patrick.rayes

    May 2010 Previous month Next month
    As a new participant in the "SAP Universe", one of the first things you will likely encounter during the preparation and readiness phase of a project (referenced in my prior post) is a review exercise for several key documents and templates. Bearing in mind that these documents serve as a foundation to conduct/govern your work, collect and document your requirements, and manage the overall project, a significant effort needs to engage in order to maximize the potential of these documents and the value they add to the project.

    So let's get started with a review of some key documents and templates you will come across and how best to approach and successfully contribute to the content and structure of each.

    Inventory of Deliverables, Responsibilities and Acceptance Criteria

    This document contains the project's inventory of core deliverables, who is responsible for each and what the general acceptance criteria is to sign-off the completeness of each deliverable. This document will typically contain items such as:

    > Project Management: review of roles/responsibilities of project members, impact of other projects, scope review, developing the detailed project plan, establishing workshops, establish risk assessment processes and sign off the detailed plan
    > Change Management: develop the change management roadmap, engage key stakeholders to review change impacts, develop a communication plan and conduct awareness sessions with key resources and stakeholders
    > Standards and Rules: establish documentation and approval procedures, define issue/quality resolution and change request procedures and define communication and meeting structure
    > Technical Planning: define the infrastructure requirements, purchase and provision hardware/software and define the architecture outline

    Architecture Approach and Design Templates

    This is generally a very high level document that outlines the key technical deliverables (e.g. integration with other systems, replicating legacy systems and SAP for their retirement, key technical architecture decisions etc.). These technical deliverables are further backed by a high level impact review on processes, custom developments, data, resources, testing and project timelines. The purpose of each impact review is to set expectations with the project, and set a baseline for the potential work involved in the more significant project deliverables.

    Change Request Template and Procedures

    Very simply this the project's change request template document that will be used to document every change request's overview, requirements, effort and timeline. Underlying procedures also need to be clearly defined so as to avoid any failure in tracking approved/declined change requests during the lifecycle of the project. Such procedures dictate the steps required to approve/decline a change request, update and resubmit, where to store these documents, how to log each one etc.

    Change Vision and Management Roadmap

    The change vision and management roadmap provides a vision for why the company is engaging in the implementation, clear focus on the effort and a baseline to work from. The vision facilities the clarity of what is being achieved from a business and technology standpoint (e.g. simplifying processes, achieving operational efficiency etc.). Supplementing the change vision is the management roadmap which outlines the key change management tasks to achieve:

    > Program leadership and governance
    > Organizational design
    > Stakeholder engagement and communications
    > Delivering the necessary skills and knowledge
    > Culture transformation and new ways of working
    > Program strategy and management

    Client Landscape Strategy

    One of the most important technical documents in the project, and often overlooked, the client landscape strategy documents the SAP environments making up the landscape for the project through its major phases. The SAP environments typically comprise of the following systems:

    > Sandbox: used for prototyping, demos and experimental work prior to development
    > Development: used for all development and configuration activities, including unit testing and master data creation
    > Quality Assurance: used for integration and user acceptance testing, including end user training
    > Production: used for the production environment
    > Production Support Development (optional): used for configuration and development of production support fixes (snapshot of QA at time of go-live)
    > Production Support Quality (optional): used for testing of configuration/development of production support fixes

    This document further outlines the release strategy between each system, timing of each release, governance of how data and packages are sent across each system and how each client should be used... to name just a few. Expect this to be a large document, very detailed, and sufficient for everyone in your technical team to understand and reference regularly when managing the system landscape.

    Data Migration Scope and Requirements Document

    Data Migration Scope/Requirements are important topics that must be covered as early as possible to avoid uncomfortable surprises from occurring in late phases of the project. The data migration scope identifies the data objects that need to be transferred from the old (e.g. legacy) system to the new system during an SAP project. When data migration is part of the scope of the SAP project, discussions on the data migration scope should be initiated as early as possible and the outcome of these discussions should be clearly mentioned in this document.

    Document Approval Procedures

    Similar to the change request procedures document, this document outlines the procedures for approving any business, process or technical document produced from the project. It sets governance for how documents are finalized and signed-off, which is crucial between every major phase on the project.

    Interdependancies Review

    Typically a thorough review of all potential projects running in parallel, systems and external/impacts that the SAP implementation might depend on or be impacted by. Obviously necessary, but often overlooked.

