SAP Implementation
Encyclopedia
SAP implementation is the whole of processes that defines a complete method to implement the SAP ERP
enterprise resource planning
software in an organization
. The SAP implementation
method described in this entry is a generic method and not a specific implementation
method as such. It is based on best practice
s and case studies
from various literature sources and presents a collection of processes and products that make up a complete implementation method to allow any organization to plan and execute the implementation of SAP software.
software, such as SAP R/3
is almost always a massive operation that brings a lot of changes in the organization. The whole process can take up to several years. Virtually every person in the organization is involved, whether they are part of the SAP technical support organization (TSO) or the actual end-users of the SAP software. The resulting changes that the implementation of SAP generates are intended to reach high level goals, such as improved communication
and increased return on information
(as people will work with the same information). It is therefore very important that the implementation process is planned and executed with the usage of a solid method. There are various SAP implementation methods. An example of how one company, Robert Bosch GmbH
, implemented SAP R/3 over 10 years is available. This study shows that designing IT architecture is very critical in SAP implementation practices.
IEEE scholar journal reports an industrial case in which the senior management successfully dealt with a troubled SAP R/3 implementation in an international fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) company during 2001 and 2002. (Lui 2008)
vision. These activities allow an organization
to put in on the right track towards implementation
.
Design and initially staff the SAP TSO
The first major step of the project preparation phase is to design and initially staff an SAP technical support organization (TSO), which is the organization
that is charged with addressing, designing, implementing and supporting the SAP solution. This can be programmers, project management, database administrators, test teams, etc. At this point, the focus should be at staffing the key positions of the TSO, e.g. the high-level project team and SAP professionals like the senior database administrator
and the solution architect. Next to that, this is the time to make decisions about choosing for internal staff members or external consultants.
The image at the right shows a typical TSO chart.
Craft solution vision
The second project preparation job is to define a so-called solution vision, i.e. a vision of the future-state of the SAP solution, where it is important to address both business and financial requirements (budgets). The main focus within the vision should be on the company
’s core business
and how the SAP solution will better enable that core business to be successful. Next to that, the shortcomings of the current systems should be described and short but clear requirements should be provided regarding availability (uptime
), security
, manageability and scalability of the SAP system.
process. The phase is illustrated below.
Perform cost of ownership analysis
This phase starts with performing a total cost of ownership analysis (TCO analysis) to determine how to get the best business solution at the lowest costs. This means to compare SAP solution stack options and alternatives and then determine what costs each part of the stack will bring and when these costs will be incurred. Parts of the stack are for example the hardware
, operating system
and database
, which form the acquisition costs. Next to that, there should be taken a look at recurring costs like maintenance costs and downtime
costs. Instead of performing a complete TCO analysis for various solution stack alternatives that would like to compare, it can be wise just to do a so-called delta analysis, where only the differences between solutions (stacks) are identified and analyzed. The image at the right depicts the essence of a delta analysis.
Identify high availability and disaster recovery requirements
The next step is identifying the high availability
requirements and the more serious disaster recovery
requirements. This is to plan what to do with later downtime
of the SAP system, caused by e.g. hardware failures, application failures or power outages. It should be noted that it is very important to calculate the cost of downtime, so that an organization has a good idea of its actual availability requirements.
Engage SAP solution stack vendors
A true sizing process is to engage the SAP solution stack
vendors, which is the next step. This means selecting the best SAP hardware
and software technology partners for all layers and components of the solution stack, based on a side-by-side sizing comparison. The most important factors that are of influence here are the estimated numbers of (concurrent) users and batch sizes. A wise thing to do is to involve SAP AG itself to let them create a sizing proposal stating the advised solution stack, before moving to SAP’s technology partners/SAP vendors, like Accenture
, HP and IBM
. A simplified solution stack is depicted at the right, showing the many layers for which software and hardware has to be acquired. Note the overlap with the OSI model
.
Staff TSO
The TSO (Technical Support Organisation) is the most important resource for an organization that is implementing SAP, so staffing the TSO is a vital job which can consume a lot of time. In a previous phase, the organization
should already have staffed the most vital positions. At this point the organization should staff the bulk of the TSO, i.e. fill the positions that directly support the near-term objectives of the implementation
, which are to develop and begin the installation/implementation of the SAP data center
. Examples are: data center experts, network infrastructure
experts, security
specialists and database administration experts.
There are many ways to find the right people within or outside the organization
for all of the TSO positions and it depends on the organization how much time it wants to spend on staffing.
Training
One of the most vital stages of the implementation process is training
. Very few people within an organization are SAP experts or even have worked with SAP software. It is therefore very important to train the end users but especially the SAP TSO: the people who design and implement the solution. Many people within the TSO need all kinds of training. Some examples of these positions:
All of these people need to acquire the required SAP knowledge and skills or even SAP certification
s through training. Moreover, people need to learn to do business in a totally new way. To define how much SAP training every person needs, a company can make use of a skillset matrix
. With this matrix, a manager can identify who possesses what knowledge, to manage and plan training, by defining the height of expertise with a number between e.g. 1 and 4 for each skill for each employee.
Setup SAP data center
The next step is to set up the SAP data center
. This means either building a new data center facility or transforming the current data center into a foundation capable of supporting the SAP solution stack
, i.e. all of the technology layers and components (SAP software products) in a productive SAP installation. The most important factor when designing the data center is availability
. The high availability and disaster recovery requirements which should have been defined earlier, give a good idea of the required data center requirements to host the SAP software. Data center requirements can be a:
Perform installations
The following step is to install
the required SAP software parts which are called components and technological foundations like a web application server or enterprise portals, to a state ready for business process configuration. The most vital sub steps are to prepare your OS, prepare the database server and then start installing SAP software. Here it is very important to use installation guides, which are published for each SAP component or technology solution by SAP AG. Examples of SAP components are:
Round out support for SAP
Before moving into the functional development phase, the organization should identify and staff the remaining TSO roles, e.g. roles that relate to helpdesk work and other such support providing work.
and testing
. This phase is depicted below.
