The philosophy behind the B1 Usability Package

How the B1 Usability Package was developed

The B1 Usability Package is a special add-on in the way it was created. The add-on did not start out as an investment or customization for a specific customer, but as a general need to be able to do more for the customer on a higher plane of customization. User-queries and formatted searches could only get us part of the way, and things like better navigation and mandatory data could not be solved without a developer. So instead of rushing out and developing specific things for customers A, B, and C, we took the code to the next level where the same code + configurations could solve customer A, B, and C needs (and customer D, E, F, G when those came around).

Solving customer needs like this led to other benefits. We could now have a general code-base that we only needed to update one place and with the option to turn everything on and off at will, no functionality was too small to be included as long as it had a wide appeal to customers.

That is the way the B1UP came to be and grew to where we are today.

What can B1 Usability Package do and what can we not do? 

When looking at the B1UP's functionality, look at it as building blocks. As a single unit, a building block might be pretty nice to look at, but it is when you take all the building blocks and put them together and add a little creativity then you can build almost anything! 

If you look at the B1UP, you can say that we do not offer any functionality at all, but instead, the building blocks to "build" functionalities without development knowledge. We have come to realize that a standardized product will never be able to fit all, so at the cost of a little more configuration, you can reach more customers and be able to do much more than with a standard product.

Having said this, we must also be fair to say that we do not have all the "building blocks" in the world (including those who are not yet invented), and therefore the B1UP can of cause not do everything. The B1UP is not a replacement for the SDK, and you will find requests by customers that cannot be solved by the B1UP but need the work of a developer. B1UP is a supplement that can often help you 80% of the way to success and at a much lower cost and time, making you more competitive and guaranteeing more happy customers.

Knowing the potential but also the limitations of the B1 Usability Package is your key to success.

How to suggest new functionality?

The B1 Usability Package is not a static product. It increases its functionality each month and you can, like anyone else, suggest new functionality you wish to see included in the product. We call such suggestions Development Requests (DRQ), and you post them here: https://support.boyum-it.com/hc/en-us/community/topics/200025797-B1-Usability-Package-Feature-Requests

What will be included in the product and what will not?

• Is the requested feature something that is technically possible?
  • Since we are working through the SAP SDK, there are certain things we can do, while others are off-limits and only something that SAP can create. If the requested feature seems possible it will proceed to the next step
• Does the requested feature have a general appeal?
  • If we were to put every single feature that any customer ever requested into the product, it would become a mess of features only a very few customers could use. We only try to include functionality that seems to have a broad appeal, and for that reason, you might experience that a requested feature will be turned down by the screening process. That being said, we always keep every request we receive with the notion that what might be too specific now could potentially become a general feature in the future.