    Issue and Risk Log

    The issue and risk log is a basic Excel template shared amongst project members to log issues with the project, potential risks, and how to avoid/resolve them. Typically the PMO and integration managers are key people in driving the resolution and planning for items collected in these log files. Making sure the template captures thorough details is key; owners, deadlines, comments, dependencies etc.

    Knowledge Transfer Strategy

    This document is used to define the processes, scope and approach for conducting effective knowledge transfer activities between resources rolling on/off the project, and/or providing the necessary knowledge/training to the end users prior/after go-live of your system.

    Meeting Minutes Template

    Very basic, but an important document to constantly use in meetings and workshops. Having a well thought-out meeting minutes template, that is also very simple to use and fairly automated, will help keep project members actively engaged in documenting the outcome of all meetings and workshops while assigning the relevant actions accordingly.

    Naming Conventions

    Formalizing naming conventions in any system is important; in SAP, it is even more critical as these naming conventions trickle down from documents, to system configurations, developments, testing, and training documents. Things such as custom development (WRICEF) ID number format, configuration code format/structure, data naming conventions etc., are all important to capture and document in this deliverable.

    Project Plan

    One of the most important documents in a project, and often poorly managed; simply because managing a project plan in a tool like Microsoft Project is a full-time job in itself requiring a significant amount of mathematical wizardy, organization and structure. From personal experience, segmenting the core project plan into several pieces can be very helpful; for example, broken out by each workstream. This allows you to easily manage it, and control the updates accordingly.

    During the readiness phase, reviewing and finalizing this document is critical. Every task, date, predecessor and timeline should be reviewed with all the key project members, stakeholders, PMO and team leads.

    Quality Review Procedures

    This document defines the processes and expected output of a quality review effort in the project. Quality planning is defined by the functionality, performance needs, measurement and verification requirements, and also governed by change/config management, standards to adhere to (e.g. technology/accounting standards), and methods/tools used to drive these efforts.

    Other Preparation/Readiness Information

    Below is a list of other useful resources to consider during the preparation/readiness phase:

    > Ramp-up Knowledge Transfer (RKT)
    - RKT delivers early product and task-related knowledge to experienced SAP and partner consultants in Ramp-Up projects and to all other roles such as sales and customer's administrators involved in the SAP Solution Ramp-Up.
    > Updated SAP ASAP Roadmap 7.0
    - The new ASAP Methodology For Implementation released to access further information on the updated roadmap
    > Accessing the ASAP Roadmap
    - ASAP 7.0 delivered in SAP Solution Manager to read about how to access the roadmap via Solution Manager

    Look for details on SAP technical architecture design and planning in my next few posts...
    With over 100 certifications to choose from, across two certification levels and three focus areas, navigating the SAP Certification landscape can be a daunting challenge in itself. Planning and executing your educational roadmap with SAP can also be as daunting, and likely overwhelming, if you are unable to dedicate the time, plan accordingly and prepare for the exams.

    So, still interested to take that adventurous and brave leap into the "SAP World", and earn your credentials in SAP? Yes? Then read on...

    In summary, few credentials in the technology space carry the value of SAP certification. Those who hold it have managed to hone their skills through rigorous study or direct experience. They have demonstrated their abilities by passing demanding, process-oriented exams. SAP certification, without question, can give you the distinct competitive advantage you need to accelerate your career, sharpen your SAP skills and enrich your overall functional/technical background.

    Below is a summary of SAPs three certification focus areas:

    > Application Certification
    This certification focus area is available for specific SAP solutions such as PLM, MDM, Netweaver, BW, Data Integrator, Accounting, Planning and Manufacturing etc. Ideally a good certification path for the more functionally-balanced candidates interested in sharpening their business-process skills within the SAP landscape.

    > Technology Certification
    This certification focus area is available for technologies such as PI, MDM, Security, Portal etc. Ideally a good certification path for the more technically-balanced candidates interested in sharpening their technical skills within the SAP landscape.

    > Development Certification
    This certification is available for individuals who are developing applications on SAP. It covers development languages/tools such as ABAP and Java, and caters to the development-type candidate who has an interest in refining their software development skills.

    So how does one get started? Where and how do you get training? What is the certification exam like? Below is a breakdown of the training options available and a first-hand experience in the certification exam process...

    Offline Training

    Offline training involves classroom training primarily; these are 2 to 5-day instructor-led courses supplemented by PowerPoint presentations, lab-type exercises, hands-on SAP exercises and reading/referencing training manuals that are anywhere from 300 to 1,000 pages long (hehe, ya, i know).