Address change management
The next challenge for an organization is all about change management
/ change control, which means to develop a planned approach to the changes the organization faces. The objective here is to maximize the collective efforts of all people involved in the change and to minimize the risk of failure of implementing the changes related to the SAP implementation.
The implementation
of SAP software will most surely come with many changes and an organization can expect many natural reactions, i.e. denial, to these changes. To fight this, it is most important to create a solid project team
dedicated to change management
and to communicate the solution vision and goals of this team. This team should be prepared to handle the many change issues that come from various sources like:
SAP systems and operations management
Next thing is to create a foundation for the SAP systems management and SAP computer operations, by creating a SAP operations manual and by evaluating SAP management applications. The manual is a collection of current state system documentation, day-to-day and other regularly scheduled operations tasks, various installation and operations checklists and how-to process documents.
Functional, integration and regression testing
Testing is very important before going live with any system. Before going live with a SAP system, it is vital to do many different kinds of testing, since there is often a large, complex infrastructure of hardware and software involved. Both requirements as well as quality parameters are to be tested. Important types of testing are:
All tests should be preceded by creating solid test plan
s.
Agreements will be met. This can be done with SAP’s standard application benchmarks
, to benchmark the organization’s configurations against configurations that have been tested by SAP’s hardware technology partners. Again, a test plan
should be created at first.
The final phase before going live with SAP is often referred to as the cutover phase, which is the process of transitioning from one system to a new one. The organization
needs to plan, prepare and execute the cutover, by creating a cutover plan that describes all cutover tasks that have to be performed before the actual go-live. Examples of cutover tasks are:
, there are several things that are of great importance:
1) Choose the correct SAP Consultants to have the correct blueprint.
An SAP Consultant is a professional who has the skills to speak to the managers of a company and help them creating the blueprint. For this the SAP Consultant has the business skills of the business area he/she is working with, and also masters this area on SAP. For example, if this is SAP FI (accountancy) Consultant, this person is an expert on accountancy and payments, gained through experience or by the corresponding studies at the University. Also this person knows SAP FI because has gained by the corresponding training, or the course on the SAP Partner Academy or similar.
Benefits: As this person knows about Accountancy he or she will understand the needs of the business and will bring it into reality.
2) SAP R/3 implementation is not an IT project, in fact is an Organization Project impacting all levels of a company. So it is very important to get the support from all the people that are involved in implementing SAP, but more important the participation and commitment of all levels, specially managers, of the company.
3) The Blueprint is the keystone used as the lighthouse who must guide the whole project. A blueprint should never be a merely mapping of IT systems. In fact a blueprint is bringing the strategy of a company into execution through defining its processes across all business areas. Many projects have failed because the focus was on having people with SAP knowledge, but with no business skills and so defining something that works...wrongly. Just remember, processes must change across time, and a manual error automated could be repeated infinitely.
4) Always consider changing the way things have been done before implementing SAP. "This has always been done like this and the Consultant should replicate it on SAP" is the start of a big problem. SAP many times could save you time and money as it allows your organization to automate many processes.
5) Test the SAP hardware and software rigorously by testing your business processes, and to ensure that the end-users are ready to use SAP before going live, because there are many known projects that failed because of a lack of support and SAP knowledge.
6) Design and execute a Change Management Program by communicating as early as needed all the information that end users should have to accept the new technology and designing and executing a training plan in order to reassure a knowledge base within the organizations.
SAP ERP
The SAP ERP application is an integrated enterprise resource planning software manufactured by SAP AG that targets business software requirements of midsize and large organizations in all industries and sectors...
enterprise resource planning
Enterprise resource planning
Enterprise resource planning systems integrate internal and external management information across an entire organization, embracing finance/accounting, manufacturing, sales and service, customer relationship management, etc. ERP systems automate this activity with an integrated software application...
software in an organization
Organization
An organization is a social group which distributes tasks for a collective goal. The word itself is derived from the Greek word organon, itself derived from the better-known word ergon - as we know `organ` - and it means a compartment for a particular job.There are a variety of legal types of...
. The SAP implementation
Implementation
Implementation is the realization of an application, or execution of a plan, idea, model, design, specification, standard, algorithm, or policy.-Computer Science:...
method described in this entry is a generic method and not a specific implementation
Implementation
Implementation is the realization of an application, or execution of a plan, idea, model, design, specification, standard, algorithm, or policy.-Computer Science:...
method as such. It is based on best practice
Best practice
A best practice is a method or technique that has consistently shown results superior to those achieved with other means, and that is used as a benchmark...
s and case studies
Case study
A case study is an intensive analysis of an individual unit stressing developmental factors in relation to context. The case study is common in social sciences and life sciences. Case studies may be descriptive or explanatory. The latter type is used to explore causation in order to find...
from various literature sources and presents a collection of processes and products that make up a complete implementation method to allow any organization to plan and execute the implementation of SAP software.
Introduction
The implementation of SAPSAP AG
SAP AG is a German software corporation that makes enterprise software to manage business operations and customer relations. Headquartered in Walldorf, Baden-Württemberg, with regional offices around the world, SAP is the market leader in enterprise application software...
software, such as SAP R/3
SAP R/3
SAP R/3 is the former name of the main enterprise resource planning software produced by SAP AG. It is an enterprise-wide information system designed to coordinate all the resources, information, and activities needed to complete business processes such as order fulfillment or billing.- History of...
is almost always a massive operation that brings a lot of changes in the organization. The whole process can take up to several years. Virtually every person in the organization is involved, whether they are part of the SAP technical support organization (TSO) or the actual end-users of the SAP software. The resulting changes that the implementation of SAP generates are intended to reach high level goals, such as improved communication
Communication
Communication is the activity of conveying meaningful information. Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can occur across vast...
and increased return on information
Information
Information in its most restricted technical sense is a message or collection of messages that consists of an ordered sequence of symbols, or it is the meaning that can be interpreted from such a message or collection of messages. Information can be recorded or transmitted. It can be recorded as...
