SAP Implementation.doc

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SAP Implementation - Overview

Overview:-

SAP implementationis the whole of processes that defines a completemethod to implement the SAP ERP enterprise resource planning software inan organization. The SAP implementation method described in this entry is ageneric method and not a specific implementation method as such. It isbased on best practices and case studies from various literature sources andpresents a collection of processes and products that mae up a completeimplementation method to allow any organization to plan and e!ecute theimplementation of SAP software.

The implementation of SAP software" such as SAP R#$ is almost always a

massive operation that brings a lot of changes in the organization. The wholeprocess can tae up to several months to years. %irtually every person in theorganization is involved" whether they are part of the SAP technical supportorganization &TS'( or the actual end)users of the SAP software. The resultingchanges that the implementation of SAP generates are intended to reachhigh level goals" such as improved communication and increased return oninformation. It is therefore very important that the implementation process isplanned and e!ecuted with the usage of a solid method. There are variousSAP implementation methods. *esigning IT architecture is very critical in SAPimplementation practices.

Various Terms Used in SAP Implementation:-

CHANGE ANAGEENT:- Activities involved in-

(1) defining and installing new values, attitudes, norms, and behaviors within an organizationthat support new ways of doing work and overcome resistance to change.

() building consensus among customers and stakeholders on specific changes designed to better

meet their needs.

(!) planning, testing, and implementing all aspects of the transition from one organizationalstructure or business process to another.

CHANGE ANAGEENT !OCUENTATION:- All documentation that is re"uired and

being delivered whilst performing change management, e.g. the functional test cases and all the

other documents a new end-user of #A$ re"uires and the various tools and approaches used tomanage change by the %#&.
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COST O" O#NE$SHIP ANA%&SIS:-'etermination of where and when the costs are

in"uired within the contet of the #A$ solution stack and ongoing operations. %he analysisaddresses all internal and eternal costs, both one-time as well as recurring

CUTOVE$:- %he process of transitioning from one system to a new one.

!ATA CENTE$:- A data center is a facility used for housing a large amount of electronic

e"uipment, typically computers and communications e"uipment as well as for data storage.

!ATA CENTE$ $E'UI$EENT:-A re"uirement for the #A$ data center, i.e. a physical

re"uirement like power re"uirements, a rack re"uirement, a network infrastructure re"uirement

or a re"uirement to the network server.

!ISASTE$ $ECOVE$& (!$) $E'UI$EENT:-e"uirement that focuses on downtime

that lasts many hours to days or even weeks.

"UNCTIONA% TEST CASE:-A set of conditions or variables under which a tester will

determine if a certain business process works or not.

HIGH AVAI%A*I%IT& (HA) $E'UI$EENT:-e"uirements that describes the amount of

time that the system needs to be available to satisfy the needs of the users.

INSTA%%ATION !OCUENTATION:-All documentation related to the installation of an

end-to-end #A$ solution.

OPE$ATIONS ANUA%:-%he 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.

SAP:- #A$ A* is the name of the biggest +uropean software company. %he head office is in

alldorf, *ermany. #A$ was founded in 1 as #ystemanalyse and $rogrammentwicklung(/#ystems Analysis and $roduct/) by five former 02 employees in 2annheim, *ermany.

SAP IP%EENTATION P$O+ECT P%AN:-A comprehensive pro3ect plan that contains

all products that are delivered whilst performing an #A$ implementation pro3ect.

SO%UTION STAC,:-#et of software subsystems or components needed to deliver a fully

functional solution, e.g. a product or service.

SO%UTION STAC, PA$TNE$S %IST:-A list of all vendors that deliver the products that

make up the #A$ solution stack.

SO%UTION VISION:-A vision of the future-state of the #A$ solution.

ST$ESS TEST P%AN:-A test plan that is focused at determining the stability of a given


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system or entity. 0t involves testing beyond normal operational capacity, often to a breaking

point, in order to observe the results.

TEST P%AN:-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 "uality level the test will be performed.

T$AINING:-%he ac"uisition of knowledge, skills, and attitudes as a result of the teaching of

vocational or practical skills and knowledge that relates to specific useful skills.