    These types of offline trainings are best suited for most courses in the application, technology and development focus areas. Every certification has a clearly defined training path, which often includes offline training prerequisites to get to the certification itself. There are some application certifications, for example, that offer training entirely online with a one-day certification exam held at a training facility.

    Below are some useful tips and tricks to leverage when taking SAP classroom (offline) trainings:

    > ASK For exercises and labs that have complex steps/scenarios, always ask the instructor for help and to conduct walk-throughs. They have done this enough times to know the work-arounds and tricks for a problem.
    > BREAKS The in-between breaks during the morning and after lunch are crucial; you need some down-time and coffee to recharge your body and re-focus. Remember, there is a lot of information to absorb in very short amount of time; don't underestimate it.
    > CONTEXT Try to understand what your are learning fits in the context of your project and/or workplace. A good exercise is to take a specific example of a problem you are facing on your project, workplace or prior experience, and map it into what you are learning so you can figure out how to resolve it in the future.
    > DIAGRAMS Review the diagrams for each section and try to understand what they mean; the instructor usually references them, and whatever explanation and walk-throughs they provide should be noted down to help understand what the diagram means.
    > ENGAGE Most importantly, engage with your instructor and fellow-students. There is a reason for taking classroom trainings; it's not just about learning in front of a teacher instead of a computer, it's about interacting and really getting the most out of the experience.
    > FOCUS During the presentation of the course, most instructors tend to walk through the chapters with the SAP-provided PowerPoint presentations supplemented with their feedback. It is important that you focus on the specific sections within a chapter that the instructor covers, as very often they know best what the certification covers.
    > HIGHLIGHTS Take note of anything "flagged" as important in the training material (e.g. Hints, Tips, Notes etc.); they often provide that additional piece of information to help you get through the section and fill that "understanding gap" for a concept.
    > INTERACT Ask questions to understand what is being presented. Often-times the last few hours of a class lead into absorbing so much information with nobody asking questions; this is a fatal risk that should be avoided by being more interactive and engaging with the instructor to review your understanding of the problem.
    > NOTES Take hand-written notes in the training material, supplemented by a copy of the notes electronically in Notepad (if the training computer allows).
    > READ Read ahead every step and VERY carefully in the exercises and labs; chances are if you missed a step in the exercises, the final result will fail completely. It is a common mistake to jump through exercises quickly and end up with a poor result.
    > REPEAT If you think you understand it, you probably do not. Repeat the topic to the class to improve your understanding and take notes.
    > REVIEW It sounds boring and exhausting, not to mention finding the time, but simply taking a day out of your weekend to review your training a week or a month after the course can be extremely helpful in retaining your memory.
    > SCHOOL Use your best traits... Remember your school days? Ok, probably not, but if you do, try to leverage some of the very same studying techniques you did at school (e.g. repetition, studying the day before, staying later to review the day's work etc.)
    > Finally, and most importantly, have fun!

    Online Training

    The online training experience provided by SAP Education is surprisingly well structured and presented using animated presentations, point/click activities and hands-on training via SAP training instances through remote desktop-like sessions. This training delivery option provides only a handful of courses and certification options; best suited for obtaining your associate certification fairly easily and within your studying schedules to accommodate work hours etc.

    The content of the online trainings are mostly based on the offline courses; typically the same material is used, and you can even download a PDF version of the large training handbooks for that specific course. The trainings walk through narrated slides and animations, backed by material from the training handbooks.

    Below are some tips on how to best succeed with these types of courses:

    > BREAKS Always take breaks; helps to refresh your body and mind so you can prepare for the next section. When you find yourself reading through material that stops making much sense (e.g. reading for the sake of reading), then is about a good time to take a break and re-motivate yourself.
    > COMPLETENESS Studying through everything and conducting all the tests and exercises is essential. Complete the training from start to finnish; skipping sections/units (unless absolutely necessary) is a good practice to avoid missing key concepts.
    > DEDICATION Dedication is one of the most important parts of online trainings. Keeping to a strict schedule and maintaining a steady momentum is usually hard to maintain, particularly when surrounded by work and personal distractions. Locking yourself in a room, or going to study elsewhere is often the best solution; you simply have to unplug from everything else and reserve a set amount of time to focus.
    > NOTES Very much like offline training, taking notes is key. Being that the training is delivered via your computer, maintaining your notes in Notepad or Word can be much more effective than handwritten notes (e.g. searching text, formatting content etc.)
    > REVIEW Revisit the review sections of each unit often. They provide key information for the unit that are excellent in referencing when you take the actual exam.
    > LABS Always do the lab/interactive exercises, they are extremely helpful as a refresher and a way to secure concepts in your mind.
    > TIME Taking the time to complete online trainings can often be hard. Usually weekends are your only option, and this can lead to a 2-3 month period for courses that are built across 5 to 10 full days of training material. So plan your time accordingly and execute.

