your article yet?" he asks. "Suspense? Thriller?"

The room goes silent as everyone waits for a response. "Horror story?" I suggest, smiling.

As nervous laughter cycles through the room, Wachs points his soda can at the team, smiles and says in a thick German accent, "There. That’ll get the juices flowing. Let’s go."

Wachs and his team know that OneSAP will sound like a horror story to those unfamiliar with the rollup concept. Celanese manages 13 SAP systems (versions 3.1, 4.5 and 4.6) scattered across five data centers that serve five business units. (Since our visit, Celanese sold off one business unit, leaving only 10 SAP systems.) OneSAP, conceived by Wachs after he received marching orders to cut costs (and for other reasons that will become clear), will roll up the systems into one instance of the enterprise software. At the same time, OneSAP introduces several new and critical features to Celanese, such as supply chain forecasting. After an 11-month approval process that ended in June, the board gave Wachs 21 months to pull it off.

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