T$AINING P%AN:-4onsisting of training 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.

TSO:-%echnical #upport &rganization. %he people that are committed to implementation and

management of #A$.

TSO CHA$T:-A chart that depicts the structure of the %#&.

Critial suess .ators

0n order to successfully implement #A$ in an organization, there are several things that are of

great importance5

/) C0oose t0e orret SAP Consultants to 0ave t0e orret 1lueprint:A #A$ 4onsultant is a

professional who has the skills to speak to the managers of a company and help them creating the

blueprint. 6or this the #A$ 4onsultant has the business skills of the business area he7she isworking with, and also masters this area on #A$.

2) SAP $34 implementation is not an IT pro5et5 0t is an &rganization $ro3ect impacting alllevels of a company. #o it is very important to get the support from all the people that are

involved in implementing #A$, but more important the participation and commitment of alllevels, specially managers, of the company.

4) T0e *lueprint is t0e 6e7stone:8sed as the lighthouse who must guide the whole pro3ect. A

blueprint should never be a merely mapping of 0% systems. 0n fact a blueprint is bringing thestrategy of a company into eecution through defining its processes across all business areas.

2any pro3ects have failed because the focus was on having people with #A$ knowledge, but

with no business skills and so defining something that works...wrongly.9) Alwa7s onsider 0an8in8 t0e wa7 t0in8s 0ave 1een done1e.ore implementin8 SAP:

/%his has always been done like this and the 4onsultant should replicate it on #A$/ is the start of

a big problem. #A$ many times could save you time and money as it allows your organization toautomate many processes.:) Test t0e SAP 0ardware and so.tware ri8orousl7by testing your business processes, and to

ensure that the end-users are ready to use #A$ before going live, because there are many known

pro3ects that failed because of a lack of support and #A$ knowledge.;) !esi8n and e9eute a C0an8e ana8ement Pro8ramby communicating as early as needed

all the information that end users should have to accept the new technology and designing and

eecuting a training plan in order to reassure a knowledge base within the organizations.


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6. aintenane pro5et

A pro3ect to maintain a solution

...+ in 4hange e"uest 2anagement. %he pro3ect contains all maintenance activities and urgent

corrections of a solution.+ in 4heck-0n74heck-&ut usiness $rocesses from the #olution 'irectory

= Support Pro5et

4ustomer has already installed #A$ = wants to give the work of maintaining those systems. %his

is support pro3ect. %here are no phases in it. >ust receive the tickets, solve and send back to

client.

> $ollouts

4ustomer has upgraded his version = wants to rollout country specific changes.

%his is rollout pro3ect

? !evelopment pro5et

?ew $ro3ect from #cratch

/@ En0anement pro5et

4ustomer ?eeds 2ore

Implemenattion P0ases:

/ Pro5et and Pro8ram ana8ement (Pro5et Preparation)

0n this phase you plan your pro3ect and lay the foundations for successful implementation. 0t is at

this stage that you make the strategic decisions crucial to your pro3ect5

o 'efine your pro3ect goals and ob3ectiveso 4larify the scope of your implementation

o 'efine your pro3ect schedule, budget plan, and implementation se"uence

o +stablish the pro3ect organization and relevant committees and assign resources

Ativities:-

@ *lobal rollout planning


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@ 'etailed implementation planning to task level

@ esource planning (including multinational pro3ects)

@ isk management and troubleshooting@ 2entoring

@ uality assurance reviews

@ 'ata conversion, interface and reporting strategies

2 Anal7sis and !esi8n B*usiness *lueprintin8B

In this phase you create a blueprint using the ,uestion - Answer database&,-Adb(" which documents your enterprises re/uirements and establisheshow your business processes and organizational structure are to berepresented in the SAP System. 0ou also refine the original pro1ect goals andob1ectives and revise the overall pro1ect schedule in this phase.

Activities:-@ 'ocumentation of current business practices

@ $rocess redesign to incorporate #A$ best practice@ 'esign of client specific solutions using prototyping techni"ues

4 $eali


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Documents

SAP Implementation.doc