    In summary, online trainings are best suited for the more basic training and certification packages, and really best suited for those who have time on weekends to study. Dedication, repetition and avoidance of procrastination are some of the most important things to keep in mind while engaging with these formats of training delivery.

    Taking the Certification Exam

    The SAP certification exam is designed to be challenging; take my word for it! Most are offered as a 3-hour exam (breaks are optional), with 80 questions and typically a 55% pass-rate... Think about it, that's about 2 minutes per question (excluding breaks), and each question is a complex multiple choice (e.g. a question can have one or more answers out of many, and most questions are scenario-driven). Given that amount of time, and necessity of thinking through questions methodically and carefully, you will need to be very prepared.

    Worst case, you can take the exam up to three times per year, with an elapsed interval between each retake (rules might have changed already, so don't quote me on that). In any case, below are some tips on how to prepare for the exam and use techniques during the exam to succeed.

    > BREAKS Given the short amount of time, it is very hard to take a break. Inevitably, your body will need it, so try to plan for one break every hour; usually 2-3 minutes for a quick stretch and bathroom break works best.
    > COUNT Keeping count of your answers is a handy method to gauge your possible pass-rate. If you feel 100% confident about at least 60% of the questions, then you are in a fairly good shape to get to the 60+% you need when doing the final review at the very end.
    > FLAG Use the flagging functionality for questions you are not sure of. It is VERY helpful when revisiting questions at the end that your uncertain of.
    > NOTES Use your note sheet to create diagrams of the scenarios presented in the questions. Also use it to keep count of confident/non-confident questions you answered.
    > READ Read the questions very carefully; they are often scenario-based and you have to understand it very well before answering or considering the multiple choice answers.
    > RELATIONSHIPS Believe it or not some questions have relationships to others, so it is good to keep a tab in your mind or note sheet of some of the more complex questions as others might be related and answers could be "deduced" if you are clever enough ;-)
    > SCENARIOS Since most questions are scenario oriented, requiring some effort of thinking, try to play them out in your mind as if you were doing them in real life. This can often help confirm your answers.
    > TIMING Keep time; watch the clock on the screen, and time yourself with your own watch. Remember to keep it short, quick and efficient per question; 1 to 1.5 minutes per question is usually a good strategy, this way you gather enough buffer time for breaks and doing a final review at the very end.
    > TITLES The titles of every question often provide a good context for what to expect, so make sure you read the title/topic before reading the question.

    Last, but not least... Prepare, Prepare, Prepare. Before taking the test review your notes and training material. It is often very helpful to review the summary sections of each unit; you will find most of the complex concepts documented there that are often used in the exams.

    Keep studying, and best of luck!
    Patrick Rayes

    An SAP Experience

    Posted by Patrick Rayes May 12, 2010
    Systeme, Anwendungen und Produkte... German for Systems, Applications and Products, or SAP. Founded in 1972 by five former IBM engineers, and now headquartered in Waldorf, Germany, SAP is the largest software enterprise in Europe and the fourth largest software enterprise in the world. Almost $15 billion in revenue, nearly 50,000 employees in over 50 countries, 90,000 plus instances of SAP running worldwide, 2,400 certified partners and a network of nearly 1.5 million developers in over 200 countries... SAP is, per their very well-known statement, run by the "best run businesses". Got your attention?

    Why write about SAP? Long story short, having recently been involved in a global implementation of SAP with challenging and diverse implementation phases, a "personal experience" review seems fitting to share with those out there entertaining the thought of embarking on their own SAP career or project. However, before commencing with a "tsunami" of articles on my experience with SAP, below are some of the basics to set a foundation of what the "SAP Experience" is all about...

    Awareness and Preparation

    Implementing SAP at any level, small or large, can have profound organizational impacts that require a highly effective awareness and preparation strategy from all levels of an organization.

