Hello friends if you want to learn about SAP Project Related details like how to use SAP Software to implement the project ? Step by step procedure to Implement SAP into your business then this blog will help you to understand for functional and Management point of view.
ASAP Methodology In SAP
ASAP Methodology: A Breakdown of the Steps
Phase I: Project Preparation
Initials phases begin with information and resource retrieval. It is an essential time for the
necessary components for implementation to be assembled. Some major milestones that need to
be reached for phase. Below the following activity is performed during the project preparation
phase.
- Decision-makers clearly identify the priorities of the project
- Define the structure of tasks /subtask and functions & scope of implementation
needs to be completed - Landscape system and technical specifications are finalized, such as Cloud or On-
premise - Infrastructure (Interfaces/Hardware)
- High-Level client
- Strategy Archiving, Document retention period
- Database
- Any other external variables that need to be considered
Phase II: Blue Print Phase
In the Blueprinting Phase,it helps extract valuable information about the client business process
that is important for implementation, SAP has described a business blueprint phase. These
blueprints are in the form of questionnaires designed to test for data that uncovers how the client
is doing business. As such, they also help to record the implementation of the. Client future
business processes and business specifications are basically outlined in each business blueprint
document. The below list of activity mainly involved in this phase.
- Business Blueprint is created Tools used for this is ASAP Implementation
Assistant - Brief Business process query and answer documented with the core business users
- R/3 System Construction initiated
- Conducting Status Meeting for Project Task /sub-task completion
- Addresses the issues like Organizational Change Management
- Developing The system environment to Defining Org Structure Define
- Other Tasks Like Project Team Training
Phase III: Realization Phase
Together with the completion of Project Preparation & Blue Print Phase, Then Realization phase
started In this phase consultant are now ready to start baseline configuring SAP.The Realization
stage is broken Into two subcategories, SAP consulting team helps configure the baseline setup,
called the configuration of the baseline. then as part of the fine-tuning setup, the implementation
project team fine-tunes the process to satisfy both the business and process demands.
During the baseline setup, the initial configuration completed is based on the details you presented
in Client blueprint document. During the fine-tuning setup, the remaining roughly 25 % of the
configuration that was not addressed during the baseline configuration is completed. The
exceptions that are not covered in the baseline configuration are generally dealt with by fine-
tuning. This final tweaking bit reflects the job needed to suit your special needs.
Baseline Configuration Testing
With the help of the SAP consulting team, Client business processes transform into cycles of
business flows, such as Order to cash, procure to pay etc. The cycles serve as independent units
that enable the client to test specific parts of the business process. Consulting team use to
configure the SAP implementation guide (IMG). A tool used to assist in configuring SAP system
in a step by step manner.
Knowledge Transfer
It is important for the project team to be self-sufficient in their awareness of the design of the
SAP system as the configuration stage comes to a close.It is necessary to complete the transition
of information to the configuration team charged with system maintenance (that is, maintenance
of business processes after Go-live) at this time. Furthermore, the end-users were charged with
using the actual.
list of high-level configurations perform during this phase
- Configuring the SAP ECC System as the client requirement
- Defining the Roles & authorizations in projects
- Defining the process flow
- Developing the System unit , integration test plans
- Creating user documentation, Training documentation
- Define the Service level agreement ( SLA)
- Establishing the System Administration function
- Setting up the Quality Assurance environment similary to production
Phase IV: Testing and Final Preparation
Now we are the midst of SAP Go-live preparation but also in the midst of
extensive functional and stress testing as phase 3 merges into phase 4. Step 4 also focuses on the
pre-Go-live fine-tuning of client system setup and, more significantly, the transfer of data to SAP
from the legacy old system.
To ensure the consistency of Client data and the reliability of SAP system, workload testing
(including peak volume, regular load, and other types of stress testing) and the integration or
functional testing are performed. We don’t have that much to go before Go-live, because we
should have started testing back in phase 2.