(as people will work with the same information). It is therefore very important that the implementation process is planned and executed with the usage of a solid method. There are various SAP implementation methods. An example of how one company, Robert Bosch GmbH
Robert Bosch GmbH
Robert Bosch GmbH is a multinational engineering and electronics company headquartered in Gerlingen, near Stuttgart, Germany. It is the world's largest supplier of automotive components...
, implemented SAP R/3 over 10 years is available. This study shows that designing IT architecture is very critical in SAP implementation practices.
IEEE scholar journal reports an industrial case in which the senior management successfully dealt with a troubled SAP R/3 implementation in an international fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) company during 2001 and 2002. (Lui 2008)
Table of concepts
The data table below provides a summary of all the concepts addressed in the process-data diagram.| Concept | Definition |
|---|---|
| CHANGE MANAGEMENT | ***Activities involved in (1) defining and installing new values, attitudes, norms, and behaviors within an organization that support new ways of doing work and overcome resistance to change; (2) building consensus among customers and stakeholders on specific changes designed to better meet their needs; and (3) planning, testing, and implementing all aspects of the transition from one organizational structure or business process to another. (www.gao.gov) |
| CHANGE MANAGEMENT DOCUMENTATION. | All documentation that is required and being delivered whilst performing change management Change management Change management is a structured approach to shifting/transitioning individuals, teams, and organizations from a current state to a desired future state. It is an organizational process aimed at helping employees to accept and embrace changes in their current business environment.... , e.g. the functional test cases and all the other documents a new end-user End-user Economics and commerce define an end user as the person who uses a product. The end user or consumer may differ from the person who purchases the product... of SAP requires and the various tools and approaches used to manage change by the TSO. (Anderson, 2003) |
| COST OF OWNERSHIP ANALYSIS | Determination of where and when the costs are inquired within the context of the SAP solution stack Solution stack In computing, a solution stack is a set of software subsystems or components needed to deliver a fully functional solution, e.g. a product or service.... and ongoing operations. The analysis Financial analysis Financial analysis refers to an assessment of the viability, stability and profitability of a business, sub-business or project.... addresses all internal and external costs, both one-time as well as recurring (Anderson, 2003) |
| CUTOVER | The process of transitioning from one system System System is a set of interacting or interdependent components forming an integrated whole.... to a new one (Anderson, 2004) |
| CUTOVER PLAN | All documentation related to planning, preparing and executing cutover, describing how to lock down the system from a technical change management Change management Change management is a structured approach to shifting/transitioning individuals, teams, and organizations from a current state to a desired future state. It is an organizational process aimed at helping employees to accept and embrace changes in their current business environment.... perspective, preparing the TSO for its new role and rolling out the SAP graphical user interface to all future end users. (Anderson, 2003) |
| DATA CENTER | A data center Data center A data center is a facility used to house computer systems and associated components, such as telecommunications and storage systems... is a facility used for housing a large amount of electronic equipment, typically computer Computer A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem... s and communications equipment. (www.wikipedia.org) |
| DATA CENTER REQUIREMENT | A requirement for the SAP data center Data center A data center is a facility used to house computer systems and associated components, such as telecommunications and storage systems... , i.e. a physical requirement like power requirements, a rack requirement, a network infrastructure requirement or a requirement to the network server. (Anderson, 2003) |
| DISASTER RECOVERY (DR) REQUIREMENT | Requirement that focuses on downtime Downtime The term downtime is used to refer to periods when a system is unavailable.Downtime or outage duration refers to a period of time that a system fails to provide or perform its primary function... that lasts many hours to days or even weeks (Anderson, 2003) |
| FUNCTIONAL TEST CASE | A set of conditions or variables under which a tester will determine if a certain business process works (www.wikipedia.org) |
| HIGH AVAILABILITY (HA) REQUIREMENT | Requirements that describes the amount of time that the system needs to be available to satisfy the needs of the users. (Anderson, 2003) |
| INSTALLATION DOCUMENTATION | All documentation related to the installation Installation (computer programs) Installation of a program is the act of putting the program onto a computer system so that it can be executed.... of an end-to-end SAP solution (Anderson, 2003) |
| OPERATIONS MANUAL | The collection of current state system documentation, day-to-day and other regularly scheduled operations tasks, various installation and operations checklists and how-to process documents. (Anderson, 2003) |
| SAP | SAP AG SAP AG SAP AG is a German software corporation that makes enterprise software to manage business operations and customer relations. Headquartered in Walldorf, Baden-Württemberg, with regional offices around the world, SAP is the market leader in enterprise application software... is the name of the biggest European software company. The head office is in Walldorf, Germany. SAP was founded in 1972 as Systemanalyse and Programmentwicklung ("Systems Analysis and Product") by five former IBM employees in Mannheim, Germany. (www.wikipedia.org) |
| SAP IMPLEMENTATION PROJECT PLAN | A comprehensive project plan Project plan A project plan, according to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, isPRINCE2 defines:In some industries, particularly information technology, the term "project plan" can refer to a Gantt chart or other document that shows project activities along a timeline. While common, this use is inaccurate... that contains all products that are delivered whilst performing an SAP implementation Implementation Implementation is the realization of an application, or execution of a plan, idea, model, design, specification, standard, algorithm, or policy.-Computer Science:... project (Anderson, 2003) |
| SOLUTION STACK | Set of software subsystems or components needed to deliver a fully functional solution, e.g. a product or service. (www.wikipedia.org) |
| SOLUTION STACK PARTNERS LIST | A list of all vendors that deliver the products that make up the SAP solution stack Solution stack In computing, a solution stack is a set of software subsystems or components needed to deliver a fully functional solution, e.g. a product or service.... (Anderson, 2003) |
| SOLUTION VISION | A vision of the future-state of the SAP solution (Anderson, 2003) |