    Why, you may ask? First and foremost, because SAP is a highly structured product that requires a unique way of thinking and conducting business so as to fit within its robust processes. Secondly, SAP can potentially uproot and revamp a single department's processes and resources, despite that department's highly coveted, proven and "set in stone" business processes. Third, and generally this applies with any technology, the learning curve and usability element can be immense. Not to mention everything else that SAP brings with it; business change, organizational alignment, IT system readiness etc.

    Combining these "ingredients" that SAP brings into an organization necessitates planning for awareness. Awareness and alignment across all levels, and preparation towards reaching that goal; communications, workshops, executive buy-in, sponsorship  etc. You essentially have to elevate the organization into a level of awareness and preparedness so as to pave the road towards a successful implementation.

    "Method to the Madness"

    Where does an SAP implementation start and how? One of the most commonly used and known frames of reference, supported and backed by SAP, is the Accelerated SAP Roadmap (or Methodology). ASAP is a comprehensive solution and roadmap for the implementation of SAP, comprising of a proven methodology, tools and a range of services for the rapid implementation and ongoing optimization of SAP installations.

    The ASAP Roadmap and accompanying project plan provide a standard implementation "how-to guide" that fills in the gaps of diverse methodologies and varying individual implementation skills and experiences. It is broken down into five main phases (listed below):

    Phase 1: Project Preparation

    > Decision-makers define project objectives and decision-making processes
    > Project charter issued and implementation strategy outlined
    > Project team and working environments established
    > Establish kick-off and workshop meetings to engage the project and assign responsibilities

    Phase 2: Business Blueprint

    > Document and define the scope of the implementation in a Business Blueprint
    > Application consultants, process teams and technical counterparts, achieve a common understanding of how the enterprise intends to run its business
    > Engage the project team in training in SAP fundamentals and processes

    Phase 3: Realization

    > Configure the SAP system to fulfill the business process requirements
    > Baseline configuration: configure about 80% of daily business transactions, master data, organizational structure
    > Final configuration: remaining deliverables within each process, including customizations to the system

    Phase 4: Final Preparation

    > Integration testing, User Acceptance Testing and Quality Assurance
    > User training and cut-over activities
    > Resolve all crucial open issues

    Phase 5: Go Live and Support

    > Supporting end users
    > Establish procedures and measurements to review the benefits of the implementation
    > Address any remaining open critical issues
    > Implement SAP services: Online Service System (OSS), Remote Consulting, EarlyWatch Services

    Most SAP projects will encounter these common phases, and some will even engage specific and highly focused activities to blend into the organizations way of doing business and thinking (e.g. inter-departmental and divisional workshops to align key stakeholders and business process owners).  Combined with other tools such as the Enterprise Services Repository&Registry, the ASAP Roadmap can prove to be a very effective baseline for kicking off a SAP implementation.

    However, as many SAP projects engage a solution vendor (e.g. CapGemini, IBM etc.), you will likely come across a vendor-specific methodology such as IBM’s Ascendant Methodology. These methodologies are blended to suit the tried and tested best-practices established between SAP and the solution vendor.

    Everything Else

    Just when you think you had everything sorted out with the SAP methodology and roadmap, there are numerous areas to consider that are critical to every phase of the project. Just a few of them are outlined below, each with a brief description:

    Architecture
    Everything from the business, functional, technical, solution and data architecture need to be considered and clearly defined. This acts as a visual roadmap for your functional teams, business stakeholders and overall project team to steer along; it sets governance, best practices and confirmed design decisions on paper.

    Champion/Expert Users
    These are a group of users that have gained incremental experience in using SAP during its initial rollout and have a significant influence in an organizations business processes. They are the frontline to addressing issues with the user community, and the extended support network and business process facilitators for SAP.

    Change Management
    As mentioned earlier, change management is critical to align and prepare an organization for the changes that SAP brings into an organization. This involves constant communication on each critical phase of the project, awareness to the user community and business stakeholders, workshops to help bring understanding and knowledge of what to expect and how to contribute etc.

    Center of Excellence (CoE)
    The CoE is one of the most important components to establish during the final phase of a SAP rollout. This team comprises of SAP-skilled individuals, with strong relations to business process stakeholders, to help support and lead the growth of SAP in the organization. Everything from support issues to system enhancements and data management; the CoE is charged with owning and driving the growth and success of SAP within the organization, while bringing the necessary awareness and knowledge to the user community for operational efficiency and stability.

    Communications
    Keeping your organization well-informed on the progress of an SAP implementation, and what it means to them in understandable concepts, is key to a successful rollout. Inter-project communication tools and processes is also an important part of a global rollout; particularly with teams spread across multiple timezones.