Now is a vital time for the SAP system to carry out preventive maintenance checks to ensure
optimum performance. Take time to prepare and document a Go-live approach at the end of step4. Go-live planning means preparing for questions from clients end users when they start actively
working on the latest SAP system. Below following activity is performed during this phase.
- Integration Testing, User acceptance test, Training, System management and
Cutover activities - Testing the conversion procedures and programs
- Total Interface, programs and stress testing
- Final User acceptance testing Developing a Final Go-Live strategy
- Redirection to Go-Live? Preparation of End-user documentation
- Training for the End Users
- Technical environment installation on the Production system and testing
- Transfer of Legacy data and preparation plan for Go-Live
Phase V: GO-Live Phase
It is easy to hit the Go-live mark itself now, a smooth and uneventful Go-live is another matter
altogether. Preparation is the key, including attention to what-if scenarios are not only relevant to
the individual business processes introduced, but also to the operation of the technology
underpinning these business processes and preparation for ongoing support, including
maintenance contracts and documentation
- Production support facilities are carried out
- Validations of Business process and their configuration
- Follow up training for End Users
- Sign–Off.
Activate Methodology:
Discover Phase:
The Discover phase is where the customer realises there is a need for a solution to satisfy their business pain point and starts looking out for the right SAP solution to map their requirements. During this phase, customers can apply for a free trial solution if applicable and try it out for themselves to check the features and functionalities of the solution. Customers can even reach out to partners like iQuantM to get the best consulting advise based on years of industry and SAP product experience to find the best solution. By the end of this phase, customers finalize to go ahead with the required SAP solution and move to the next phase in their implementation lifecycle.
Prepare Phase:
As the name suggests, this phase is crucial to both customers and partners as key activities that are crucial to the success of the project are completed with mutual consent. The system is provisioned to the customer post- signing of the contract with SAP and the partner. Simultaneously, key resources are identified from the partner side in terms of the SAP Consultants getting onboarded and enabled. From the customer side, business process owners are identified to provide the right requirements to the consultants implementing the project. A high-level
project plan along with roles and responsibilities is finalised along with the project team, project governance procedure and escalation matrix and the project is ready to kick-off!
During this phase, an initial level of requirement is already collected when the business process owners fill in the Business-Driven Configuration Assessment questionnaire. This is a readily available document for the project team that can be downloaded and used to fasten the project delivery. Based on the answers obtained from the assessment, consultants need to plan for the next and probably most important phase of the SAP Activate Methodology – the Explore Phase.
Explore Phase:
The Explore Phase pretty much lays the foundation for the success of the project. In this phase, customers and partners collaborate with each other for 1 outcome – to finalize the business process to be followed in the new SAP system. This is done by a series of “Fit-to-Standard Analysis” sessions, where the SAP Best Practice business process flow is showcased to the Business Process Owner. Consultants first display a flowchart of the business process and later drive a demo of the same using the initial system that was provisioned to them. The
project team then have a healthy discussion on how the business can map their business to the best practices. This is the usual process when it comes to SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud, otherwise known as SAP S/4HANA Cloud, Multi-tenant Edition. For the SAP S/4HANA business suite and SAP S/4HANA Private Cloud otherwise known as SAP S/4HANA Cloud, Single-tenant Edition, there is an additional “Fit-to-Gap Analysis” session where, additional requirements of the business can be noted and later mapped to the SAP system based on feasibility.
Another major point that SAP Activate has made easier for consultants is the standard migration templates that are readily available to download. This comes as a point of relief, especially for consultants who otherwise used to spend a lot of time coming up with a migration template to help the business fill in the information that is required to be migrated to the new system. This helps the project team save an immense amount of time and the business finds it comfortable to fill in the required information as advised by SAP. The business users are
enabled on the migration templates and they can now internally start working on data consolidation, cleansing, and formatting to be filled into the standard migration templates. This comes as a huge relief to both the customer and partner project teams as working on data is arguable one of the most difficult portions of a project!