| STRESS TEST PLAN | A test plan Test plan A test plan is a document detailing a systematic approach to testing a system such as a machine or software. The plan typically contains a detailed understanding of what the eventual workflow will be.-Test plans:... that is focused at determining the stability of a given system or entity. It involves testing beyond normal operational capacity, often to a breaking point, in order to observe the results. (www.wikipedia.org) |
| TEST PLAN | A detail of how the test will proceed, who will do the testing, what will be tested, in how much time the test will take place, and to what quality level the test will be performed. (IEEE 829) |
| TRAINING | The acquisition of knowledge Knowledge Knowledge is a familiarity with someone or something unknown, which can include information, facts, descriptions, or skills acquired through experience or education. It can refer to the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject... , skills, and attitudes as a result of the teaching of vocational or practical skills and knowledge that relates to specific useful skills (www.wikipedia.org) |
| TRAINING PLAN | Consisting of training Training The term training refers to the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and competencies as a result of the teaching of vocational or practical skills and knowledge that relate to specific useful competencies. It forms the core of apprenticeships and provides the backbone of content at institutes of... units, a training plan is the result of hierarchical decompositions of a training goal, tailored according to the learning preferences and prior knowledge of the trainee. A plan is the means by which the trainee satisfies the goal. (www.ece.eps.hw.ac.uk/) |
| TSO | Technical Support Organization. The people that are committed to implementation and management of SAP. (Anderson, 2003) |
| TSO CHART | A chart that depicts the structure of the TSO. (Anderson, 2003) |
Activity table
The following table provides a summary of all of the activities that form the SAP implementation process. These activities will be described with more detail and elaborated with examples in the rest of this entry.| Activity | Sub-Activity | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Project preparation | Craft solution vision | Refine and communicate a SOLUTION VISION of the future-state of the SAP solution, to sketch a design that meets both business and financial requirements. The focus should be on the company’s core business and how the SAP solution will better enable that core business to be successful. Some of the guidance and key requirements for how to put together an ERP and SAP business case for ROI, business benefit, and success includes focusing on competitive pressures, value propositions, and how the solution enables success. |
| Design and initially staff the SAP TSO | Design and staff the key positions of the SAP Technical Support Organization (TSO), the organization that is charged with addressing, designing, implementing and supporting the SAP solution. | |
| Sizing and blueprinting | Perform cost of ownership analysis | Perform a COST OF OWNERSHIP ANALYSIS to determine how to get the best business solution for the least money i.e. to determine where and when the costs are incurred within the context of the SAP solution stack Solution stack In computing, a solution stack is a set of software subsystems or components needed to deliver a fully functional solution, e.g. a product or service.... . |
| Identify high availability High availability High availability is a system design approach and associated service implementation that ensures a prearranged level of operational performance will be met during a contractual measurement period.... and disaster recovery Disaster recovery Disaster recovery is the process, policies and procedures related to preparing for recovery or continuation of technology infrastructure critical to an organization after a natural or human-induced disaster. Disaster recovery is a subset of business continuity... requirements |
Determine all HIGH AVAILABILITY and DISASTER RECOVERY REQUIREMENTS, to plan what to do with later downtime Downtime The term downtime is used to refer to periods when a system is unavailable.Downtime or outage duration refers to a period of time that a system fails to provide or perform its primary function... of the SAP system |
|
| Engage SAP solution stack Solution stack In computing, a solution stack is a set of software subsystems or components needed to deliver a fully functional solution, e.g. a product or service.... vendors |
Select the best SAP hardware Hardware Hardware is a general term for equipment such as keys, locks, hinges, latches, handles, wire, chains, plumbing supplies, tools, utensils, cutlery and machine parts. Household hardware is typically sold in hardware stores.... and software technology partners for all layers and components of the SAP SOLUTION STACK, based on a side-by-side sizing comparison |
|
| Staff TSO | Staff the bulk of the TSO, i.e. fill the positions that directly support the near-term objectives of the implementation, which are to develop and begin installation Installation (computer programs) Installation of a program is the act of putting the program onto a computer system so that it can be executed.... /implementation Implementation Implementation is the realization of an application, or execution of a plan, idea, model, design, specification, standard, algorithm, or policy.-Computer Science:... of the SAP data center Data center A data center is a facility used to house computer systems and associated components, such as telecommunications and storage systems... . |
|
| Execute training Training The term training refers to the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and competencies as a result of the teaching of vocational or practical skills and knowledge that relate to specific useful competencies. It forms the core of apprenticeships and provides the backbone of content at institutes of... |
Train the various members of the SAP TSO, like data center Data center A data center is a facility used to house computer systems and associated components, such as telecommunications and storage systems... specialists, high availability High availability High availability is a system design approach and associated service implementation that ensures a prearranged level of operational performance will be met during a contractual measurement period.... specialist and network specialists and train the end-users to give all the required SAP knowledge Knowledge Knowledge is a familiarity with someone or something unknown, which can include information, facts, descriptions, or skills acquired through experience or education. It can refer to the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject... and skills |
|
| Setup SAP DATA CENTER | Build a new SAP DATA CENTER facility or transform the current data center into a foundation capable of supporting the SAP SOLUTION STACK | |
| Perform installations | Install the (My)SAP components and technological foundations like a web application server Server (computing) In the context of client-server architecture, a server is a computer program running to serve the requests of other programs, the "clients". Thus, the "server" performs some computational task on behalf of "clients"... or enterprise portal. |
|
| Round out support for SAP | Identify and staff the remaining TSO roles, e.g. roles that relate to help desk work and other such support providing work. | |
