ASAP

ASAP Roadmap & Short Overview

This lesson introduces the structure of the AcceleratedSAP Implementation Roadmap and provides a short overview of how an implementation project follows the roadmap.

Lesson Objectives

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:

·         Describe the structure of the ASAP Implementation Roadmap

·         Explain the purpose of each implementation phase

·         Define deliverable groups, deliverables, outputs, and methods

Business Example

You need to evaluate the project structure provided by the ASAP Implementation Roadmap.

Implementation Roadmap Structure

The Implementation Roadmap divides the implementation process into five phases. Each phase is then broken down into a logical structure represented by the deliverable groups, deliverables, outputs, and methods. The five phases focus on achieving specific objectives and completing prescribed deliverables, and follow logically from one to another.

 Figure 1: Milestones on the ASAP Roadmap

 Phase 1: Project Preparation

The purpose of this phase is to provide initial planning and preparation for your SAP project. During this phase the initial project plans are defined, project standards are agreed upon, the project schedule is created, project team organization is put in place, and so on.

 Phase 2: Business Blueprint

The purpose of this phase is to achieve a common understanding of how the company intends to run its business within the SAP system. The result is the Business Blueprint, which is a detailed documentation of the results gathered during requirements workshops. The Business Blueprint represents the company’s business process requirements.

 Phase 3: Realization

The purpose of this phase is to implement all the business process requirements based on the Business Blueprint. The system configuration methodology is provided in two work packages: Baseline configuration (initial configuration of core processes, organization structure and master data elements) and final configuration (one or multiple configuration cycles focusing on finalization of configuration of the entire solution). A key component of the Realization phase is completion of an integration test of the entire solution to assure that the solution is ready for productive use.

 Phase 4: Final Preparation

The purpose of this phase is to prepare the organization for cutover to production system (including system testing; finalization of end-user training; establishment of system management procedures; and preparation of detailed cutover plans, checklist, and procedures) to finalize your readiness to go live. The Final Preparation phase also serves to resolve all critical open issues. After successful completion of this phase, you will be running your solution productively.

 Phase 5: Go Live & Support

The purpose of this phase is to move from a project-oriented, preproduction environment to live production operation, as well as to monitor the first weeks of production operations and correct any issues that may have been identified. This is a transitional phase, during which the project team is disassembled and the resources are returned back to business units.

Each phase has a set of deliverables that are produced during the duration of the phase and serve as the input to follow-up phases. Those deliverables are logically structured in deliverable groups. Each deliverable consists of a list of outputs and methods that are used to produce the deliverable.