SAP Implementation Phases
Project Preparation Phase – As per Accelerated SAP (ASAP) methodology it is the First Phase of SAP Implementation. During this phase, following components are discusse d and documented: Initial Project Planning Project Procedures Project Team Members & their Training Project Kickoff Technical Requirements Quality Check • • • • • •
Business Blueprint Phase - In this phase, a detailed study of business processes and business requirements are undertaken by the Project Team members. This is the phase where Project Team Members interact with respective Core Team Members or Process Owners. The entire requirements gathered during this phase are documented as Business Blueprint. During this phase, following components are discussed and documented: • • • • • • • •
Project Management Organizational Change Management Training Develop System Environment Organizational Structure Definition Business Process Analysis Business Process Definition Quality Check
Realization Phase - In this phase, all the business and process requirements are implemented as documented in Business Blueprint. SAP R/3 system is configured step by step in two work packages, Baseline and Final configuration. How these configurations will be done and how it will be tested. • • • • • • • • •
Baseline Configuration and Confirmation System Management Final Configuration and Confirmation Development of external Programs & Interfaces Unit Testing & Documentation Final Integration Test Business Scenarios & Process Documentation End User Training & Documentation Quality Check
Final Preparation Phase - During this phase, following activities are discussed, completed and documented, successful completion of these activities leads to transition of all configurations settings to live R/3 System • • • • •
System Management Stress & Volume Tests Cutover Strategies & Plans End User Training Quality Check
Go Live and Support Phase – This is phase where all configurations/customizations are transported to live production operation and business starts all its activities in the SAP R/3. During this phase, all the problems/issues related to hardware, network, operating system, database, training, and application system are addressed by the project team members and they help the end users in achieving their day to day task/assignments. This phase is further divided as: • •
Application Production Support and Maintenance Project Implementation End
Continuous Improvement Phase – Towards continuous improvement and to overcome the organizational, business & technology changes the followings are covered under this phase: • • •
Post go-Live Support Improve System performance The ASAP solution was developed to ensure the successful, on-time delivery of a project. SAP delivers the AcceleratedSAP (ASAP) methodology for project management and system implementation. Developed by SAP to optimize the success of implementing the SAP Business Suite, ASAP streamlines the implementation by providing templates, methods, tools, and accelerators that have been built on the success of thousands of previous SAP implementations. The ASAP methodology adheres to a specific road map that addresses the following five general phases:
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1. Project Preparation, in which the project team is identified and mobilized, the project standards are defined, and the project work environment is set up; 2. Blueprint, in which the business processes are defined and the business blueprint document is designed; 3. Realization, in which the system is configured, knowledge transfer occurs, extensive unit testing is completed, and data mappings and data requirements for migration are defined; 4. Final Preparation, in which final integration testing, stress testing, and conversion testing are conducted, and all end users are trained; and 5. Go-Live and Support, in which the data is migrated from the legacy systems, the new system is activated, and post-implementation support is provided.
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ASAP incorporates standard design templates and accelerators covering every functional area within the system, as well as supporting all implementation processes. Complementing the ASAP accelerators, the project manager can create a comprehensive project plan, covering the overall project, project staffing plan, and each sub-process such as system testing, communication and data migration. Milestones are set for every work path, and progress is carefully tracked by the project management team. Effective Communication
Weekly update meetings ensure full communication between the project team, the client project team, and project management. These meeting are used not only to update on project status, but also to identify any issues or risk areas that may threaten the project. By identifying these problems early, they
are more easily mitigated and resolved, reducing their impact on the project timeline. Ensuring Quality and Mitigating Risk
Project quality is verified near the completion of each project phase. Using existing ASAP checklists, these quality checks ensure that all tasks for the phase have been completed properly, that all relevant documentation has been kept, and that all tasks required to commence the next phase of the project have been completed. In addition to the specific project team, companies may use Quality Assurance reviews on all of its projects to ensure that experience gained on other projects has been taken into account and that the optimum system design has been utilized.
Project Preparation Business Blueprint Realization Final Preparation Go Live & Support Continuous Improvement Phase