| SAP functional development | Address Change Management Change management Change management is a structured approach to shifting/transitioning individuals, teams, and organizations from a current state to a desired future state. It is an organizational process aimed at helping employees to accept and embrace changes in their current business environment.... |
Develop a planned approach to the changes in the organization Organization An organization is a social group which distributes tasks for a collective goal. The word itself is derived from the Greek word organon, itself derived from the better-known word ergon - as we know `organ` - and it means a compartment for a particular job.There are a variety of legal types of... . The objective is to maximize the collective efforts of all people involved in the change and minimize the risk Risk Risk is the potential that a chosen action or activity will lead to a loss . The notion implies that a choice having an influence on the outcome exists . Potential losses themselves may also be called "risks"... of failure of implementing the changes related to the SAP implementation Implementation Implementation is the realization of an application, or execution of a plan, idea, model, design, specification, standard, algorithm, or policy.-Computer Science:... . |
| Address SAP systems and operations management | Create a foundation for the SAP systems management Management Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively... and SAP computer operations, by creating a SAP OPERATIONS MANUAL and by evaluating SAP management applications. |
|
| Perform functional, integration and regression tests | Test the SAP business processes, by executing functional tests to ensure that business processes work, integration tests to ensure that the organization’s business processes work together with other business processes and regression tests to prove that a specific set of data and processes yield consistent and repeatable results. | |
| Final Preparation | Perform systems and stress tests | Plan, script, execute and monitor SAP STRESS TESTS, to see if the expectations of the end users, defined in service level agreements, will be met. |
| Prepare for cutover | Plan, prepare and execute the CUTOVER, by creating a CUTOVER PLAN that describes all cutover tasks that have to be performed before the actual go-live | |
| Go Live | Turn on the SAP system for the end-users | |
Project preparation
The project preparation phase, depicted below, focuses at two main activities, i.e. to make a setup for the TSO and to define a solutionSolution
In chemistry, a solution is a homogeneous mixture composed of only one phase. In such a mixture, a solute is dissolved in another substance, known as a solvent. The solvent does the dissolving.- Types of solutions :...
vision. These activities allow an organization
Organization
An organization is a social group which distributes tasks for a collective goal. The word itself is derived from the Greek word organon, itself derived from the better-known word ergon - as we know `organ` - and it means a compartment for a particular job.There are a variety of legal types of...
to put in on the right track towards implementation
Implementation
Implementation is the realization of an application, or execution of a plan, idea, model, design, specification, standard, algorithm, or policy.-Computer Science:...
.
Design and initially staff the SAP TSO
The first major step of the project preparation phase is to design and initially staff an SAP technical support organization (TSO), which is the organization
Organization
An organization is a social group which distributes tasks for a collective goal. The word itself is derived from the Greek word organon, itself derived from the better-known word ergon - as we know `organ` - and it means a compartment for a particular job.There are a variety of legal types of...
that is charged with addressing, designing, implementing and supporting the SAP solution. This can be programmers, project management, database administrators, test teams, etc. At this point, the focus should be at staffing the key positions of the TSO, e.g. the high-level project team and SAP professionals like the senior database administrator
Database administrator
A database administrator is a person responsible for the design, implementation, maintenance and repair of an organization's database. They are also known by the titles Database Coordinator or Database Programmer, and is closely related to the Database Analyst, Database Modeller, Programmer...
and the solution architect. Next to that, this is the time to make decisions about choosing for internal staff members or external consultants.
The image at the right shows a typical TSO chart.
Craft solution vision
The second project preparation job is to define a so-called solution vision, i.e. a vision of the future-state of the SAP solution, where it is important to address both business and financial requirements (budgets). The main focus within the vision should be on the company
Company
A company is a form of business organization. It is an association or collection of individual real persons and/or other companies, who each provide some form of capital. This group has a common purpose or focus and an aim of gaining profits. This collection, group or association of persons can be...
’s core business
Core business
The core business of an organization is an idealized construct intended to express that organization's "main" or "essential" activity.The corporate trend in the mid-20th Century of acquiring new enterprises and forming conglomerates enabled corporations to reduce costs funds and similar investment...
and how the SAP solution will better enable that core business to be successful. Next to that, the shortcomings of the current systems should be described and short but clear requirements should be provided regarding availability (uptime
Uptime
Uptime is a measure of the time a machine has been up without any downtime.It is often used as a measure of computer operating system reliability or stability, in that this time represents the time a computer can be left unattended without crashing, or needing to be rebooted for administrative or...
), security
Security
Security is the degree of protection against danger, damage, loss, and crime. Security as a form of protection are structures and processes that provide or improve security as a condition. The Institute for Security and Open Methodologies in the OSSTMM 3 defines security as "a form of protection...
, manageability and scalability of the SAP system.
Sizing and blueprinting
The next phase is often referred to as the sizing and blueprinting phase and forms the main chunk of the implementationImplementation
Implementation is the realization of an application, or execution of a plan, idea, model, design, specification, standard, algorithm, or policy.-Computer Science:...
process. The phase is illustrated below.
Perform cost of ownership analysis
This phase starts with performing a total cost of ownership analysis (TCO analysis) to determine how to get the best business solution at the lowest costs. This means to compare SAP solution stack options and alternatives and then determine what costs each part of the stack will bring and when these costs will be incurred. Parts of the stack are for example the hardware
Hardware
Hardware is a general term for equipment such as keys, locks, hinges, latches, handles, wire, chains, plumbing supplies, tools, utensils, cutlery and machine parts. Household hardware is typically sold in hardware stores....
, operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
and database
Database
A database is an organized collection of data for one or more purposes, usually in digital form. The data are typically organized to model relevant aspects of reality , in a way that supports processes requiring this information...
, which form the acquisition costs. Next to that, there should be taken a look at recurring costs like maintenance costs and downtime
Downtime
The term downtime is used to refer to periods when a system is unavailable.Downtime or outage duration refers to a period of time that a system fails to provide or perform its primary function...
costs. Instead of performing a complete TCO analysis for various solution stack alternatives that would like to compare, it can be wise just to do a so-called delta analysis, where only the differences between solutions (stacks) are identified and analyzed. The image at the right depicts the essence of a delta analysis.
Identify high availability and disaster recovery requirements
The next step is identifying the high availability
High availability
High availability is a system design approach and associated service implementation that ensures a prearranged level of operational performance will be met during a contractual measurement period....
requirements and the more serious disaster recovery
Disaster recovery
Disaster recovery is the process, policies and procedures related to preparing for recovery or continuation of technology infrastructure critical to an organization after a natural or human-induced disaster. Disaster recovery is a subset of business continuity...
requirements. This is to plan what to do with later downtime
Downtime
The term downtime is used to refer to periods when a system is unavailable.Downtime or outage duration refers to a period of time that a system fails to provide or perform its primary function...
of the SAP system, caused by e.g. hardware failures, application failures or power outages. It should be noted that it is very important to calculate the cost of downtime, so that an organization has a good idea of its actual availability requirements.
Engage SAP solution stack vendors
A true sizing process is to engage the SAP solution stack
Solution stack
In computing, a solution stack is a set of software subsystems or components needed to deliver a fully functional solution, e.g. a product or service....
vendors, which is the next step. This means selecting the best SAP hardware
Hardware
Hardware is a general term for equipment such as keys, locks, hinges, latches, handles, wire, chains, plumbing supplies, tools, utensils, cutlery and machine parts. Household hardware is typically sold in hardware stores....
and software technology partners for all layers and components of the solution stack, based on a side-by-side sizing comparison. The most important factors that are of influence here are the estimated numbers of (concurrent) users and batch sizes. A wise thing to do is to involve SAP AG itself to let them create a sizing proposal stating the advised solution stack, before moving to SAP’s technology partners/SAP vendors, like Accenture
Accenture
Accenture plc is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company headquartered in Dublin, Republic of Ireland. It is the largest consulting firm in the world and is a Fortune Global 500 company. As of September 2011, the company had more than 236,000 employees across...
, HP and IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
. A simplified solution stack is depicted at the right, showing the many layers for which software and hardware has to be acquired. Note the overlap with the OSI model
OSI model
The Open Systems Interconnection model is a product of the Open Systems Interconnection effort at the International Organization for Standardization. It is a prescription of characterizing and standardizing the functions of a communications system in terms of abstraction layers. Similar...
.
Staff TSO
The TSO (Technical Support Organisation) is the most important resource for an organization that is implementing SAP, so staffing the TSO is a vital job which can consume a lot of time. In a previous phase, the organization
Organization
An organization is a social group which distributes tasks for a collective goal. The word itself is derived from the Greek word organon, itself derived from the better-known word ergon - as we know `organ` - and it means a compartment for a particular job.There are a variety of legal types of...
should already have staffed the most vital positions. At this point the organization should staff the bulk of the TSO, i.e. fill the positions that directly support the near-term objectives of the implementation
Implementation
Implementation is the realization of an application, or execution of a plan, idea, model, design, specification, standard, algorithm, or policy.-Computer Science:...
, which are to develop and begin the installation/implementation of the SAP data center
Data center
A data center is a facility used to house computer systems and associated components, such as telecommunications and storage systems...
. Examples are: data center experts, network infrastructure
Infrastructure
Infrastructure is basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function...
experts, security
Security
Security is the degree of protection against danger, damage, loss, and crime. Security as a form of protection are structures and processes that provide or improve security as a condition. The Institute for Security and Open Methodologies in the OSSTMM 3 defines security as "a form of protection...
specialists and database administration experts.
There are many ways to find the right people within or outside the organization
Organization
An organization is a social group which distributes tasks for a collective goal. The word itself is derived from the Greek word organon, itself derived from the better-known word ergon - as we know `organ` - and it means a compartment for a particular job.There are a variety of legal types of...
for all of the TSO positions and it depends on the organization how much time it wants to spend on staffing.
Training
One of the most vital stages of the implementation process is training
Training
The term training refers to the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and competencies as a result of the teaching of vocational or practical skills and knowledge that relate to specific useful competencies. It forms the core of apprenticeships and provides the backbone of content at institutes of...
. Very few people within an organization are SAP experts or even have worked with SAP software. It is therefore very important to train the end users but especially the SAP TSO: the people who design and implement the solution. Many people within the TSO need all kinds of training. Some examples of these positions:
- SAP Network Specialists
- SAP DatabaseDatabaseA database is an organized collection of data for one or more purposes, usually in digital form. The data are typically organized to model relevant aspects of reality , in a way that supports processes requiring this information...
