As S4A’s VP of Delivery, Tim Holter helps to drive the delivery of innovative solutions that help our clients achieve their strategic objectives and succeed in today’s rapidly evolving business landscape. His extensive experience, coupled with his stakeholder relationship skills and commitment to understanding the client ‘why’ makes Tim a valued addition to the S4A team.
We asked Tim a few questions so you can get to know him better.
Can you tell us about your journey leading up to your current role as Vice President of Delivery?
My journey has certainly been off the beaten path, with a few unexpected adventures along the way. For instance, I briefly owned an internet café and later founded an event production company that created and managed expos—both ventures that provided valuable entrepreneurial experience. Feel free to check out my LinkedIn About section for more details on these adventures!
However, my professional journey with SAP and project delivery truly began in 1997, when I started as a Pandesic installer. Pandesic was a joint venture between SAP and Intel, designed to sell a preconfigured ‘miniature’ version of SAP that included modules like FI, CO, MM, and SD, along with SAP’s Internet Transaction Service (ITS) to support e-commerce. This was part of the larger e-commerce push of the late ’90s.
Just two months after starting, the company I worked for, OmniLogic, discontinued this service line, which led me to transition into a junior SAP consulting role. From there, I built my expertise across several areas within the SAP ecosystem—starting as a Functional Project Systems consultant and eventually working with SAP Business Workflow, SAP Enterprise Portals, SAP HR (ESS/MSS), ABAP, and more.
As my skills developed, I moved into management roles, where I oversaw functions like data conversion, cutover management, solution architecture, and project management. For the past decade, I’ve been in senior leadership positions, and I’m looking forward to celebrating two years as VP of Delivery with S4A in early 2025.
What key strategies do you employ to ensure the successful delivery of IT projects?
First off, I highly recommend checking out my recent article, Mastering Delivery Success: 7 Common ERP Pitfalls, where I dive into common project pitfalls and how to avoid them. It covers a lot of what I’ve learned over the years.
My top priority when managing IT projects is making sure that everyone involved—whether directly or indirectly—fully understands the nature of the project and their role in its success. Clear communication and alignment across teams are critical. This ensures that all stakeholders have a shared understanding of project goals, timelines, and expectations, which minimizes confusion and helps prevent roadblocks.
Another key strategy is to foster a culture of accountability and ownership. When each team member understands how their contributions impact the overall outcome, it creates a sense of responsibility that drives engagement and commitment to project success.
Of S4A’s six core values (partnership and team collaboration, innovation, diversity and inclusion, excellence, trust and respect, accountability, and integrity), which core value resonates most with you and why?
It’s tough to choose – they’re all great values! However, the one that resonates with me the most, especially in the delivery space, is partnership and team collaboration. In a 100% remote working environment, it can be challenging, but I firmly believe that both clients and consultants must function as one team. We all need to be ‘rowing in the same direction,’ grounded in mutual trust and respect.
IT projects are complex, and mistakes are inevitable—after all, we’re human. What matters is that we share a common vision and support one another through the tough challenges that come with project delivery. By fostering strong partnerships and true collaboration, we create an environment where we can overcome obstacles together and achieve success.