MVP Insights: Saurabh Bharti on ERP Beginnings, Functional Consultant Role, Summit NA Sessions

Welcome to “MVP Insights,” a podcast that explores the universe, ideas, and opportunities of the brightest stars in the Microsoft business applications ecosystem. 

In episode 21, John Siefert welcomes Saurabh Bharti, Manager, EY, Microsoft MVP. The two discuss Saurabh’s journey – from his first ERP implementation to becoming a Microsoft MVP – highlighting his contributions to the community through blogging and YouTube videos. He also previews his upcoming sessions at Community Summit NA 2024.

This episode is sponsored by Community Summit North America, the largest independent gathering of the Microsoft Business Applications ecosystem, taking place Oct. 13-17, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. Register today to connect with thousands of users across the Microsoft business applications ecosystem at the for user, by user event.

Key Takeaways

• MVP overview: Saurabh became involved with Business Applications during his first ERP implementation job. Fast forward to 2020, he witnessed the launch of Workspace for Dynamics 365 which listed all new features coming to the applications. He began talking about those features and started sharing insights about them on LinkedIn and later created a WordPress blog, which recently hit 1 million views. Encouraged by the community, he began making YouTube videos and participating in community events, leading to his first MVP award from Microsoft this April.
• Areas of expertise: His core expertise is in the functional side of Dynamics 365, specifically in Finance & Operations. Saurabh explains that he shares a lot of content on functional skills for newcomers to this field, emphasizing that a functional consultant role is 70% consulting and 30% product knowledge.
• Overcoming tough projects: Global rollouts are challenging due to change management and managing local requirements while maintaining a global solution, explains Saurabh. His experience with global rollouts taught him the importance of managing people, adhering to the project scope, and promoting best practices, which he shares through his YouTube video series on functional consultant skills.
• Summit NA sessions: At Community Summit NA 2024, Saurabh will lead a session, “Mastering the Top 10 Skills for Excelling as a Functional Consultant in Microsoft Dynamics 365.” He explains that during his session, he’ll share the key skill sets needed for this journey, based on his personal experience. This will include ten things he’s learned as a consultant, focusing on practical insights and overcoming challenges, whether they’re transitioning to this career or already in it. He is also taking place on a D365 FO MVP Panel, discussing new features, tips, and tricks.

Stream the audio version of this episode here: