Cut it, slice it, do it!!!

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Previous Story: Don’t be afraid of the unknown

published on
Friday, 24.01.2020

written by
Astrid Haberfelner

You might be thinking about salami now, but this actually is the attitude that there is a solution to
every problem; at least according to Olivera Chachorovska, project manager for the One SAP
Croatia project at A1 Group. Being in charge of this broad project, Olivera shares her insights
with us how to align different cultures, people and interests to focus on a common goal. Get
inspired by her and learn more about our group-wide project.

Harmony is great, not only interpersonally but also among IT systems and processes working
smoothly together. One SAP is an example for optimizing processes in all A1 countries, by
following the strategy develop once – deploy to many. Tight collaboration between the working
streams and intense sharing of knowledge enable A1 to be more efficient and faster in time-to-
market for the strategically relevant processes and functions. The greatest asset in keeping
demanding timings is an outstanding team spirit within the One SAP family.

These are the main stops of our One SAP journey so far:
 Olivera Chachorovska

Olivera has been part of the One SAP project since the beginning. In this interview, she tells us
about small and big challenges and how she overcomes them as project manager.

What is special about the One SAP project?

The people, the spirit and challenging tasks followed by a lot of structure, diversity, clear and
precise communication, enthusiasm and willingness to help each other and of course: a lot of
fun. :-)

What was unique when working with the Croatian team?

They are smart, self-confident, highly appreciated experts and solution oriented, although (or
because of this) sometimes challenging to convince them about something. :-) Or as our
technical coordinator Christian Schweighofer says: The uniqueness to take the time to make the
necessary content understandable for all parties from Business, IT SAP CC and vendor has
resulted in a contract without a dispute.

What are the challenges when onboarding project members?

First step is to explain the goals and added value of what we are doing. Then it is about accepting
the already established structure. We work very hard that everyone is feeling accepted and
appreciated. This way we become a very strong team – a One SAP family.

»If you want to have success, you have to listen to what the team is telling you.«

What is most important in working with cultural differences?

Accept everyone and do not judge, try to understand each other and be kind. Take your time to
get know all team members.

Which moments made you laugh?

Definitely, when we were singing during the testing boot camps and stand up meetings.
Spontaneous getting together used to be filled with laughs as well. And the final GO/ No Go
decision video conference and pending answer from Logistics was funny and in the same time
super tense.

And what does the project team say about the Roll-out in A1 Croatia?