Administrators - SAP SecuritySecuritySecurity is the degree of protection against danger, damage, loss, and crime. Security as a form of protection are structures and processes that provide or improve security as a condition. The Institute for Security and Open Methodologies in the OSSTMM 3 defines security as "a form of protection...
specialists - DocumentationDocumentationDocumentation is a term used in several different ways. Generally, documentation refers to the process of providing evidence.Modules of Documentation are Helpful...
specialists - Et cetera
All of these people need to acquire the required SAP knowledge and skills or even SAP certification
Certification
Certification refers to the confirmation of certain characteristics of an object, person, or organization. This confirmation is often, but not always, provided by some form of external review, education, assessment, or audit...
s through training. Moreover, people need to learn to do business in a totally new way. To define how much SAP training every person needs, a company can make use of a skillset matrix
Matrix (mathematics)
In mathematics, a matrix is a rectangular array of numbers, symbols, or expressions. The individual items in a matrix are called its elements or entries. An example of a matrix with six elements isMatrices of the same size can be added or subtracted element by element...
. With this matrix, a manager can identify who possesses what knowledge, to manage and plan training, by defining the height of expertise with a number between e.g. 1 and 4 for each skill for each employee.
Setup SAP data center
The next step is to set up the SAP data center
Data center
A data center is a facility used to house computer systems and associated components, such as telecommunications and storage systems...
. This means either building a new data center facility or transforming the current data center into a foundation capable of supporting the SAP solution stack
Solution stack
In computing, a solution stack is a set of software subsystems or components needed to deliver a fully functional solution, e.g. a product or service....
, i.e. all of the technology layers and components (SAP software products) in a productive SAP installation. The most important factor when designing the data center is availability
Availability
In telecommunications and reliability theory, the term availability has the following meanings:* The degree to which a system, subsystem, or equipment is in a specified operable and committable state at the start of a mission, when the mission is called for at an unknown, i.e., a random, time...
. The high availability and disaster recovery requirements which should have been defined earlier, give a good idea of the required data center requirements to host the SAP software. Data center requirements can be a:
- Physical requirement like power requirements
- Rack requirement
- Network infrastructure requirement or
- Requirement to the network server.
Perform installations
The following step is to install
Installation (computer programs)
Installation of a program is the act of putting the program onto a computer system so that it can be executed....
the required SAP software parts which are called components and technological foundations like a web application server or enterprise portals, to a state ready for business process configuration. The most vital sub steps are to prepare your OS, prepare the database server and then start installing SAP software. Here it is very important to use installation guides, which are published for each SAP component or technology solution by SAP AG. Examples of SAP components are:
- R/3 Enterprise — Transaction Processing
- mySAP BI — Business Information Warehouse
- mySAP CRM — Customer Relationship ManagementCustomer relationship managementCustomer relationship management is a widely implemented strategy for managing a company’s interactions with customers, clients and sales prospects. It involves using technology to organize, automate, and synchronize business processes—principally sales activities, but also those for marketing,...
- mySAP KW — Knowledge Warehouse
- mySAP PLM — Product Lifecycle ManagementProduct lifecycle managementIn industry, product lifecycle management is the process of managing the entire lifecycle of a product from its conception, through design and manufacture, to service and disposal...
- mySAP SCM — Supply Chain ManagementSupply chain managementSupply chain management is the management of a network of interconnected businesses involved in the ultimate provision of product and service packages required by end customers...
- mySAP SEM — Strategic Enterprise Management
- mySAP SRM — Supplier Relationship Management
- mySAP HCM — Human Capital Management
Round out support for SAP
Before moving into the functional development phase, the organization should identify and staff the remaining TSO roles, e.g. roles that relate to helpdesk work and other such support providing work.
Functional development
The next phase is the functional development phase, where it is all about change managementChange management
Change management is a structured approach to shifting/transitioning individuals, teams, and organizations from a current state to a desired future state. It is an organizational process aimed at helping employees to accept and embrace changes in their current business environment....
and testing
Software testing
Software testing is an investigation conducted to provide stakeholders with information about the quality of the product or service under test. Software testing can also provide an objective, independent view of the software to allow the business to appreciate and understand the risks of software...
. This phase is depicted below.
Address change management
The next challenge for an organization is all about change management
Change management
Change management is a structured approach to shifting/transitioning individuals, teams, and organizations from a current state to a desired future state. It is an organizational process aimed at helping employees to accept and embrace changes in their current business environment....
/ change control, which means to develop a planned approach to the changes the organization faces. The objective here is to maximize the collective efforts of all people involved in the change and to minimize the risk of failure of implementing the changes related to the SAP implementation.
The implementation
Implementation
Implementation is the realization of an application, or execution of a plan, idea, model, design, specification, standard, algorithm, or policy.-Computer Science:...
of SAP software will most surely come with many changes and an organization can expect many natural reactions, i.e. denial, to these changes. To fight this, it is most important to create a solid project team
Project team
A project team is a team whose members usually belong to different groups, functions and are assigned to activities for the same project. A team can be divided into sub-teams according to need. Usually project teams are only used for a defined period of time. They are disbanded after the project is...
dedicated to change management
Change management
Change management is a structured approach to shifting/transitioning individuals, teams, and organizations from a current state to a desired future state. It is an organizational process aimed at helping employees to accept and embrace changes in their current business environment....
and to communicate the solution vision and goals of this team. This team should be prepared to handle the many change issues that come from various sources like:
- End-userEnd-userEconomics and commerce define an end user as the person who uses a product. The end user or consumer may differ from the person who purchases the product...
requests - OperationsBusiness operationsBusiness operations are those ongoing recurring activities involved in the running of a business for the purpose of producing value for the stakeholders...
- Data centerData centerA data center is a facility used to house computer systems and associated components, such as telecommunications and storage systems...
team - DBA group
- Systems managementSystems managementSystems management refers to enterprise-wide administration of distributed systems including computer systems. Systems management is strongly influenced by network management initiatives in telecommunications....
SAP systems and operations management
Next thing is to create a foundation for the SAP systems management and SAP computer operations, by creating a SAP operations manual and by evaluating SAP management applications. The manual is a collection of current state system documentation, day-to-day and other regularly scheduled operations tasks, various installation and operations checklists and how-to process documents.