    Governance
    Governance implies having a set of rules, processes, guidelines etc. that dictate how certain key phases and deliverables of a project need get done. Governance can be enforced by a steering committee, key resources on the project team, and even the PMO. Without governance, you can very easily expect project deliverables to get misaligned and go off course.

    Hypercare and Sustain Phases
    Typically after every major project rollout, a sustain/support phase is engaged to make sure the system is stable and operational according to the design. This period can typically last several weeks, as the organization settles into the new system and all the critical issues that prevent the business from operating efficiently are resolved.

    Integration Management
    Integration management can usually be a new concept for most project teams, and one overlooked and not effectively filled. Integration managers are charged with the responsibility of making sure all the various work streams and functional teams are aligned on their expectations from one another. Case in point, changes done to the sales process within SAP might have effects on the financial accounting processes, hence integration management's involvement to align these changes.

    Master Data
    Master Data, Master Data, Master Data. As goes the saying for real estate where location is key to any successful real estate venture, master data for SAP is key to a successful implementation. An organizations master data is all the customers, vendors, products etc. configured and setup within SAP as a "single source of truth", providing data to dependent systems and/or synchronizing/harmonizing with external systems.

    Offshore Team Management
    Any project without an offshore team somewhere in the world is likely no project at all, as today's typical global IT project has a dedicated team offshore developing and testing the system during the realization phase. Offshore management skills are critical to keep under control and well-monitored. Everything from culture-clashes, to making sure your offshore team has everything they need to be successful is crucial.

    Portal vs SAP GUI
    When it comes time to selecting your method of providing access to SAP for your users, there are several choices. Two of which are the Enterprise Portal (a Web-based interface that replicates the SAP transaction screens online), and the SAP GUI (client-based software). Selecting between each can be a challenging architecture decision, and can affect the success of how your end-users use the system effectively.

    Project Management and PMO
    Here is where the SAP methodology and project plan come into play; the success of delivering a SAP project on time and on budget depend greatly on the success of the PMOs enforcement of the project plan, charter and overall methodology.

    Project Sponsors, Stakeholders and SMEs
    Every SAP project of significant size requires a blend of sponsors, stakeholders and Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to help guide the project towards a successful design and implementation. The sponsors to make and enforce key decisions as well as aligning and preparing the organization for SAP. The business stakeholders to support the project team in making decisions on the design. The SMEs to articulate the specific technical/functional requirements for key areas of the implementation.

    Release Management
    Release management can be a significant challenge during the initial and subsequent phased rollouts of SAP. Control over the changes that go into the system need to enforced, not just for auditing purposes but also to help keep the project team aligned with what the system baseline is between each phased implementation.

    SAP Netweaver and SOA
    Commonly misunderstood, and highly overlooked. SAP Netweaver is SAP's integrated technology platform and is the technical foundation, providing components, tools and applications, for all SAP applications since the SAP Business Suite. SAP NetWeaver is marketed as a service-oriented application and integration platform; it enables you to consolidate heterogeneous systems, applications, and data to simplify your technical landscape. The key components of SAP is what makes up the solution overall, and dictates the enterprise architecture, including most technical and solution architecture components.

    System Sizing and Infrastructure
    Typically done during the early stages of the project, the sizing exercise is meant to help your IT team document the hardware, network and software inventory required to deliver the SAP landscape. This can often lead towards a little technical “black magic” to identify the acceptable size of equipment and setup required to run the SAP system for the size and number of users.

    Status Reporting and KPIs
    Maintaining a healthy and steady pace on a SAP project requires constant monitoring and measuring, often controlled by the project PMO. Key Performance Indicators to give us a visual on the health of the project, and status reports to expose the progress of each team and their deliverables.

    Team Structure
    Often an interesting topic for those wanting a “slice of the pie” in the project, and usually the first topic on the table. Although the team structure, and whom reports to whom, can be important to finalize, it should be well controlled and monitored so as to not create an imbalance in roles and responsibilities that would lead towards failure and/or corrosion of trust and effective teamwork.

    WRICEFs
    Workflows, reports, interfaces, conversions, enhancements and forms; the laundry list of custom developments that would be required to make SAP work for the organization per the design/blueprint put in place. Often argued as an aging practice of classifying the custom development roadmap on a project, it has been proven to help align the planning and organization of all custom requirements in SAP.

    So there it is, in about 2,000 words... More to come on my next series of articles; stay tuned!