One of the best parts of the explore phase is the “Customer Execution of Standard Processes”. What SAP Activate tries to achieve is to build an early relationship between the end-users and the SAP system for an easier and accelerated adoption of widely accepted business processes. Consultants provide the business users with the documents required and help them run an end-to-end cycle in the SAP system. The previously self-enabled business is now familiar with the system and provides their concurrence that they have executed the business
process in the system. They are provided with their own user access to explore and get familiarised with the system. This is great, especially in the initial stages of the project because this helps for an easier UAT in the next phase of the project.
All of the customer’s requirements in terms of additional WRICEF objects – Workflows, Reports, Integrations, Conversions, Enhancements and Forms along with the configuration values are noted in the Backlog document provided by SAP which is then signed off to signed off mutually between the partner and the customer. This backlog document consists of all the customer-specific requirements that need to be available in the SAP system
for the business users to perform their daily tasks. Consultants then prioritize according to feasibility, difficulty and importance and plan the sprints for the Realize Phase where the primary aim is to close each of the Backlog items one by one. A change impact analysis is done to understand how the new system will benefit the business and actions to
enable a smooth transition to the new system are decided among the stakeholders of the project. Key users are identified and an end-user learning needs analysis is done and a learning plan is prepared for the key users who will help drive the success of the system during the duration of the project.
Realize Phase:
Once the Explore Phase deliverables are signed off, the project team can start working on the Quality system provisioned by SAP. In this phase, the SAP consultants start configuring the SAP system according to the Backlog document that is signed off. This happens in an iterative approach where the project team works based on multiple sprints that have been planned to execute the project by breaking down the backlog requirements into smaller deliverables that need to be showcased to the business process owner and signed off as completed
once it matches the agreed-upon completion criteria. This is the phase where consultants are in regular touch with the business process owner to showcase to them, the SAP system they are building through multiple Solution Walkthrough’s that are scheduled through the Realize Phase.
The technical teamwork on completed the WRICEF objects that were noted in the Backlog document during this phase and work hand in hand with the SAP functional consultants and business users to ensure the custom objects are delivered with quality within the timeline.
User Roles and Authorizations can be a hectic process to finalize on, especially in large projects. For the same, SAP has provided us with standard persona-based roles that help the business users with their tasks through an End-to-End business process. For example, a maintenance technician will be provided with standard roles required for a maintenance technician in the SAP system and a maintenance manager will be provided with the
standard role enabling him to perform his tasks as per the best practice in the SAP system.
In this phase, multiple levels of testing such as Unit Testing, String Testing, Integration Testing and User Acceptance Testing is performed to ensure the SAP system is configured according to the customer requirements provided by the business process owners. Data migration testing is also done to ensure the data filled in by the business users are in the correct format and ready to import to the brand-new SAP system.
Once all the deliverables are satisfied, a cutover plan is made to move the configurations, WRICEF objects and master and transactional data to the Production system which will be the system used by the business in real- time. This signifies the end of the Realize Phase.
Deploy Phase:
In the Deploy Phase, once every checkbox is ticked and everything is ready, the business faces a temporary downtime as the new SAP system is Deployed for usage to the business users. This is typically done during a weekend to ensure that customers have little to no effect due to the downtime. The cutover is a process that sometimes gives consultants sleepless nights as this is the culmination of all their hard work being moved into the SAP system for the usage of an entire organisation.
Once the cutover is done successfully and checked by the partner and the customer, the business users are supported by the consultants and the key users who now form the first line of defence in case users have doubts or face an issue. The customers and partners can now relish the success of the project through an intense time filled with dedication and hard work from all stakeholders involved.
Run Phase:
The Run Phase signifies the end of the customer’s lifecycle from identifying a solution for their business need to finally implement the solution and running their business process on the same. In the Run Phase, the customer project team are given only 1 task – to be updated with the latest innovation and technologies in SAP, especially in the product they have implemented by having a “Continuous Learning” to keep up with the pace of technology.