Functional, integration and regression testing
Testing is very important before going live with any system. Before going live with a SAP system, it is vital to do many different kinds of testing, since there is often a large, complex infrastructure of hardware and software involved. Both requirements as well as quality parameters are to be tested. Important types of testing are:
- Functional testing: to test using functional use cases, i.e. a set of conditions or variables under which a tester will determine if a certain business process works
- Integration testingIntegration testingIntegration testing is the phase in software testing in which individual software modules are combined and tested as a group. It occurs after unit testing and before validation testing...
- Regression testingRegression testingRegression testing is any type of software testing that seeks to uncover new errors, or regressions, in existing functionality after changes have been made to a system, such as functional enhancements, patches or configuration changes....
All tests should be preceded by creating solid test plan
Test plan
A test plan is a document detailing a systematic approach to testing a system such as a machine or software. The plan typically contains a detailed understanding of what the eventual workflow will be.-Test plans:...
s.
Agreements will be met. This can be done with SAP’s standard application benchmarks
Benchmark (computing)
In computing, a benchmark is the act of running a computer program, a set of programs, or other operations, in order to assess the relative performance of an object, normally by running a number of standard tests and trials against it...
, to benchmark the organization’s configurations against configurations that have been tested by SAP’s hardware technology partners. Again, a test plan
Test plan
A test plan is a document detailing a systematic approach to testing a system such as a machine or software. The plan typically contains a detailed understanding of what the eventual workflow will be.-Test plans:...
should be created at first.
Final preparation
Prepare for cutoverThe final phase before going live with SAP is often referred to as the cutover phase, which is the process of transitioning from one system to a new one. The organization
Organization
An organization is a social group which distributes tasks for a collective goal. The word itself is derived from the Greek word organon, itself derived from the better-known word ergon - as we know `organ` - and it means a compartment for a particular job.There are a variety of legal types of...
needs to plan, prepare and execute the cutover, by creating a cutover plan that describes all cutover tasks that have to be performed before the actual go-live. Examples of cutover tasks are:
- Review and update all systems-related operations procedures like backupBackupIn information technology, a backup or the process of backing up is making copies of data which may be used to restore the original after a data loss event. The verb form is back up in two words, whereas the noun is backup....
policies and system monitoring - Assign ownership of SAP’s functional processes to individuals
- Let SAP AGSAP AGSAP AG is a German software corporation that makes enterprise software to manage business operations and customer relations. Headquartered in Walldorf, Baden-Württemberg, with regional offices around the world, SAP is the market leader in enterprise application software...
do a GoingLive check, to get their blessing to go live with the system - Lock down the system, i.e. do not make any more changes to the SAP system
Go live
All of the previously described phases all lead towards this final moment: the go-live. Go-live means to turn on the SAP system for the end-users and to obtain feedback on the solution and to monitor the solution. It is also the moment where product software adoption comes into play. More information on this topic:- Product Software Adoption: Big Bang Adoption
- Product Software Adoption: Parallel AdoptionParallel adoptionParallel adoption is a method for transferring between an old system to a target system in an organization. In order to reduce risk, the old and new system run simultaneously for some period of time after which, if the criteria for the new system are met, the old system is disabled...
- Product Software Adoption: Phased AdoptionPhased adoptionPhased adoption is a strategy of implementing an innovation in an organization in a phased way, so that different parts of the organization are implemented in different subsequent time slots...
Critical success factors
In order to successfully implement SAP in an organizationOrganization
An organization is a social group which distributes tasks for a collective goal. The word itself is derived from the Greek word organon, itself derived from the better-known word ergon - as we know `organ` - and it means a compartment for a particular job.There are a variety of legal types of...
, there are several things that are of great importance:
1) Choose the correct SAP Consultants to have the correct blueprint.
An SAP Consultant is a professional who has the skills to speak to the managers of a company and help them creating the blueprint. For this the SAP Consultant has the business skills of the business area he/she is working with, and also masters this area on SAP. For example, if this is SAP FI (accountancy) Consultant, this person is an expert on accountancy and payments, gained through experience or by the corresponding studies at the University. Also this person knows SAP FI because has gained by the corresponding training, or the course on the SAP Partner Academy or similar.
Benefits: As this person knows about Accountancy he or she will understand the needs of the business and will bring it into reality.
2) SAP R/3 implementation is not an IT project, in fact is an Organization Project impacting all levels of a company. So it is very important to get the support from all the people that are involved in implementing SAP, but more important the participation and commitment of all levels, specially managers, of the company.
3) The Blueprint is the keystone used as the lighthouse who must guide the whole project. A blueprint should never be a merely mapping of IT systems. In fact a blueprint is bringing the strategy of a company into execution through defining its processes across all business areas. Many projects have failed because the focus was on having people with SAP knowledge, but with no business skills and so defining something that works...wrongly. Just remember, processes must change across time, and a manual error automated could be repeated infinitely.
4) Always consider changing the way things have been done before implementing SAP. "This has always been done like this and the Consultant should replicate it on SAP" is the start of a big problem. SAP many times could save you time and money as it allows your organization to automate many processes.
5) Test the SAP hardware and software rigorously by testing your business processes, and to ensure that the end-users are ready to use SAP before going live, because there are many known projects that failed because of a lack of support and SAP knowledge.
6) Design and execute a Change Management Program by communicating as early as needed all the information that end users should have to accept the new technology and designing and executing a training plan in order to reassure a knowledge base within the organizations.
See also
- Product Software AdoptionAdoption (software implementation)Adoption deals with the transfer between an old system to a target system in an organization. So if a company works with an old software system, it may want to use a new system which is more efficient, has more work capacity etc. So then a new system needs to be adopted, where after it can be...
- Wikipedia:WikiProject Method engineering